[OMS_MANAGERS] Did you know that Amazon through their customers help support Non-profit Organizations! Donate to any organization of your choice

Wed Feb 10 15:21:20 PST 2021

With a different non-profit I’m part of, we get a few hundred a year from it. But we just have our members add Smile  to their accounts. We don’t use this as a tool to do any outside fundraising.  It is just part of our new member packet so we don’t have to advertise or promote it, It doesn’t detracting from our public fundraising as it is just our volunteer members that we ask to do it.  I agree that it discourages shop local for Main Streets when that is what it should be focused on. 

Shannen

A Sight for Sport Eyes

1553 11th St.

West Linn, OR 97068

503-699-4160

888-223-2669

Fax: 888-240-6551

www.sporteyes.com

From: OMS_MANAGERS <oms_managers-bounces at omls.oregon.gov> On Behalf Of Lizzy Caston
Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2021 1:32 PM
To: Oregon Main Street program managers <oms_managers at omls.oregon.gov>
Subject: Re: [OMS_MANAGERS] Did you know that Amazon through their customers help support Non-profit Organizations! Donate to any organization of your choice

I don't mean to be the contrarian of the group - and every Main Street is different so this might work great for some. However, I've had three professional fundraising companies advise not to use Amazon Smile for our main street. Here's why and just something for other main streets to weigh and consider on what's best for them before diving in: 

1. 1/2 of one penny as payment might not be worth the additional staff time, marketing efforts, admin work and that takes away from larger fundraising, community engagement efforts. And less than 2500 nonprofits in the US make over $1000 a year with it, not including staff time to promote, manage it, etc. 
2. Donations are not tax deductible to those shopping with it. (see below articles)
3. It diverts larger community donations - people think they are already "supporting" your main street with AmazonSmiles so are not apt to donate a larger amount directly
4. It dilutes main street direct donor relationship building, donor nurturing, appreciation away from the Main Street and onto an impersonal, large, multinational corporation. As we know in direct fundraising, relationships are everything. 
5. Very competitive with other AmazonSmiles charities. There's a lot of charities playing this game, and the competition is fierce. 
6. Very low rate of return. The numbers didn't add up to make this a good deal for our main street - it benefits Amazon more than us, it's a low conversion rate, and at the end it's just such a tiny amount of money. (please tell me if your mainstreet sees otherwise!). Example calculation: Let's say our mailing list is 20,000 people. A high conversion rate would be 1% taking action on Amazon. So 200 members of our mailing list might spend an average of $100 on amazonsmile for us. So of the $20k sales that benefits Amazon, our main street would only receive $100. 
7. Could harm our ability to receive funding /sponsorships for buy local and other local small business programs. Not sure, but perhaps a funder sees we are doing AmazonSmiles and thinks, great, they have Amazon, they aren't promoting local and they don't need us. 
8. The need to promote local shopping, local businesses as the ethos for our community. Promoting and funneling sales to Amazon instead of say, our main street's retailers, our local sponsors such as the locally owned hardware and outdoor camping store goes against our emphasis on supporting main street and local businesses and our shop local campaigns. It would be a bad message, marketing, PR for us to funnel business away from our local main street and other local businesses. 

Like I said, every main street is different. No judgement on those using it, but before Main Streets commit, please weight the actual cost/benefit, and other issues. 

Here's some articles from nonprofit experts critical of AmazonSmiles:

This article weighs the pros and cons, and has a really good breakdown of the actual $ amounts charities received from Amazon Smile
https://connectforimpact.com/amazonsmile/

This article looks at both the benefits, but also the risk of negative ROI and it is pretty comprehensive:
 https://johnkenyon.org/why-amazonsmile-doesnt-turn-my-frown-upside-down/

This nonprofit funding expert is not a fan: 
https://medium.com/@digitalculturenyc/why-nonprofits-need-to-stop-falling-for-the-amazon-smile-scam-f68d389c801c

Thanks! 

