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Wish lists test online shoppers’ giving to charity.
The Salvation Army partnered with Amazon on a national campaign this spring to drive a substantial quantity of in-kind donations, resulting in 3,000 donated items to the Army valued at $37,471.
For a month, Amazon promoted wish lists for three separate charities on its website, giving shoppers the opportunity to purchase items for their charity of choice.
“The campaign served as a pilot by Amazon to test its shoppers appetite for this type of giving opportunity and to test its benefit to the charities involved,” said Deborah Knutson, territorial director of communications, corporate relations and brand management. “At about 100 donations a day, it was quite a positive response for a first-time partnership.”
The Salvation Army focused its campaign on children’s needs, so the wish list items—approximately 100 different items costing under $100 each—included children’s toys, books, art supplies, games and clothing.
Each territory received shipments from Amazon on a rotating basis throughout the campaign using standard Amazon fulfillment practices. In the Western Territory, a warehouse in Aurora, Colo., received the donated items—803 in total. The Intermountain Division will be distributing the donations to low-income families in the Denver Metro area this Christmas.
“We believe this pilot campaign was well-received and hope that it will result in additional, expanded partnership opportunities with Amazon,” Knutson said.
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