The Pros and Cons of Amazon Smile

Amazon smile, launched in April 2016, promised consumers a way to support charities by donating part of their purchase prices. Customers can select their favorite charity and then check off the box to activate that organization’s donation when shopping at Amazon.com.

Amazon Smile URL customers are eligible for charitable donations on tens of millions of products, which depend on the cost including sales, discounts and shipping fees. Your donation amount depends on the cost of an eligible item excluding sales, discounts and fees.

However, Sandra Miniutti, vice president of marketing at Charity Navigator, notes that these donations may not amount to much for many charities. “[They] may not replace larger contributions you can make directly to the cause of your choice,” she stated.

The downsides to using Amazon Smile are that you must double-check your charitable selection each time you purchase something and it can be challenging to switch charities. Furthermore, these small donations take a long time to accumulate into larger sums of money.

On the plus side, Amazon’s vast audience and passive donations can be a great opportunity for nonprofits to expand. It is especially advantageous for large organizations with numerous supporters as many of them tend to shop on Amazon. Furthermore, registration is simple; ultimately it is up to each nonprofit whether this program works best for them and how best they use it.