Walmart, Costco Among ‘Charity Checkout Champions’

Last year, more than $441 million was raised in the United States by 73 point-of-sale donation campaigns, including efforts by Walmart and Costco, that each raised in excess of $1 million, according to the 2017 “America’s Charity Checkout Champions” report from Engage for Good. These programs have raised a total of more than $4.1 billion over three decades.

The report found that dollars raised by the spotlighted companies grew 4.5 percent from 2014 to 2016, an unexpectedly positive result given the bankruptcy declarations, layoffs and store closings occurring at so many brick-and-mortar retailers.

Among the top five POS powerhouses singled out by Engage for Good were the Miracle Balloon program at Bentonville, Ark.-based Sam’s Club/Walmart, at No. 2, which raised $37 million in seven weeks for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, and a program in aid of the same cause at Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco, at No. 5, which in four and a half weeks raised $22.5 million. Both campaigns took place in 2016.

Other food retailers to be identified as 2017 Charity Checkout Champions were Publix Super Markets, Kmart, Meijer, The Albertsons Cos., Wegmans Food Markets, Stop & Shop, The Kroger Co. and Giant/Martin’s.

The report’s findings included that retailers remain committed to POS fundraising, employing creative tactics to ensure their charities of choice are well supported; mobile payment technology is seen as the future of retail transactions, and savvy charities will get ahead of this trend; mass merchandisers and specialty retailers led the way in fundraising at POS in 2016; and children’s health remains the largest recipient of consumer dollars.

The full report is available online.

Rye, N.Y.-based Engage for Good, producer of the Engage for Good conference and Halo Awards, provides business and nonprofit executives with practical information and inspiration, as well as opportunities to build relationships and recognition, for work engaging employees and consumers in social good and cause-related marketing efforts.