Amazon will be closing its charity program, AmazonSmile, in the coming weeks in order to “focus its philanthropic giving to programs with greater impact.” Nexstar reports: In a letter sent to AmazonSmile customers Wednesday, Amazon explained the program “has not grown to create the impact that we had originally hoped.” “With so many eligible organizations — more than 1 million globally — our ability to have an impact was often spread too thin,” Amazon wrote.
AmazonSmile was launched in 2013. Through the program, Amazon would donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the shopper’s charitable organization of their choice. According to AmazonSmile’s website, over 1 million charities have benefited from the program. A spokesperson tells Nexstar those charities have received $500 million with the average annual donation being less than $230. Amazon now plans to “wind down” AmazonSmile by February 20, 2023.
Those charities that will be impacted