Amazon Smile: Spending that is socially conscious has been rising for years, but it appears to have reached new heights since the social justice movement gained center stage in 2020. For example, according to “The Social Consumer Spending Index,” compiled by marketing agency GoodMustGrow, social spending will increase by 15% in 2020, indicating that customers are more interested in giving back when they shop.
Amazon, on the other hand, was ahead of the curve in recognizing these tendencies. Amazon Smile, the company’s hallmark program, is one of the most prominent and popular methods to connect socially conscious shoppers.
What Is Amazon Smile?
Amazon Smile is a different website from Amazon.com that offers the same products, prices, and advantages as Amazon.com, with one exception.
When you shop on Amazon Smile, Amazon donates 0.5 percent of the price of eligible purchases to the charity of your choosing.
There is no expense to charities or customers, and 100% of the proceeds from qualified purchases go to the customer’s favorite charity. This added benefit is a terrific way for frequent Amazon users to contribute back to organizations without having to think about it.
Amazon Smile is popular among socially conscious customers because of how simple it is to use. They can choose which charity they want to support, change it later if they change their minds, then shop on the Amazon website or through the Amazon app on their mobile devices.
While Amazon Smile isn’t the only way to donate to charity while shopping, its technological solution appears to be unique in its ease of use.
How to sign up for Amazon Smile?
How to use Amazon Smile on a web browser:
- Go to smile.amazon.com to learn more.
- Log in using the same Amazon.com account you used to create the account.
Choose a charity. - Begin your shopping! Remember to shop at smile.amazon.com to raise funds for the charity of your choice.
- Add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make shopping easier.
How to use Amazon Smile using the Amazon app on your mobile phone:
- Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device.
- To get started, go to the main menu (=).
- Select “Amazon Smile” from the Settings menu.
- To switch on Amazon Smile in the mobile app, select your charity and then follow the on-screen instructions.
- After you’ve enabled Amazon Smile in your app, every eligible app purchase will result in a gift to the charity of your choice.
What are the eligibility requirements for charitable organizations to participate?
To be eligible to participate, a 501(c)(3) organization must be registered with the IRS and in good standing. Supporting organizations, unless specifically defined as a Type I, Type II, or functionally integrated Type III supporting organization, must be public charitable organizations (not private foundations).
In addition, eligible charity organizations must be based in one of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, or the United States Virgin Islands. To collect gift payments, organizations must submit bank account information online. Organizations involved in, supporting, encouraging, or promoting intolerance, bigotry, terrorism, violence, money laundering, or other criminal actions are not eligible to participate.
To assess which registered charities fall into these categories, Amazon consults the US Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Southern Poverty Law Center. To remain eligible, charitable organizations must also follow the Amazon Smile Participation Agreement. At any moment, charitable organizations have the option to opt-out of Amazon Smile.
Although we strive to list only charitable organizations that are in good standing and do not engage in any of the above-mentioned activities, we cannot guarantee any nonprofit organization’s good standing or conduct. See the Amazon Smile Participation Agreement for more information.
Amazon Smile Video
How do I register and receive donations for my charitable organization?
It’s simple to register your business. You must be an official representative of an eligible organization to register and accept donations, and then follow these simple steps:
Select the nonprofit organization you represent after searching for it by name or EIN number. Because many philanthropic organizations have similar names, double-check that you’ve chosen the right one.
Create an account as an organization administrator and accept the Amazon Smile Participation Agreement on your organization’s behalf.
Please double-check your email address (we recommend that you use an email address that is associated with your charitable organization).
Please provide the bank account information for your organization.
Verify your organization’s bank account information by uploading a copy of a voided check or bank statement.
Why Should You Register for Amazon Smile?
If your supporters have already designated you to collect their donations, you should register with Amazon Smile.
Customers can look for your charity on Amazon Smile, and it’s possible that it’s listed but unclaimed. The consumer’s qualifying purchase donation will go into a “communal” fund if the charity has not yet registered. That fund will be donated to other registered charity organizations at the end of eight quarters. 5
Even after you’ve enlisted in Amazon Smile, you should double-check your organization’s status. Changes in your organization’s tax status or “violations” of the Amazon Smile Participation Agreement may exclude you from participating.
