AmazonSmile can now benefit any UK charity
Howard Lake | 1 February 2018 | News
Amazon is inviting registered UK charities to join AmazonSmile, its affiliate marketing service that lets customers generate a donation for charity each time they shop on Amazon.
Each time customers shop at smile.amazon.co.uk Amazon will donate a percentage of the net purchase price for millions of eligible products. There is no additional cost or charge to customers or charities for this.
Customers who shop with AmazonSmile can choose a charity to support before they start shopping. They can change to another charity at any time, should they wish.
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AmazonSmile first launched in the USA, and then expanded to the UK in November 2017, in time for Christmas, to benefit an initial group of 11 major charities. These included Cancer Research UK, The British Red Cross and The Royal British Legion. Now, however, small and large charities can sign up to benefit form it.
Amazon would not reveal how much the scheme had raised so far for these initial charity participants.
How much?
In the USA alone, Amazon has donated over $69 million to charities through AmazonSmile since its launch.
Amazon says that it will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price of eligible products (excluding VAT, shipping fees, and returns) on AmazonSmile.
Jessica Blum, UK Manager, AmazonSmile, said: “We think our customers will love the opportunity to support a wide variety of charities up and down the country without having to change the way they shop.”
When?
AmazonSmile enrolment is open to UK charities now. To be eligible they must have registered charity numbers and be “in good standing with the Charity Commission” of England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.
Customers will be able to search through the newly added selection of charities from 1 March 2018.
How do charities enrol to receive donations?
In order to apply at org.amazon.co.uk and receive donations, the applicant must be an official representative of an eligible organisation, and then follow these steps:
1. Search for the charitable organisation by name or registered charity number and then select the organisation.
2. Create an organisation administrator account and accept the AmazonSmile Participation Agreement on behalf of the organisation.
3. Verify the email address
4. Submit the organisation’s bank account information.
5. Upload a copy of a bank statement to verify the organisation’s bank account information.
Carmel McConnell MBE, founder of Magic Breakfast, one of the first UK charities to benefit from AmazonSmile, said: “The Amazon Smile team made the whole sign up process incredibly smooth and it has enabled us to invite greater support for UK schools where children arrive too hungry or malnourished to learn. We are really grateful and hope other charities will register to also benefit from this generous AmazonSmile customer initiative.”
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.