Fellow members of the American Rhododendron Society:
How Do We Purchase Items Through Amazon That Will Credit The ARS?
The California ARS Chapter treasurer, Richard Starkeson, asked an excellent question:
Neither the email, nor the amazonstore page referenced in it explains fully how the program works - that is exactly how to purchase items through amazon that will give credits to the ARS. We just guess that by clicking a button on that page, it takes us to the amazon site?
If you use the Amazon screen that opens when you click on any Amazon link in this email or in ARSStore.org, any Amazon purchase you make will benefit the ARS provided you DON'T select to use AmazonSmile! DO NOT USE AMAZON SMILE. The reasons are described below.
The link to Amazon's ARS Store is:
http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=amerirhodosoc-20
where the ending "amerirhodosoc-20" indicates your are in Amazon's ARS Store. If you wish, you can bookmark* this link to make access easier and faster. [If you would like confirmation that your order did benefit the ARS, tell me what you bought and when, and I will check it out. manager@arsstore.org]
* To learn more about Bookmarks, go to http://arsstore.org/about1.php#anchorBOOKMARKS
Quick Links:
Amazon ARS Store
Target ARS Store
Walmart ARS Store
Follow these links to the ARS affiliate store of your choice. Target and Walmart have online stores similar to Amazon, but with Target and Walmart, you have the option of picking items up at a nearby store with no charge for shipping.
Warning: Do NOT use AmazonSmile!
Amazon has a program that promises to give 0.5% on each purchase to the charity of your choice. The program has 2 serious problems. First, the ARS is listed 55 different times but only one listing can actually earn money. But, even more serious, if you use AmazonSmile, there is a large probability that it would not pay the 5.5% to the ARS that the ARSStore.org typically earns.
Due to the possibility that the ARS would loose most of the over 5.5% it typically receives on each purchase and also the probability that the wrong 1 of the 55 different ARS 501(c)(3) numbers could be used, use of AmazonSmile is too risky. Let’s only use ARSStore.org and not AmazonSmile and get over 5.5% rather than hoping we get 0.5%.
ARSStore.org has earned over $1,300 for the American Rhododendron Society without a penny coming from AmazonSmile. Perhaps in the future Amazon will integrate the two programs, but now, the Amazon ARS Store earns much more than what AmazonSmile gives. Don't combine the two. Do NOT use AmazonSmile!
If you have a question, please let me know at manager@arsstore.org.
Steve Henning
ARSStore.org manager
