“Save money. Save lives!“ That’s the slogan for a relatively new coupon site called Save1.com, and it intrigued me: what’s their angle? How do they work? Of course you know I had to check it out.
Here’s a reminder of how cashback and coupon sites earn money:
When you shop through a cashback program, the program earns a commission that they share with their members in the form of cash back. When you shop through a coupon site’s link to a store, the coupon site earns a commission that they keep for themselves.
A frequently-voiced opinion I hear is, “Cash back doesn’t add up quickly enough. It’s an extra step I don’t want to bother with — I’d rather just use a coupon site and get an immediate discount off my order.“ If this sounds like you, let me give you some food for thought:
Would you rather use a coupon site that keeps all of their sales commission as profit, or one that donates a portion of their sales commission to charities which feed the hungry?
What if I said there’s no additional work required on your part, no extra clicking, just remembering to use Save1 instead of the coupon sites you ordinarily use?
The skeptic in me asked, “Are they REALLY donating to feed-the-hungry organizations, or is this just some kind of marketing gimmick?“ I checked, and Save1 only partners with groups that meet very strict guidelines: they must have 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status on file with the IRS, with 20% or less of their donations going toward administrative and fundraising costs, financials audited the previous fiscal year, and a proven track record for feeding hungry or malnourished children. And those are just a few of their partner requirements.
Save1 goes a step further to prove that their users really did help to feed the needy: in their Meals Certification section, they share their monthly Feeding Partner’s acknowledgment letter, certifying exactly how many meals Save1′s users provided as a result of using the site. (There’s also a running tally to date on the top right of every page.)
The next big question I had was, is Save1 as comprehensive as some of the more well-known coupon sites? At a glance, I’d have to say, “Yes!“ They have 5,000+ participating stores in their database, with multiple coupons available for many of the stores I checked. Search by store name if you know where you’re planning to shop, or by category if you’re not completely sure. I especially like their Today’s Best Deals section, which gives you a quick at-a-glance summary of some of the best coupon codes available each day, sorted by the greatest percentage discount.
Who is the team behind Save1? I really like that they provide a pretty extensive background on the Save1 founders, an extended family all with experience in providing food and care to those in need, in poor countries as well as in their own communities. This isn’t just a business to them; it’s a personal mission to feed the hungry.
In summary, while it’s not a cashback site per se, Save1 IS a rewards program with a heart: by using their site to access the same coupons you’d get elsewhere, you’ll be rewarding a carefully vetted charity with the funds needed to provide a meal to someone in desperate need. Please visit Save1.com, like Save1 on Facebook, and sign up for the Save1 Newsletter. You’ll be doing your part to, “Save money. Save lives!“
