from seventeen

Amid social justice protests and the call to end police brutality, there’s never been a better time to donate. But amid coronavirus and the economic destruction it has caused, there’s also been no more difficult time to donate. Because of this, do-gooders on the internet have found some pretty ingenious ways to donate money, even when you have no money. There’s a YouTube video you can watch, with 100% of the ad revenue donated to the cause, and now Sephora is allowing Beauty Insiders to donate their reward points.

Instead of cashing in Insider points for a freebie tester product, shoppers can convert them into a $10, $20, or $30 donation to the National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organization working to empower Black LGBTQ+ people and those living with HIV/AIDS. And the whole process takes less than a minute.

Here’s how to do it:

Log into your Sephora account, then select “Shop Rewards Bazaar” from the dropdown attached to your icon in the top right corner.

From there, scroll down to find which donation you’d like to select. Unfortunately, you can only participate if you have 500 points or more – 500 points = $10 donation, 1,000 points = $20 donation, and 1,500 points = $30 donation. From there, just add the desired amount to your basket and check out.

While the donation system is a fantastic way to help Beauty Insider (BI) and Very Important Beauty (VIB) users give back to the Black community, for those with a surplus of 2,500 or more points (I’m looking at you, Rouge members) there is a smarter way to donate.

Because of conversion rate (1,500 for a $30 donation), shoppers would be better off cashing in their 2,500 points for a $100 Sephora gift card (a bonus offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays), then making the $60 donation themselves. That way, you’re still making a $60 donation, while getting an extra $40 to spend at Sephora.

That being said, the points system isn’t the only way Sephora is giving back. The beauty retailer has so far donated over $1M, sharing the news in a recent Instagram post.

“We are proud to have given more than $1M to support organizations in our communities like @caresmentoring, @center_for_urban_families, @naacp, @nbjconthemove and The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation Black Women’s Roundtable who are building up Black communities and leading the fight for racial justice and equity,” the post reads. “This is not the beginning of our work and will not be the end. We stand in solidarity with our Black employees, colleagues, friends, and the community.”