Benevolink lets consumers tie purchases to charitable giving.

By Abny Santicola

The amount of giving varies from retailer to retailer, but nonprofits earn, on average, 5 percent to 7 percent of the total purchase, according to Karen Clay, vice president of nonprofit relations for Benevolink, which doesn’t profit from direct giving by consumers.

“What I think is so neat about it is your traditional consumer, in the course of their daily shopping, can become a philanthropist using corporate dollars,” says Jocelyn Harmon, director of development and communications for the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, which recommends Benevolink as an online fundraising tool.