Amazon created a fantastic program that allows shoppers to donate 0.5% of the price of their eligible purchases to the organization of their choice, just by using Amazon Smile.
This article will show shoppers how to sign up and shop using Amazon smile, and explain how it benefits their favorite charity or non-profit organization.
Key Takeaways
What Is Amazon Smile Prime In 2022?
Amazon Smile has the same benefits for shoppers as Amazon Prime, with the added benefit of raising money for its favorite charities. With Amazon Smile, each purchase donates 0.5% of the total purchase price to the shopper’s designated charity. There are no associated fees or other administrative costs for the charities or the shoppers in 2022.
To learn more about using this charitable program, and how Amazon smile benefits communities, keep reading for more useful facts!
Is Amazon Smile the Same as Amazon Prime?
Amazon Smile is an extension of Amazon.com, and has all the same Prime benefits as Amazon Prime, adding a percentage of your purchase to your favorite charity.
How Do Shoppers Sign up for Amazon Smile?
Amazon Smile is easy to join! Simply go to https://smile.amazon.com/, then log in with your Amazon email address and password.
After the shopper logs in for the first time, the system will prompt them to select the charity they would like to support from over one million organizations.
Several charities will be listed as spotlight charities, or a charity can be searched for the drop-down box.
What If an Amazon Shopper Wants to Change Their Smile Charity Selection?
Over time, It’s easy for a shopper to change their charity selection!
Once they log in to Amazon with the email address and password created when signing up for Amazon Smile, click on “Choose an Organization,” and select another one to support.
After the charity has been changed, the shopper will be sent to their Amazon Smile Impact Dashboard.
What Is the Amazon Smile Impact Dashboard?
On the Amazon Smile Dashboard, shoppers will see the following:
- The total number of Amazon Smile purchases they have made to date
- The total amount of money they have generated for the charity
- The number of funds raised for US charities and international charities
In addition, there is a brief summary of the shopper’s current charity of choice that explains its mission and what programs it offers to the public.
Also of note, on the dashboard, shoppers will find a bookmark that they can save to their computers for quick access to the website!
Does Amazon Charge to Use Amazon Smile?
When using Amazon Smile, the company does not charge charitable organizations or shoppers any fees or administrative costs.
How Does Shopping on Amazon Smile Work?
Getting started shopping with Amazon Smile is free and easy to use! Simply visit smile.amazon.com and start shopping.
When you shop on Amazon Smile, you will notice a smile icon on the corner of any product page.
This will indicate to shoppers that Amazon Smile eligible purchases are being made. To shop, just click search for items that will be added to your cart.
Finally, complete your purchase by selecting “Proceed to Checkout.”
With Amazon Smile, shoppers get the same Amazon experience.
Amazon Smile has all the same products that Amazon has, such as electronics, fashion, home and garden items, etc.
In addition, Amazon Smile offers all the same features like Amazon Prime, such as wish lists and the subscribe and save programs.
During checkout, your purchase will automatically donate 0.5% of its total value to the charity selected when signing up for Amazon Smile.
Does Amazon Charge Fees or Deductions for Amazon Smile Donations?
When shoppers make Amazon Smile donations, the company doesn’t charge administrative fees or take deductions from the donation amount.
Can Shoppers Make Direct Donations to Charitable Organizations with the Amazon Smile Program?
When shopping on Amazon, shoppers can make donations and arrange for donated products to be delivered to charitable organizations through the Amazon Smile charity lists program in their web browser or on the mobile app.
At this time, this is the only way Amazon Smile shoppers are enabled to make direct donations.
With the charity lists program, Amazon provides support for communities in many ways, including:
- Disaster relief
- Holiday toy drives
- Back-to-school supply drives for low-income families
- Collecting office and cleaning supplies
- Gather supplies for domestic abuse and women’s shelters
- Organizing animal shelter supplies
Where Does Amazon Find Charitable Organizations for the Amazon Smile Program?
When designating charitable organizations, Amazon believes that GuideStar is its authoritative source for publicly available charitable organization data.
To be eligible to participate in the Amazon Smile program, organizations must:
- Register and be in good standing with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charitable organization.
- Occur within one of the 50 United States, District of Columbia, American Samoa, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or Northern Mariana Islands (including Guam).
To know more, you can also read our posts on the Amazon employee assistance program, Amazon tax exemption program, and if Amazon offers relocation assistance.
Conclusion
For socially conscious shoppers, Amazon Smile is a great way to shop on Amazon and donate to their favorite charitable organizations.
With Amazon Smile, shoppers donate 0.5% of their purchase to the charitable organization of their choice. Signing up for the program is easy, and best of all, it’s free, with no associated administrative fees for the shopper or the charity.