Blue Ridge Mountain Sports announced a partnership with Sparo, an online startup that enables customers to have Blue Ridge donate 8 percent of their online purchase to the charity of their choice.

Sparo has developed an application that can be embedded at the checkout cart of any online store. Through their patent-pending application, customers can select one of a number of charities that Sparo has partnered with to receive the percent donation.

For Blue Ridge, the four-decade outdoor retailer with seven locations around the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, this provides the ability to give back to the local, state, national and international non-profits that their customers care most about.

“We are excited about partnering with Sparo,” said Stephen Nauss, CEO of BRMS. “The partnership will allow us to give back to the community and the causes that our customers care about through every online purchase made on www.brms.com.”

Through Sparo, shoppers feel good about purchasing from a responsible retailer, merchants get loyal customers who feel great about their brand, all while advancing the good work that charities do for their communities everyday.

“Sparo’s goal is to democratize charitable giving and to create a world in which commerce and charity go hand-in-hand,” said Rob Sobhani, founder and CEO of Sparo. “Blue Ridge Mountain Sports has made a significant step to being a better corporate citizen in their community, and I have no doubt that their business will grow as a result of this partnership.”

Sparo’s Purchase with a Purpose Program is expected to launch on www.brms.com sometime in late March. The program is exclusive to the online site, and does not yet apply to their brick-and-mortar stores.