Marion County nonprofits lose passive funding in wake of AmazonSmile shut down
Feb. 1—FAIRMONT — The end of AmazonSmile will affect local nonprofits that have used it in different ways.
When AmazonSmile launched in 2013, it contributed 0.5% of every Amazon purchase participating customers made to the charity of their choosing. As of 2022, the company said it has donated $449 million to various charities, according to The Associated Press.
The program is set to end in February and Amazon officials say the company will provide a final donation to each of the one million-plus nonprofits that used AmazonSmile, equivalent to 25% of what the charity received from the program in 2022.
The East Fairmont High School Foundation Inc. and the Marion County Humane Society are two organizations in Fairmont that have used the service.
Marion County Humane Society Shelter Director Jonna Spatafore said that AmazonSmile was an easy way for the shelter to receive passive income and it is something they will miss, but they did find that many people didn't know about AmazonSmile or how to use it.
"Any loss of any type of donation that we can get is very unfortunate because there's not a lot of types of passive fundraising. Like, we didn't have to go somewhere and solicit. ... It will definitely make an impact and I'm sad to see it go. I'm sure at some places with more people that knew about it or understood how it worked, unfortunately, they're probably going to lose a lot of money," Spatafore said.
For EFHS Foundation, board member and fundraising supervisor Mary Jo Thomas, said the foundation registered and was visible on Amazon's website as a place for extra funds to go to. But, when the Foundation's President tried to collect the funds, he was told by Amazon personnel that they had not registered, despite being listed on the website.
"So, our experience has not been good. We thought it was going to be real good. It seemed very user friendly. But, as they say, 'The proof's in the pudding.' We haven't had any pudding," Thomas said.
Thomas said they have a variety of upcoming fundraising events such as their upcoming Mother's Day Fern Sale, another All Class Reunion and Bingo on October 8, but one of the easiest ways community members can get involved or help out is by sharing event information, attending events or volunteering time.
Spatafore shared similar sentiments.
She said, like Thomas, attending fundraising events or donating on their Facebook page. Also, she said, Kroger has a program similar to AmazonSmile called Kroger Community Rewards. You register with your Kroger card online and when you use the card on Kroger purchases, money is donated to the organization of your choice. For more information on Kroger Community Rewards, visit their website.
"Just spreading the word helps more than anything else. ... We can always use volunteers. ... When our new facility is finished, we're going to need a lot of volunteers," Spatafore said.
The new Marion County Humane Society building is set to be completed in mid-March and Spatafore speculates they will spend at least a month moving everything in. Their goal started at $1.5 million, but is now around $2 million, with increased construction costs. So far, the shelter has raised around $800,000.
For more information or to donate to the Marion County Humane Society, visit their website or Facebook page. For more information or to donate to East Fairmont High School Foundation, visit their Facebook page.
Reach me at sshriver@timeswv.com or 304-367-2549.
