Walgreens to donate a flu shot for each foursquare checkin

There are lots of things you can get by checking in on foursquare, from badges to discounts, but one of my favorites is charitable donations. Walgreens is the latest company to offer a donation when you check in on foursquare, but instead of pennies or dollars, they’re donating flu shots — up to 200,000 of them.

The offer starts today and runs through October 8. Any time a user checks in on foursquare (or Facebook Places), Walgreens will donate a flu-shot voucher to someone in need through their Way to Well Commitment program.

Walgreens is asking users to help choose the organizations that will receive the flu shots with a vote on their Facebook page. Each group gets a percentage of the flu shot vouchers based on where they place in the vote. The organizations that will be getting vouchers are Feeding America, the National Urban League, AmeriCares, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the American Diabetes Association.

Customers are being alerted to the program through large stickers placed on each checkout counter (shown above).

Checkins are a fun way for corporations to determine giving levels. It’s a worthwhile metric that makes customers (at least those familiar with checkin services) a sense that they’re actually doing something when they check in. The “we’ll donate X for every dollar you spend” programs never really resonated with me, but checkins are something I can get behind.