On Wed, Feb 10, 2021 at 12:58 PM Dallas Downtown Association <m.fisher.dda at gmail.com <mailto:m.fisher.dda at gmail.com> > wrote:

Did you know that when shopping online at Amazon you can choose the non-profit organization that you want to help fund. To do this now: Enter "smile.amazon.com <http://smile.amazon.com/?fbclid=IwAR3E9y0Ment9tKUDd9oHMCzAf3gEtNXB54wy2YSWB2fHxk2zqY6ghikeQoY> " in your browser address bar, Choose which organization you would like to help fund in the drop down box in the left upper hand corner, Shop & place your order and Amazon donates to the organization of your choice.

  <https://static.wixstatic.com/media/87f4aa163a794af7a9a45e9e409d4fd3.jpg/v1/fill/w_396,h_264,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/87f4aa163a794af7a9a45e9e409d4fd3.webp> 

Go to smile.amazon.com <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsmile.amazon.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2QAcVdSlbZ6U4FGnrno3ZDrDfk6P9S2K0KUYj8nOfHpofwHLzY6nT9wH8&h=AT1z2nQtUrvPUMBtqUW-PGyF8PPeMS77psbL5wVlY6pXzKGq8dy8_ZpEz8WpPYR-JurJM7jpvkvW7DF7U40gVESjoWjRSL14LrkXx03_ZD7RvcjPYCNRWdOvtyLUY8_KjR4TImK-EZv85kHdERHO&__tn__=-UK-R&c%5b0%5d=AT254vFZ3tBIjVQs6jxeYRj6RGU-L43wKtYEm-kaejinDZEOLOfuSRFCOtLeNF06bygd69gu0c97hwBKB1cmBW7GO2Ec0q1FrrUfgQBq6sNlzO-U9WeNYGI7MFTQrg>  if you want to support Dallas Downtown Association.

Now available in the Amazon Shopping app Learn more <https://smile.amazon.com/b/ref=sma_se_smaf_llm_lm?_encoding=UTF8&node=15576745011> 

Dallas Downtown Association Change <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/change/ref=smi_se_uspo_change_cycsc>  Location: Dallas, OR 

Mission: To Encourage And Inspire Restoration, Economic Vitality, The Arts And Community Spirit In The Historic (Dallas) Downtown District.

About AmazonSmile <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/about/ref=smi_se_uspo_laas_aas>  Generated by you as of February 08, 2021 $0.00

All others

US charities have received $217,644,976.48 as of November 2020 Your AmazonSmile impact <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/dashboard/ref=smi_se_uspo_lyi_dshb> .

To support charity, always shop at smile.amazon.com <http://smile.amazon.com>  Try these 2 easy ways to start with a smile. Learn about AmazonSmile <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/about/ref=smi_se_dshb_aas_saas?ie=UTF8&ref_=nav_cs_smile_6bcf8c32076843839cc2339237272a26> 

Bookmark AmazonSmile now by pressing Control B on your keyboard.

1. Create a bookmark Drag this box to your bookmarks or favorites bar to create a shortcut to smile.amazon.com <http://smile.amazon.com>  on your desktop computer or mobile web browser.

2. Install the Amazon Assistant Get easy access to Product Comparisons, Deal of the Day, and time-saving shortcuts, which all link to smile.amazon.com. <http://smile.amazon.com>  Learn more <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/BIT/theamazonapp/ref=smi_se_dshb_icr_blp?ie=UTF8&bitCampaignCode=v1_us_d141001_s110&bitMode=smile> 

Melanie Fisher, Executive Director 

Dallas Downtown Association

Office: 971-701-1880  | Direct: 971-707-2335

PO Box 903 | Dallas, OR. 97338

Email <mailto:M.Fisher.dda at gmailcom>  | Website <https://www.dallasdowntownassociation.org/>  | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/Dallasdowntownassociation.org>  | Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/dallasdowntownassociation/> 

  <https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1_FH4rRFOPAUyxSrVo69BC1OM9hXccgDg&export=download>     <https://drive.google.com/uc?id=14eraY9I-HxTO3iKrrLsjD9ZX9-pvNnn0&export=download> 

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