Carlos Bastarache: Cyber-Monday

I always thought things that sounded too good to be true usually aren't told why discovered this!

Shutterstock

Imagine how much good could’ve come if just a portion of Amazon’s bank-busting Black Friday revenue would’ve gone to charity. Turns out, that’s not just an idealistic fantasy. As online shoppers everywhere ready their phones and laptops to catch the best possible deals online this Cyber Monday, you can do a little good while you fill up your virtual carts.

To make being charitable as easy as possible in today’s digital age, here’s a list of some online retailers that let you donate money to good causes while you take care of your virtual shopping spree.

AmazonSmile

Amazon

We already mentioned how the world’s largest online retailer made a billion dollars this past Black Friday, so it’s likely that it’ll do equally big numbers this Cyber Monday. While the chances are high you’ll be picking up something from the online superstore, you can do some good while you’re there, too. Simply type Smile.Amazon.com and while logged into your existing Amazon account, simply select the charity of your choice.

Then, Amazon will donate .5% of the purchase price from all eligible items you buy — excluding tax and shipping cost. While it might not seem like much, they’ve managed to donate a whopping $62 million to their combined charities just as of August of this year.

Shopping2Give

This online shopping mall donates a percentage of your purchase from one of its partners to one of almost 700,000 schools and non-profits, ranging from the local to the international. Simply visit Shopping2Give.com and create an online profile, then pick a charity and start shopping. Each vendor will list what percentage of your purchase is donated, which usually ranges from 1-5%, depending on the vendor. You can change up your charity-of-choice anytime you like, so you can spread around as much good as possible. Additionally, the site lets you keep track of all your donations through your online account.

Goodshop

Like Shopping2Give, Goodshop is a site that works with multiple retailers in providing charitable donations with every transaction, while trying to find shoppers the best possible deal. After selecting a charity from one of the 100,000-plus causes, which you can also change at any time, simply start searching for items on your shopping list.

Goodshop will provide you with a variety of online coupons, including several for Cyber Monday, all of which indicate how much of your purchase will go to charity. There’s even a smartphone app, Gumdrop, that will let you donate to your cause every time you shop on your device.

Tom’s

This retail shop that specializes in shoes and sunglasses has already made a name for itself thanks to its altruism. For every item that’s purchased from Tom’s, it donates one to someone in need, via its ‘One for One‘ program. So, for every pair of shoes you buy, someone in need also gets a pair. Since its founding in 2006, it’s expanded its charitable endeavors by helping give people access to clean water, safe births, and invested in anti-bullying campaigns. It’s keeping that momentum going this Cyber Monday, where shoppers can take an extra 25% off the purchase price with the online code ‘THANKFUL.’

Humble

For the charity-minded gamer on your list, Humble offers up a diverse selection of games to its subscribers each month for a $12 subscription (less if you buy several months in advance). Out of those subscriptions, 5% of its revenue is donated to charity, with a new cause featured every month. In addition, it also offers the Humble Bundle, a tiered, pay-what-you-want option for a collection of books, games, and comics, that includes an option to allocate a portion of your chosen purchase price to go to charity.

To date, they’ve raised over $110 million for the WWF, The Red Cross, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, among others.