How Do We Keep Helping?
Amazing Supporters,
As we draw closer to the demise of AmazonSmile, we can't stop trying to be heard. HOWEVER, right now we still need to think about the nonprofits we love and want to keep helping. What are our options? I did the work so you don't have to-- check it out:
- Donate directly: one of the very best ways to help your favorite nonprofits is to set up a recurring, monthly donation. Donations DO NOT have to be large to be helpful as even $10 a month is TRULY helpful. Remember, the ocean is made of drops of water!
- Ditch AmazonPrime: many people are choosing to cancel AmazonPrime and donate the membership money to their favorite charities, instead. Protesting with your wallet and business is very effective! But, where will I shop for things I need online? My answer is next on this list, so PLEASE read on!
- The intersection of savings and philanthropy: you might have heard of goodshop.com by now? Many orgs are turning to this "online shopping mall", of sorts. Like AmazonSmile, you can choose which organization to support (providing they are signed up-- it's free!), you can shop at over 7,000 online stores, AND they offer you the latest coupons. (More info below)
- Volunteer: never underestimate the value of your time. If you've never volunteered before, trust me, now is the time! It's easy, fulfilling, and nonprofits generally DESPERATELY need the help. ❤️
Q: Why am I recommending goodshop over iGive?
A: I have SEVERAL reasons, and for the record, none of them include any kind of incentive. To begin with, goodshop offers almost 4 times as many stores to shop at. Due to that, they have had more money donated to nonprofits-- $14 MILLION since 2008.
Next on my list is that goodshop wants to save you money. They keep an updated list of available coupons for each store and highly encourage you to use them. Finding coupons can be hard-- goodshop is kinda like Honey in this sense.
Another reason I am recommending them is because the co-founder has reached out to me-- probably not expecting my critiques of his website-- but has taken my thoughts and suggestions in stride. I have most DEFINITELY given him a lot to consider about making the experience easier, adding features, helping with understanding, and more. I feel that a co-founder who is willing to reach out himself and is willing to listen to a disgruntled nonprofit volunteer, likely has his heart in the right place.
All that said: being honest, goodshop can be a bit tricky to figure out at first. I'm encouraging the company to make the site more friendly and add a good "how to"-- but, what I'll tell y'all as a hint is: once you are on a store's coupon page, copy any codes you might want to try into your clipboard, then click the blue button at the top that says, "We'll donate XYZ% of your purchase to XYZ NONPROFIT"... that's ESSENTIALLY the "I want to shop now" button.
Q: So why keep protesting?
A: Although nearly 8k people have signed this petition as of writing this, MILLIONS of people still use Amazon. If Amazon kept the Smile program and actually PROMOTED it, nonprofits would benefit greatly, and so would our communities.
I encourage you to keep sharing this petition and helping to spread the word. If we were all using ALL the available options for shopping/donating, our favorite nonprofits would be SO much better off.
Let me know your thoughts! Leave me a comment!
Thanks,
Lillie