WW&F Railway Museum Discussion > Museum Discussion
Raise "FREE" Money for the WW&F While Shopping Online
Ed Lecuyer:
The WW&F is listed on several shopping portals for charity web sites. Visitors to these web sites can list the WW&F as their preferred charity. Then, visitors use the sites for common web tasks - searching (instead of using Google or another search engine) and shopping. Each search generates a small donation to the WW&F. Purchases generate even more revenue. Any member who uses the Internet on a regular basis is encouraged to use these sites to effortlessly raise donations to the WW&F.
The WW&F is currently registered at:
http://www.igive.com
http://www.goodshop.com
Basically you create a free account at any of these sites. Specify the Wiscasset Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum as your charity of choice. Then click on the links on those sites to launch into your favorite online stores. Staples, AbeBooks, major travel agencies, and thousands of other sites are available. Not all shopping sites are listed on both of the portals, so check both of them out before giving up.
Since we've started doing this a few years ago, we've raised thousands of dollars for the WW&F - and that has been with just a few participants.
Its free, easy, and there is absolutely no catch. Some sites offer "search bars" to make it easier. I've never tried them and I don't generally recommend random browser plug ins. All you have to do is launch your favorite shopping site from one of these portals, and the WW&F gets a commission check based on your purchase. A couple of bucks here and there don't seem like a lot - but they really have added up over time.
[Moderator's Note]
Updated 2/24/2023 to reflect the closure of Amazon Smile.
Graham Buxton:
I decided to bump this thread.
Here is the content of an email I received from Amazon today:
--- Quote ---This is the quarterly AmazonSmile notification to inform you that the charity you’ve selected, Wiscasset Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum, recently received a donation of $46.62, at no cost to you.
AmazonSmile's impact: $920.29 to Wiscasset Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum*
--- End quote ---
Of course, that 'quarterly' $46.62 is from everyone who participates in Amazon Smile and designates the WW&F to receive the benefit, and the $920.29 is over the course of multiple years.
But if you buy from Amazon, and don't already participate the Smile program, then why not have a [small] portion of your purchase go to the WW&F? It does not cost you any more at all. After signing up, and after selecting the WW&F as your designated charity, all you need to do is go "smile.amazon.com" instead of the regular "www.amazon.com" when you make a purchase.
More info here: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/dashboard?ref_=nav_cs_smile
John Kokas:
Graham, thank you for posting. I was unaware of the program and have now signed up.
Benjamin Richards:
I've been using Amazon Smile for a while now, and I personally find it annoying that Amazon does not automatically make the donation every time, once you sign up. You have to manually go to smile.amazon.com every time you shop, and it's pretty easy to inadvertently "walk out" of the Smile world, especially if you are using a third-party search engine to find products. Similar for the other portals, you have to be careful not to accidentally "walk out" before you complete your purchase.
--- Quote from: Ed Lecuyer on November 24, 2013, 08:09:58 PM --- I don't generally recommend random browser plug ins.
--- End quote ---
That's fair. One man's random is another's tried-and-true. I use a browser extension called Smile Always, which automatically redirects any Amazon link to its Smile equivalent. I have found it useful and unobtrusive for many years. It does not violate my privacy to the best of my knowledge. The source code is available on github if anyone is so inclined. I took a look and it is very straightforward.
Bill Baskerville:
--- Quote from: Graham Buxton on December 15, 2020, 12:52:33 PM ---This is the quarterly AmazonSmile notification to inform you that the charity you’ve selected, Wiscasset Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum, recently received a donation of $46.62, at no cost to you.
AmazonSmile's impact: $920.29 to Wiscasset Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum*
--- End quote ---
Graham,
I just received the first email and upon first read, wondered if I had bought that much from Amazon, then I realized, as you noted, that that is the contribution from all of us who use Amazon Smile and have selected the WW&F Ry as our designated charity. When one considers that this is just one of the three venues that allow a small portion of purchased to go to our favorite charity it, as Ed noted, really adds up.
Just like each of us who manages to get to the railroad to help preform some task, it all adds up to what one sees today at Sheepscot and northward.
Merry Christmas to all!, please stay safe! Hoping to see each of you on the other side!
Bill
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