Amazon has added a new skill for Alexa that lets users donate with their voice. The command is, “Alexa, donate $20 to the Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary” and the smart assistant will pull that money from your associated account. Alexa uses a four-digit voice confirmation code to help users from making accidental purchases.
Amazon also says it shares users’ name, email and address with the organization, but not credit card info. Users will also get an email confirmation of the donation and can track that info over at Amazon Pay.
Users can also just say, “Alexa, make a donation,” and the assistant will help you select a name from the list.
Currently, users can only choose from 48 charities and nonprofits, including Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary, American Cancer Society, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society to internet-oriented groups like the Tor Project, Wikimedia Foundation, and the media site ProPublica. Amazon noted in a press release, “This is just the beginning — this list will continue to grow.”
According to the company, over a million people have used Amazon Pay to donate to charities already before Alexa Donations was launched. Amazon has also collaborated before with Give Back Box, which let users reuse Amazon boxes to ship donations to charities.
