October 14, 2014

Blog the Change: An Easy Way to Help Animals

Today it's Blog the Change for Animals again, so I'm sharing a super easy-peasy way to help animals. It will literally only take a minute or two.

But... let's start with a photo of a smiling Rita:
"Cheeeeese! Wait.. really? Cheese??"
There's a purpose to that pic, because my easy-peasy way for you to help animals is to shop through AmazonSmile. Since I'm writing about AmazonSmile, I figured we'd start out with a RitaSmile.
I don't know about you, but I shop a lot on Amazon. If you do too, you can help animals by shopping via smile.amazon.com instead of the usual amazon.com.

On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you select the charity you want to support - and there are tons of them, including lots of small, local rescue groups! Every time you make an eligible purchase, the charity receives 0.5% of the purchase price. Sure, 0.5% isn't a huge amount - but think of ALL the money spent on Amazon every day. Those little donations start to add up.

While shopping, you can easily see if the item is eligible for AmazonSmile:

Click to big-ify

To remember to start with AmazonSmile (instead of Amazon.com), I downloaded an AmazonSmile button for my browser bar through Firefox. (If you also use Firefox, just go here and click the "add to Firefox" button.)

At the moment, I'm supporting the Beagle Freedom Project when I shop. (If you'd also like to support them, note that if you search on BFP it comes up as "Animal Rescue, Media & Education". ARME is the nonprofit advocacy group that runs BFP.)

I might try to remember to change every 6 months or so, so I can share the love with some of my other fave charities, like Morris Animal Foundation. It's easy to change the charity - just sign in to your Amazon account from the smile.amazon.com page and go to the Your Account navigation at the top of the page. Select Change your charity and then use the search bar to find the organization you want.

That's it!

If you're an Amazon shopper already, why not keep doing what you're doing, and help animals at the same time?!

Thanks to BtC4Animals for hosting the hop!


17 comments:

  1. Some of my students were telling me last night that they have special Amazon links to shop through that helps their kids schools. Easy donating is good! But my knowledge about Amazon's coal power destroying the environment can't be erased by a few charitable links so I don't shop with them anymore.

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  2. Never knew about that, great way to help indeed

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  3. That is news to us too and what a great idea. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  4. Oh, I'm so glad to read this. I signed up for Amazon smile to support the rescue where I got my dog and then forgot to use it! Thanks for this reminder. Such a great program and I am already an Amazon junkie LOL.
    Great to meet you through BTC!

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  5. Love this post! I use Amazon Smile, too. This quarter I'm supporting Stray Rescue St Louis :-)

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  6. Great idea! You're right, it's such an easy way to make a difference.

    Thank you for blogging the change for animals,
    KimT
    btc4animals.com

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  7. This is probably one of the simplest ways to help! Thanks for the tip.

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  8. THAT is a brilliant idea!! Thanks for sharing it. I've already downloaded the button. :-D And there's my smile for you.

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  9. Never heard of this before. Great idea, thanks for sharing.

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  10. What a great idea. I hadn't heard of that, I will check it out for sure.

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  11. I rarely shop Amazon but I do have those "moments" when I do. I will certainly remember about smile, and I will make sure my children use it also (young people shop Amazon all the time). Thanks for teaching me something!

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  12. Wow - I didn't know about this. I shop a ton at Amazon, so I will absolutely do this and share this info too.

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  13. That's really cool, and I didn't know about it! Thanks for sharing that!

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  14. This is great, thanks so much for sharing it! I didn't know about it, and I do shop on Amazon quite a bit. I made myself a note so I will remember to use it next time I'm on there.
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  15. Brilliant idea and clever of you to find easy peasy, We always love easy.

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  16. Great way to help! Thanks for sharing.

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