Walmart Inc.’s “Spark Good” holiday campaign reminds consumers that giving is almost as good as receiving; Commits $5 million to local communities

Walmart today announced a new giving campaign as part of its Spark Good initiative, which bowed in September. The retailer said it was teaming up with consumers to donate up to $5 million to local communities. The world’s largest retailer is launching the giving initiative, which will run from November 25 to December 25, as part of its latest effort to give back to the local towns and villages where its consumers live, pledging up to $5 million to nonprofits this holiday season.

The donation campaign comes at a time of uncertainty about the economy. Since Walmart reached shoppers across the US – the company said 95% of the population shop at its stores – the retailer has been closely monitoring the health of consumers’ wallets and has been called a proxy for the US economy .

The Federal Reserve sought to control inflation by raising interest rates; The Fed is monitoring several price indices, which measure the price changes of a group of goods and services. The Fed considers multiple price indices because different indices track different products and services, and because the indices are calculated differently. Meanwhile, inflation has spooked consumers who seem to be holding back this holiday season, prompting retailers to ramp up promotions.

“Walmart launched this new way to give, Spark Good, in September,” Julie Gehrki, Vice President of Philanthropy and COO of the Walmart Foundation, told me. “Now that the program is fully operational, there are two things Walmart wants to accomplish, including:

Helping small charities, which are losing small donors at a rapid rate; according to a recent report, “small donations often serve as a lifeline for nonprofits during tough economic times,” Gehrki said.

“Walmart believes American companies can leverage their size and scale to help people keep giving small gifts by being a force multiplier for their individual giving,” Gehrki added. “It’s about helping more people do more good for more communities (on top of Walmart and Walmart Foundation’s directed giving of more than $1.5 billion last year).

In addition to raising much-needed contributions, Walmart also hopes to “inspire more nonprofits to participate in the Spark Good program,” Gehrki said. “We listened to our customers and they told us they wanted more donation options. With Spark Good, they’re able to direct their donations to causes they care about through fundraising, registry and more.

“Each organization only needs to receive 20 rounded donations to receive a $1,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation. There is $3 million available in grants, which means up to 3,000 charities can access this grant after receiving 20 or more rounded donations,” Gehrki said.

Here’s how the campaign works: Each time a consumer rounds up their charges at checkout, Walmart will match the donation, dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million for a total of $2 million to organizations across the United States. The retailer will also reward any non-profit organization. organization that receives 20 or more Spark Good donations with a grant of $1,000, up to a total of $3 million.

Each week, approximately 230 million customers and members visit Walmart’s more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites under 46 banners in 24 countries. With revenue of $573 billion in fiscal 2022, Walmart is seen as an indicator of consumer economic health. The retailer employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide and continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.

Walmart’s image has changed dramatically over the past five to ten years. The company’s image has changed from a big bully to a model corporate citizen. The world’s biggest retailer has been criticized in the past for not being generous enough with its revenue and critics have been vocal, saying it is not helping people in need enough. In light of retailers’ revenue of $559.2 billion in 2020, the chorus of naysayers complained that its donations could be much more robust.

BENTONVILLE, Ark., (November 21, 2022) – Walmart has announced the launch of a new donation campaign as part of its Spark

Good initiative, supporting local organizations across the country with up to $5 million donated to nonprofits this holiday season.

Between Nov. 25 and Dec. 25, the retailer is offering customers the opportunity to round up their purchases and then donate change to a favorite charity while shopping on Walmart.com and the Walmart app. walmart

will match customer contributions 1:1, up to $1 million ($2 million total, including customer donations), so every dollar goes further. Spark Good Round Up, which launched this fall, lets customers choose which approved nonprofit they want to donate to

and set up easy recurring Round Ups on the Walmart app or online.

To encourage customers and nonprofits to participate in the campaign, Walmart is giving up to 3,000 nonprofits a $1,000 grant when they receive 20 or more Spark Good Round Up donations, for a total

contribution of up to $3 million.

Participating is easy. After a customer completes their purchases online or in the app, they will be prompted to search for a preferred charity for their donation round. Customers can also go to

Walmart.com/SparkGood and search for their charity of choice to receive their Round Up contributions.

“Last year, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $1.5 billion in cash and in-kind donations to organizations around the world,” said Erin Hogue, senior director of associates and customers.

engagement at Walmart. “Giving is in our DNA and it’s clear our customers feel the same way. With this $5 million campaign, not only are we amplifying our customers’ acts of giving through donations and matching grants, but we’re also empowering our customers to say

us where they would like the dollars to go.

The Spark Good Round Up campaign offers a number of nonprofits – large and small – for customers to choose from. But if a customer can’t find the local cause they want to support, they can send a referral link

directly to the 501(c)(3) of their choice.

Spark Good, Walmart’s newest giving initiative, brings together the retailer’s nonprofit tools under one roof. From local grant opportunities to registries for their most needed items, Spark Good

gives nonprofits a convenient place to work with Walmart to make a difference in local communities.

Together we can spark good this holiday season. To learn more, visit Walmart.org/SparkGood.