OT: "Free" Donations To Charitable Causes (smile.amazon.com)

dbCooper

Received a quarterly report from Amazon today.  If you shop Amazon and are not currently aware, 0.5% of your purchase price can be directed to various charities.  In our case it is a Beagle rescue organization.  The results below are an aggregate from all users that have designated Midwest BREW as their charity, $6,500. to date for the hounds.

If you are interested the free money is easy to get, just shop at smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com  You can get the details here: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/homepage/

This is your quarterly AmazonSmile donation notification to inform you that Midwest Beagle Rescue Education And Welfare Inc received a new donation of $431.03.

Thanks to customers shopping at AmazonSmile, everyday purchases generated over $200 million in donations to charities worldwide so far.

See AmazonSmile's impact to date:

• $6,485.87 to Midwest Beagle Rescue Education And Welfare Inc
  
• $198,636,544.70 to all charities in the US
  
• $215,721,458.97 to all charities worldwide

Track your AmazonSmile impact at any time.

Thanks for supporting Midwest Beagle Rescue Education And Welfare Inc and continuing to generate donations by shopping at smile.amazon.com or with AmazonSmile ON in the app.

saluki2007

I've been using it for a few years.  I used to donate to the local PAWS shelter, but now it goes to my daughter's school PTO.

The mobile apps do it too, but you have to "turn it on".

OhioEgger

I've used it for many years to help support my local library.

Acn

OhioEgger said:

I've used it for many years to help support my local library.

I've done the same for the Maryland Food Bank. 

I'm also thankful they finally adjusted the phone app so you can set that to shop through Smile.

Legume

Same. 

This is your quarterly AmazonSmile donation notification to inform you that The Nature Conservancy received a new donation of $298,480.16.

Thanks to customers shopping at AmazonSmile, everyday purchases generated over $200 million in donations to charities worldwide so far.

See AmazonSmile's impact to date:

• $4,335,966.13 to The Nature Conservancy 
  
• $198,636,544.70 to all charities in the US 
  
• $215,721,458.97 to all charities worldwide

texaswig

I didn't know this thanks for the heads up.

Lit

ASPCA for me.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I do the same. I'll hold off stating which non-profit I donate to. I don't want people's heads to explode .

I am big fan of beagles and nature though. Excellent choices.

Legume

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I do the same. I'll hold off stating which non-profit I donate to. I don't want people's heads to explode .

I am big fan of beagles and nature though. Excellent choices.

This just begs speculation and wagering.

me first:

https://www.classy.org/campaign/save-the-squirrels/c83608

or 

https://banditranchrehab.org/donation

SemolinaPilchard

I use it to donate to St. Jude Children's hospital, but I recently learned they are worth 5 billion. Think I will find a charity a little more in need.

Battleborn

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I do the same. I'll hold off stating which non-profit I donate to. I don't want people's heads to explode .

I am big fan of beagles and nature though. Excellent choices.

100% it is the Greater Austin Raccoon Rescue and Rehabilitation Foundation.

loco_engr

SemolinaPilchard said:

I use it to donate to St. Jude Children's hospital, but I recently learned they are worth 5 billion. Think I will find a charity a little more in need.

I changed from Operation BBQ relief to St Judes . . . I'm with you on changing to a different charity more in need.
Thank You for the info!

stlcharcoal

Got my kids' school on there.  They get a surprising amount of money for a relatively small school. 

Funny thing, you can select the NRA Foundation.  Bet that burns Amazon every time they cut that check.  One thing to note though, the NRA Foundation just provides grants to firearm safety education, shooting sports, and range upgrades....no lobbying, politics, etc.  Still gotta hurt though.

FanOfFanboys

SemolinaPilchard said:

I use it to donate to St. Jude Children's hospital, but I recently learned they are worth 5 billion. Think I will find a charity a little more in need.

If ever there was a charity that deserves it. 

You can also look up charities and what % go towards the actual cause. Amazing how low some are. 

FanOfFanboys

saluki2007 said:

I've been using it for a few years.  I used to donate to the local PAWS shelter, but now it goes to my daughter's school PTO.

The mobile apps do it too, but you have to "turn it on".

Thanks. Didn't know that about the app. Just enabled. 

stlcharcoal

FanOfFanboys said:

SemolinaPilchard said:

I use it to donate to St. Jude Children's hospital, but I recently learned they are worth 5 billion. Think I will find a charity a little more in need.

If ever there was a charity that deserves it. 

You can also look up charities and what % go towards the actual cause. Amazing how low some are. 

Charitynavigator.org

Charitywatch.org

One big offender was Wounded Warrior Project.  They took a LOT of liberties with how they spent them money.  Board meetings in the Caymans, big bucks for the execs, etc.  After it finally went public, I think 60 minutes did a story on them.......after all that BS stopped.

HeavyG

stlcharcoal said:

Got my kids' school on there.  They get a surprising amount of money for a relatively small school. 

