Amazon Smile is the sister website of Amazon.com with all the same products, features, and prices. Shoppers probably won’t notice any difference between the two sites. The sites are nearly identical, except when shoppers use Amazon Smile, the Amazon Smile Foundation donates 0.5% of the purchase price of all eligible items to a charity of the shopper’s choice.
Amazon is the largest internet retailer in the world, so that 0.5% adds up quickly! Since it launched in 2013, the Amazon Smile Foundation donated over $80 million to nearly one million charities.
In addition to your nonprofit's donation page, Amazon Smile is an easy, low cost way for your organization to receive a little passive income throughout the year. All your supporters need to do is set up their Amazon Smile account and select your charity, then start shopping like they usually do!
Here are some tips and tricks to help your organization get more out of Amazon Smile.
Set up your organization’s Amazon Smile account
This one might seem obvious, but have you set up an Amazon Smile account for your organization? The process is really very simple, as long as you have the right information handy.
Before you begin, collect the following information.
- Your organization’s EIN number
- Bank account information
- Voided check or bank statement
- Identify who will serve as the organization administrator
The organization administrator represents your nonprofit and will have the authority to manage the Amazon Smile account on behalf of the organization. For convenience, select someone who will remain with the organization for the long term, or use an email address that will remain active with the organization regardless of who is responsible for the role.
Once you have all the necessary information, search for your organization by name or EIN number. Make sure you choose the correct nonprofit, as many charities have similar names.
Then you can create an account for your organization. You will need to provide your nonprofit’s bank information to receive the donations.
Share your Amazon Smile charity link with EVERYONE
Amazon Smile is only advantageous if people use your charity link when they shop. The more people who know about it and buy through Amazon Smile, the better! Encourage all your volunteers, employees, donors, friends, and family to bookmark your link so that your organization receives the donation for every time they make an eligible purchase on Amazon Smile.
Write about Amazon Smile in your next email update and share your dedicated link. Share your link on your social media pages and add it to your website. Amazon Smile even offers banners you can add to your website that will direct people to your Amazon Smile profile.
Help your supporters understand how to shop with Amazon Smile
Amazon Smile is only useful if your supporters know how to use it to back your nonprofit. Your supporters can log into Amazon Smile with their current Amazon.com username and password. Then, they will receive a prompt to choose a charity to support.
Once the account is set up, Amazon will remember your charity. Encourage your community to check every time they shop on Amazon to make sure they are on the smile.amazon.com site instead of amazon.com (they look nearly identical).
Unfortunately, people can only support one organization at a time and they must be logged into their smile.amazon.com account for their purchases to be eligible for donations. Remind your supporters that they can change their AmazonSmile charity of choice at any time. Give them basic instructions on how to change the charity they support.
Set up an Amazon Smile Charity List
Amazon Smile Charity Lists allows your supporters to purchase and donate items your nonprofit needs! Amazon sells everything from groceries and office supplies to books and clothing. No matter what your organization’s mission is, you likely have a list of items you need.
Amazon Charity Lists are especially useful around the holidays and in preparation for specific events. Create a Charity List and share it with your network of supporters so they can purchase the items your organization actually needs. The things even ship directly to your organization.
Apply to be a Spotlight Charity
Spotlight Charities appear on the Amazon Smile website for all visitors to see. This is an excellent (and free) opportunity to increase your visibility and reach new potential supporters.
Amazon highlights five charities at a time on their Amazon Smile page. Any 501(c)(3) can apply to be featured for a period of time. It only takes a little time to fill out the application. While it’s nearly impossible to predict the value of being a “spotlight charity,” every little bit helps.
Amazon Smile is a tool, not a fundraising solution
Receiving donations from Amazon Smile is just another tool in your fundraising and networking arsenal, not a solution to all your funding needs. It’s not meant to replace your regular fundraising efforts. Although the 0.5% donation does add up, your supporters would have to spend a substantial amount of money to generate significant contributions.
One disadvantage of Amazon Smile is it gives shoppers the illusion of being more charitable than they actually are. A way to combat this illusion is to publish exactly how much you receive from Amazon Smile. Help your network understand how much money comes in from Amazon Smile compared to your total budget.
Are you ready to add Amazon Smile to your fundraising toolbox? Here are three resources to help you use Amazon Smile and other creative fundraising tools more effectively.
- Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: What You Should Know and a Quick-Start Guide: Peer-to-peer fundraising is one of the fastest-growing crowdfunding methods in the nonprofit world. It is an effective fundraising method that helps you expand your network, activate your current supporters, and increase your nonprofit’s visibility.
- 5 Easy Ways To Maximize Your Fundraising On Facebook: Social media plays a very influential role in our culture. It is transforming the way people network and socialize. It is also impacting the way nonprofits fundraise and expand their support network. Learn how to use Facebook to your advantage.
- 5 Irresistible Online Fundraising Ideas That Actually Convert in 2019: Amazon Smile is just one easy way to bring in a few extra bucks online. As online fundraising continues to evolve, don’t be afraid to try some of these ideas to see what works for your organization.