Amazon turns Smile upside-down
One of the many ways people support Team UnLimbited is by selecting us as their charity of choice in the AmazonSmile program.
The initiative from Amazon allows shoppers to support their favourite charitable organisations at no cost to themselves. The e-commerce giant donates 0.5% of the money from eligible purchases, and while that may not sound like a lot, it soon adds up.
The good news is that there are many, many charitable people out there – and it’s fantastic of Amazon to have set up the program in the first place. The bad news, however, is that AmazonSmile no longer exists from February 20, 2023.
Farewell!
Thanks for helping us to empower and inspire people, AmazonSmile.
Amazon stated that it made the decision in order to “focus its philanthropic giving to programs with greater impact.” While some may perceive that notion as unfair, we want to share our gratitude for the opportunity.
As of December 2022, through the Smile initiative, Amazon donated almost $450M (around £375M) to wonderful charities around the world. That’s amazing! While it’s sad that the company feels it hasn’t had the impact it hoped, many caring and crucial organisations have received support since AmazonSmile launched in 2013.
As Team UnLimbited was proudly part of AmazonSmile, we will receive a one-time donation equivalent to three months of what we received in 2022. From there, Amazon suggests charities can still seek support by creating wish lists.
Thankfully, we have several other avenues in which people can support us and our work for those in the limb difference community. The average cost of production for an UnLimbited arm is £30, so it doesn’t take a lot for us to deliver meaningful change to people’s lives – every little truly does help!
Though AmazonSmile is no longer around, you can still support Team UnLimbited by:
· Talking about us on social media
· Engaging with our social posts and blogs
o Either a one-off or monthly donation - it’s your call!
Thanks to Amazon Shoppers and AmazonSmile for the years of generosity and those of you who support us in other ways as we continue to empower and inspire people with limb differences.