If your bank account or email address changes, you may be dropped. While Amazon will tell you if your account has been suspended, you must reply quickly and resolve the problem. 6
It is completely free to set up an Amazon Smile account. However, if you don’t claim it, you risk losing whatever donations you’ve received.
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Pros and Cons of Amazon Smile for Consumers
Pros
It’s simple and free.
Cons
- Double-checking is required.
- Donations are made one at a time.
- Amount of donation:
Pros and Cons of Amazon Smile for Organizations
Pros
- It is possible to make money.
- Setup is simple.
- The majority of supporters shop on Amazon, which allows for long-term donations.
Cons
- Donations are modest.
- Can have a negative impact on giving behaviors.
- Personal information is not accessible.
- Advertisement is required.
FAQ about Amazon Smile
How does Amazon Smile work?
When visitors visit smile.amazon.com for the first time, they are requested to choose a charitable organisation from among more than one million that are qualified to receive donations. Customers must first choose a charity organisation before they may explore or shop on AmazonSmile. Whenever a consumer makes an eligible purchase through AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will make a charitable donation on behalf of the customer to the charitable organisation of their choice.
Is there any cost to charitable organizations or to customers?
No. Neither charitable organisations nor AmazonSmile customers are charged a fee for participating. The shopping experience is comparable to that of Amazon.com, with the added bonus that the AmazonSmile Foundation will give a portion of the proceeds to the charitable organisations that consumers choose.
Do you charge any administrative fees or take any deduction from the donation amount?
The only need for charities is that they register to collect donations and that they have a valid bank account into which we may direct payments. There is no price to join, and we do not deduct any fees from the amount of the donation.
Can charitable organizations outside the U.S. participate?
Non-profit organisations that qualify under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code must be based in one of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, or the United States Virgin Islands in order to be considered eligible.
What are spotlight charities?
We may choose one or more charitable organisations from the overall list of qualified organisations to feature on our website from time to time. However, we do not promote any particular organisation or the issues they support; we do this to make it easier for customers to choose an organisation to support from among the more than one million options available to them.
Please submit a spotlight charity application if you would want to be considered for consideration as a spotlight charity. It is important to note that you must first register your nonprofit organisation at org.amazon.com before you can receive donations.
Create an account on org.amazon.com and then click the Help link at the top of the website. From there, select the Spotlight Charities link under General Program Information to be sent to the application form for the organisation.
May customers make direct donations to charitable organizations through the Amazon Smile program?
Customers can make direct gifts to charitable organisations and arrange for donated products to be sent to charitable organisations through the AmazonSmile Charity Lists programme, which can be accessed through their browser or through the Amazon Shopping app on their mobile device.
At this time, that programme is the sole AmazonSmile initiative that allows customers to make charitable contributions to organisations. Customers who choose to support their chosen charity organisation through AmazonSmile do not make direct donations; instead, they use AmazonSmile to purchase.
Does the Amazon Smile Foundation take any portion of donations to fund its operations?
No, Amazon provides funding for the AmazonSmile Foundation’s activities.
How do I contact Amazon Smile?
Use this contact us form to send a question to the org.amazon.com customer service team for response.
Where did you get my organization’s information?
To request that your organisation be removed from the AmazonSmile programme, please contact us and specify that you do not want your organisation to participate in the AmazonSmile programme.
How can we change the AmazonSmile organization administrator to another person?
Amazon relies on GuideStar as the authoritative source for information on charitable organisations that is made publicly available. To make changes to your organization’s address or mission statement, go to GuideStar and update your Nonprofit Profile. Please contact us if you would like to request a change to the name of your organisation.
How do I change my account information such as email address and password?
Log in to Org Central and click on the Settings link at the top of the page to change your settings. To remove yourself as an administrator, click on the “Remove me as administrator” button. Then, at org.amazon.com, a new administrator will need to register the organisation and resubmit bank account information, which will take several days.
You should contact us if your administrator is no longer with the company or if you suspect your account has been claimed by someone outside your organisation. Please include a request in your message that the current administrator be removed from the account. Please also include the name and contact information for the newly appointed organisation administrator.
How can I update my organization’s name, address, or mission statement?
Log in to Org Central and go to Settings > Edit Account Information or Edit Contact Information to make changes to your information. Note that if this same email address is associated with other Amazon.com accounts, such as the account with which you make purchases, the name and email address associated with those accounts will be changed, as well as the password associated with those accounts.
