Amazon Smile: Online shopping for Nonprofits

Amazon is giving folks another reason to smile. Haven't heard about AmazonSmile yet?

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million organizations to support.

You might have noticed if you looked closely that in the screenshot above, it says that 0.5% of my purchases will go to the Foundation Center. This is because a Foundation Center post is how I found out about it.

Post by Foundation Center.

So, if you want, you can select another charitable organization.

You can even search by name, location, or keyword, which I did for "Washington, DC".

It gave me over 8,000 results in the DC area.

And if you're an organization, you can register here.

To do so, the site first asks you to find your charitable organization. It also states, "you must be an authorized representative of the organization."

There've already been a number of articles written about this, offering different bits of context and insight.

The high-level message is clear: Amazon wants people to know it cares about people and communities. But there’s an underlying message that seems just as apparent: we’ll keep giving as long as you keep buying. (read more at TechCrunch)

 "AmazonSmile allows us to reach millions of existing and new supporters who can help us find cures for cancer and save children," said Richard Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "At St. Jude, we're leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer while ensuring no family ever receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. Working with AmazonSmile gives us a new way to support our mission that's simple for both us and our supporters." (read more at the Wall Street Journal)

So...what do you think? For those who use Amazon regularly, do you think you will take advantage of this
philanthropic option as a consumer?

Leave your thoughts in a comment below!!