--- title: "Amazon Kills Off Feature That Let Customers Give Sales Proceeds to Charity" description: "We regret to inform you that, sadly, AmazonSmile — which allowed Amazon customers to give a portion of purchase proceeds to charity — is coming to an end." date: "2023-01-19" modified: "2023-01-19" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/amazon-kills-amazonsmile-charity" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "Amazon" - "jeff bezos" - "philanthropy" - "the digest" --- # Amazon Kills Off Feature That Let Customers Give Sales Proceeds to Charity ![We regret to inform you that, sadly, AmazonSmile — which allowed Amazon customers to give a portion of purchase proceeds to charity — is coming to an end.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## AmazonFrown Look, there's not much about the Amazon business model that has ever instilled a "this is definitely good for [the environment]() and/or the [people who work there]()" feeling. But AmazonSmile was different. The company's longtime charity donation program allowed users to donate a percentage of their purchase to eligible charities of their choice. Unfortunately, the feature, a bright spot in Amazon's otherwise [seriously dystopian]() system, is coming to an end — and according to Amazon, it's because it didn't generate quite enough cash to make a difference. "After almost a decade, the program has not grown to create the impact that we had originally hoped," reads the company's [statement](). "With so many eligible organizations — more than 1 million globally — our ability to have an impact was often spread too thin." ## Charity Consolidation Reading between the lines, the Jeff Bezos-founded company — which has collected and distributed upwards of [$500 million dollars]() to countless charities through AmazonSmile — thinks that its money would be better spent by giving millions or even billions of dollars to charities of its choice, as opposed to handing millions of smaller charities much smaller amounts of money. "The company... will continue to pursue and invest in other areas where it can make meaningful change," the company added, "from building affordable housing to providing access to computer science education for students in underserved communities." https://twitter.com/DiaMariesbeat/status/1615888885619236864 ## What About the Horses The timing is interesting, to say the least. Amazon's decision to sunset AmazonSmile is backdropped by a broader company effort to cut costs, which is perhaps best exemplified by its [recent decision to slash]() a staggering 18,000 jobs. And while Amazon's argument for more consolidated philanthropic spending does have some merit, small donations are still the backbone of most charitable organizations out there. "Amazon claims the AmazonSmile program didn't have an impact," [tweeted]() The Squirrelwood Equine Sanctuary, a Hudson Valley-based animal sanctuary. "I can tell you as an animal not for profit it made a huge difference to us." "That $9,400 meant the world," the organization added. "That isn't nothing to us." In short, Amazon has a big hole to fill now. It's sad to see AmazonSmile — which did in fact have a huge impact by putting a bit of philanthropic power into the [hands of its users]() — disappear. **READ MORE:** *[Amazon discontinues charity donation program amid cost cuts]()* \[*CNBC*\] **More on where Jeff Bezos prefers to spend his money:** *[Jeff Bezos Heads Toward Space, Turns Back Before He Gets There]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()