Spend Money | Save Babies
Here are the facts…
Amazon.com has an affiliate program that encourages websites to drive traffic to Amazon.com. All the website owner needs to do is simply include an affiliate link to Amazon.com on their website. In return for driving traffic to Amazon.com (thus encouraging people to purchase products from Amazon), Amazon shares around 4% of all purchases made after clicking through to Amazon.com sites via the affiliate link.
Here is the original self-centered idea…
I was going to simply setup a website with a link for myself
so that I could, essentially, get 4% back on all of my future Amazon.com
purchases. With the upcoming holiday
shopping season, and my daily penchant for spending money, I figured this would
be a great way to put an extra few dollars in my pocket over the course of the
year as I use Amazon pretty regularly since it’s a pretty safe marketplace to
find lower prices on the stuff I buy. I
chose to rationalize this mildly selfish notion as being “stewardly with my
money” by finding a way to spend less on my purchases. Then the greed entrepreneur in me
wondered how I could get others to make their Amazon.com purchases through this
site as well, so that I could put a few more dollars in my pocket.
Here is the slightly more altruistic idea…
As lovable as I am, I’m not sure that many people would be too eager to make their purchases via this site just so that *I* could make a few extra bucks. Then it occurred to me that there is something more lovable…and, admittedly, more deserving…than myself that everybody could get behind – starving children! So, in lieu of me saving a few bucks on my purchases, I’ve decided to donate all of the revenue generated by the affiliate link on this website to charity. Specifically, World Vision (http://www.worldvision.org), a humanitarian organization dedicated to helping children in poverty.
Here’s how it works…
If you’re planning on doing some of your own holiday shopping on Amazon.com, and are interested in helping to increase the amount that this site generates for starving children, all you need to do is click the “GO!” button on the search widget below. By entering Amazon.com via the link below whenever you go to purchase items from Amazon.com, Amazon will keep track of the amount spent on the purchases you make in order to return the 4% that will then be sent along to World Vision.
Go ahead - click, shop, & save babies!
Total Raised a/o 12.31.08 $53.77 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Hey, I know you…aren’t you that Nigerian Prince who still owes me $2M for the $5k advance I sent you back in 2002?
No, no I’m not. As a matter-of-fact, I’ve never even been to Nigeria. Although, now that I think about it, I did run into Prince at a club after he did a show in San Jose a few years ago. He’s quite short…
Okay…but, even if you aren’t, how do I know this isn’t some kind of scam?
Legitimate question. In all honesty, I set this site up for my friends & family (i.e. - people who already know me and have decided that I’m not too bad). So, the fact that you’re questioning whether or not I’m a real person with a genuine desire to help starving children leads me to deduce two things: a) the knowledge of this site’s existence has apparently grown far beyond my wildest expectations & b) I should probably give a little background on myself. Therefore, you can find out a little bit more about me at: www.michaelhaverhals.com. And, you’re always free to drop me an email with any additional questions to: save [at] havesllc.com.
Alright, you appear to be a decent person with your fine Christian education from this Dordt College place and whatnot…but I know a lot of Christians who are greedy d-bags. Why should I believe that you’re really gonna give the money this site makes to starving children and not just keep it for yourself?
Another legitimate question. In order to ensure that there’s transparency at all levels of this project, I’ll be posting updates on how much we’ve raised to date. In addition, I’ve provided the login info for the affiliate account to an independent third party as oversight to ensure that the money raised saves babies. And, I’ll personally absorb any administrative cost…for the babies’ sake, of course!
You’ve convinced me…so all I have to do now is click on the Amazon link and shop away?
Pretty much. By entering the site via the affiliate link, Amazon is able to associate your purchases w/ Haves in order to kick back a share what you’ve spent. Also, any items you place in your cart after clicking through the affiliate link should also qualify for revenue sharing as long as you purchase them w/in 90 days. I should also note that if you navigate away from Amazon.com once you’ve clicked through the affiliate link, or if you wait longer than 24 hrs. to complete the purchase (if you didn’t place the item in your cart), you’ll need to re-enter Amazon.com through the affiliate link again for purchases to qualify. For an extensive explanation of the rules as written by attorneys who obviously charge by the hour, click here: Amazon Affiliate Agreement
Gee, thanks for the dry reading! I also noticed the fee structure in the rules mentioned that there’s the opportunity to get back more than 4%. Are the starving children going to see any revenue share above 4%?
Absolutely. The babies will get all of the proceeds, which will hopefully be more than 4%! So, for all of you looking to treat yourself to a new pair of Jimmy Choo’s, be sure to buy them from Endless.com (via Amazon, via the affiliate link) so that the babies can get a whole 15% of whatever outrageous price they’re charging for a pair of strappy-peep-toe-3-inch-heels. Although, it’s so worth it, cos you just saved a baby…and those shoes look great on you! ;)
You also mentioned that Amazon would “associate” purchases w/ Haves. Does that mean you’ll be able to track exactly what everyone is purchasing?
Um, at least “associate” sounds a lot less Orwellian than “track,”
right? Yes, Amazon-dot-1984 does track
the purchases in order to not only determine the revenue share, but also to
provide analytics to affiliates in order to determine the efficacy of promoting
certain types of products on affiliate websites. Since my affiliate site doesn’t promote individual products, I
could really care less about this information. And, even though the monthly reports show the items purchased, there is
no purchaser information associated with individual items. Thus, the worst case scenario is that I may
notice that somebody purchased David Hasselhoff’s Night Rocker
Don’t you have something better to do with your time than spend all day setting up an affiliate website, complete with FAQ page, for a site that probably won’t get more than 3 visitors during it’s existence?
No, not really. I’m currently in between jobs (which is a lovely euphemism for “unemployed”), and was looking for something creative to do with my afternoon. If you have something even better for me to do with my time, and might even consider paying me for it, I’ll refer you again to www.michaelhaverhals.com and encourage you to contact me to discuss any opportunities. And only 3 people? Seriously? I have at least that many family members who’ll use the site. (Right, family?!?!) Now, if the site gets more than *7* visitors, I’ll be pleasantly surprised!
Since you apparently have plenty of free time on your hands right now, can I contact you with any additional questions?
Of course! Drop an email to save [at] havesllc.com and feel free to inquire about anything your heart desires!
Thanks,
M