Funny thing, you can select the NRA Foundation.  Bet that burns Amazon every time they cut that check.  One thing to note though, the NRA Foundation just provides grants to firearm safety education, shooting sports, and range upgrades....no lobbying, politics, etc.  Still gotta hurt though.

The only thing Amazon cares about is that they hope folks will spend more money on the Amazon site if the buyer feels their purchase is helping a cause they support.

That's the whole point of "smile" and "affiliate links" - more sales for Amazon.

SemolinaPilchard

FanOfFanboys said:

SemolinaPilchard said:

I use it to donate to St. Jude Children's hospital, but I recently learned they are worth 5 billion. Think I will find a charity a little more in need.

If ever there was a charity that deserves it. 

You can also look up charities and what % go towards the actual cause. Amazing how low some are. 

If I remember correctly, at least 95% goes to actually helping the kids. Great cause, and a properly run organization. But I believe that a charity that is sitting on that much money, if invested properly, can never receive another nickel, and keep doing what it is doing.
Seriously considering switching it to Nuke The Baby Whales For Jesus.

Legume

HeavyG said:

stlcharcoal said:

Got my kids' school on there.  They get a surprising amount of money for a relatively small school. 

Funny thing, you can select the NRA Foundation.  Bet that burns Amazon every time they cut that check.  One thing to note though, the NRA Foundation just provides grants to firearm safety education, shooting sports, and range upgrades....no lobbying, politics, etc.  Still gotta hurt though.

The only thing Amazon cares about is that they hope folks will spend more money on the Amazon site if the buyer feels their purchase is helping a cause they support.

That's the whole point of "smile" and "affiliate links" - more sales for Amazon.

Hahahaha - manufactured conflict.

HeavyG

SemolinaPilchard said:

FanOfFanboys said:

SemolinaPilchard said:

I use it to donate to St. Jude Children's hospital, but I recently learned they are worth 5 billion. Think I will find a charity a little more in need.

If ever there was a charity that deserves it. 

You can also look up charities and what % go towards the actual cause. Amazing how low some are. 

If I remember correctly, at least 95% goes to actually helping the kids. Great cause, and a properly run organization. But I believe that a charity that is sitting on that much money, if invested properly, can never receive another nickel, and keep doing what it is doing.
Seriously considering switching it to Nuke The Baby Whales For Jesus.

Just taking a look at their 2019 financial statements they spend about 1.5 billion dollars per year to run their joint. Having assets of just 3 or 4 times their annual budget doesn't seem too outrageous to me as that gives them some cover in case of the lean years when the economy isn't doing so well and they perhaps don't get the annual donations they historically receive.

I mean, we live in a world where a place like Harvard University with an endowment of over 40 billion dollars still have the balls to charge students about $80K per year.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Legume said:

HeavyG said:

stlcharcoal said:

Got my kids' school on there.  They get a surprising amount of money for a relatively small school. 

Funny thing, you can select the NRA Foundation.  Bet that burns Amazon every time they cut that check.  One thing to note though, the NRA Foundation just provides grants to firearm safety education, shooting sports, and range upgrades....no lobbying, politics, etc.  Still gotta hurt though.

The only thing Amazon cares about is that they hope folks will spend more money on the Amazon site if the buyer feels their purchase is helping a cause they support.

That's the whole point of "smile" and "affiliate links" - more sales for Amazon.

Hahahaha - manufactured conflict.

After reading the book you recommended it is very clear: 'tis the way of the online world these days.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Legume said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I do the same. I'll hold off stating which non-profit I donate to. I don't want people's heads to explode .

I am big fan of beagles and nature though. Excellent choices.

This just begs speculation and wagering.

me first:

https://www.classy.org/campaign/save-the-squirrels/c83608

or 

https://banditranchrehab.org/donation

ha ha- Bandit Ranch Rehab: "Dedicated to the brave 2nd raccoon in"

EggObsessed

Such a great way to donate!  I've been doing it for years, but just switched to World Central Kitchen this year:

• $6,986.79 to World Central Kitchen, Inc.
  
• $198,636,544.70 to all charities in the US
  
• $215,721,458.97 to all charities worldwide

The Cen-Tex Smoker

EggObsessed said:

Such a great way to donate!  I've been doing it for years, but just switched to World Central Kitchen this year:

• $6,986.79 to World Central Kitchen, Inc.
  
• $198,636,544.70 to all charities in the US
  
• $215,721,458.97 to all charities worldwide

Think I need to make a change as well. We donate every year but this is a great cause to stack on top of that.

EggObsessed

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

EggObsessed said:

Such a great way to donate!  I've been doing it for years, but just switched to World Central Kitchen this year:

• $6,986.79 to World Central Kitchen, Inc.
  
• $198,636,544.70 to all charities in the US
  
• $215,721,458.97 to all charities worldwide

Think I need to make a change as well. We donate every year but this is a great cause to stack on top of that.

Great to hear, John. To me, Jose Andres, and the work that he does, deserves a Nobel Prize. When no one else shows up, or when everyone leaves, he's THERE.  My hero!!!