Regular readers know that I am a Groupon/Living Social/Tippr/KGB Deals/Amazon Deals/Boston Deals/etc. groupie. I spend at least a half hour each day looking through the discount offers sent to my email to find the few that will save me money on things I really need and want. Not only do I take my Goddaughter out for dinner at least once a month (almost always discounted at least 50 percent by a deal coupon), but I have gotten great deals on at least five holiday presents, allowing me to be more generous than I can actually afford to be (and making me look like the best relative ever!).
Over the past few weeks, I was surprised, and yet delighted to be offered daily deals that don’t offer me cost savings, but allow me to make charitable contributions quickly and easily by using my stored daily deal account information. It started with Groupon, which offered me a deal where, if I donate $11 to Feeding America, that donation will be matched by Pepsi. Now, I consider myself a generous person, and I give regularly to my chosen charities. However, Feeding America isn’t one of them. But it all seemed so easy—Groupon has my payment info on file and the matching gift made it irresistible. So I made the donation, and I felt great about it. Once I received my confirmation, I did have to go to the Feeding America site and register my donation, but it was pretty darn easy.
The very next day, I got another matching donation offer from Living Social. If I donate $5 to Toys for Tots, Toys “R” Us, Hasbro and other corporate partners will match the donation. So, with a simple click, I donated toys to needy kids. Again, I felt great! And this donation was even easier because I didn’t have to go to the site and use my coupon code; the donation was automatic! Cool!
And then, just before Thanksgiving, Boston Deals (from Boston.com) made me another offer. This one didn’t have any matching donations, but it paid big in laughs. If I made a donation, I would receive a “Get out of dish duty” pass! The deal told me to “Choose your appropriate excuse and buy as many as you’d like for your favorite family members because proceeds go directly to Globe Santa:
1) $5 for “Seriously? I’ve been cooking since 5am this morning.”
2) $10 for “But you’re so much better at doing the dishes than me!”
3) $15 for “I spent the entire day in the kitchen with your mother.”
4) $20 for “My fingers prune up too fast!”
5) $25 for “I can’t be at the sink because if I leave the couch, I’ll jinx the game.”
I just had to giggle when I was told that after I printed my voucher and presented it to the person in charge of the kitchen, I should “Scurry away while yelling over your shoulder ‘No givesies, no backsies—it’s all for charity!'”
Again, I think I’m a generous person. But, often, when I get the unsolicited phone calls from professional fund raisers collecting for charities that aren’t on my yearly list, I am put off by the interruption, slightly bothered by the fact that it is professionals making money off my donations rather than me saying yes to an enthusiastic volunteer, and, primarily, because I have to go chase down my credit card or, even worse, write a check and remember to send it off. (Hey, don’t judge me, I’m being honest here!) These group deals took all these annoyances and excuses away by making it easy to respond (and there is no guilt if you don’t). It was only a total of $26, but I know that I’m not the only one who was pleased to donate this way.
At this time of the year, I encourage you all to respond positively to charitable solicitations, especially if it is so easy to give just a little.
