How it works, step by step
- Join free & get verifiedSign up at no cost. Good Circles verifies your 501(c)(3) status via IRS Publication 78 — usually in about three minutes, with nothing to upload.
- Share your linkYou get a unique cause link. Share it in your newsletter, on social, in email signatures, and at events.
- Supporters pick your cause onceA supporter chooses your nonprofit a single time. There's no recurring action for them to remember and no repeated ask from you.
- Everyday local spending funds you automaticallyAs supporters shop with participating local merchants, a share of each sale is directed to your cause — automatically, in the background.
- Funds are recurring & unrestrictedThe money arrives on an ongoing basis and comes with no strings. You decide how to use it — payroll, rent, programs, reserves.
- Get Founding Nonprofit statusEarly adopters are recognized as Founding Nonprofits, with priority placement as the marketplace grows.
The honest numbers
We want to be straight about the math. On each sale, the nonprofit receives 10% of the merchant's profit — typically a few dollars per purchase. Any single sale is small; the value is in the aggregate, across many supporters shopping over a full year.
| Estimate | What it means |
|---|---|
| ~$72 / active supporter / year | A planning estimate, not a guarantee — it depends on how much each supporter spends locally. |
| ~$36,000 / year from 500 supporters | Recurring and unrestricted, with almost no ongoing staff labor once supporters enroll. |
| ~10% saved by shoppers | Supporters save roughly 10% on their purchases, so giving costs them nothing extra. |
Treat these as estimates. Want to model your own numbers? Try the passive funding calculator.
Who pays — and why it's free for you
Good Circles is free for nonprofits and for shoppers. The model works because participating merchants pay a small 1% fee and keep 89% on each sale, in exchange for reaching local customers who want their everyday spending to support a cause. Shoppers save about 10%, the nonprofit gets a share of merchant profit, and the merchant gains loyal local business. Everyone in the circle benefits — hence the name.
How it compares to AmazonSmile
Many nonprofits remember AmazonSmile, which donated 0.5% of eligible online purchases and was shut down in 2023, leaving organizations without an easy everyday-giving option. Good Circles is built differently: it's local-first, it directs a share of merchant profit rather than a fraction of a percent of a sale, and it's designed to produce recurring, unrestricted income at a meaningfully higher per-supporter level.
New to the concept? Read what is passive fundraising.
A note for early adopters
Good Circles is launching Mississippi-first in September 2026. If your nonprofit is in Mississippi, you can claim Founding Nonprofit status now. Outside Mississippi, you can join the Founding Nonprofit waitlist so you're ready the moment we reach your community.
Claim your Founding Nonprofit spot
Joining is free, verification takes about three minutes via IRS Pub 78, and the funding is recurring and unrestricted. The earlier you join, the more your supporters can fund before launch. In Mississippi now, or on the waitlist everywhere else.
Claim a Founding Nonprofit spot →Sources & tools
Free first
- National Council of Nonprofits — Commercial Co-Ventures and Cause-Related Marketing — Frames how a local marketplace profit-share arrangement is classified and what state-level rules apply to it.
- IRS — Unrelated Business Income Tax: Exceptions and Exclusions — Explains why passive, royalty-type marketplace payouts are generally tax-free to participating nonprofits.
- IRS — Charitable Solicitation: State Requirements — Authoritative starting point for the registration each nonprofit should confirm before promoting any giving program, including a marketplace.
- National Council of Nonprofits — Fundraising & Resource Development — Neutral guidance on evaluating where a passive program like Good Circles fits within a balanced funding mix.
- FTC — Advertising & Marketing Basics (truthful 'percent of sales' claims) — The disclosure standard for how a nonprofit may describe a 'shop local and fund us' benefit to supporters.
Paid — optional labor-savers
- Harbor Compliance — Managed multi-state charitable-solicitation and co-venture registration service. Worth it when Worth it when you promote a giving program across several states and want registration handled for you.
- QuickBooks for Nonprofits — Bookkeeping that can tag recurring marketplace deposits as unrestricted revenue. Worth it when Worth it when passive payouts become regular enough to need clean fund accounting and audit-ready records.
Last verified 2026-06-16. Figures and rules change — verify at the source before you act.
FAQ
Is Good Circles free for nonprofits?
Yes. Good Circles is free for nonprofits and for shoppers. There's no cost to join, verify, or receive funds, and the income you receive is unrestricted.
How much can a nonprofit raise with Good Circles?
As an estimate, an active supporter generates roughly $72 per year, so about 500 active supporters could produce around $36,000 per year, recurring and unrestricted. Actual amounts depend on how many supporters enroll and how much they spend locally.
How is Good Circles different from AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile gave 0.5% of eligible online purchases and was shut down in 2023. Good Circles is local-first, directs a share of merchant profit per sale, and is built to produce recurring, unrestricted income rather than a fraction of a percent on online orders.