Credo Mobile
Credo Mobile is a typical phone company, it sells nationwide service, calling plans, mobile phone and accessories. The difference is a business model that offers its customers the chance to support their beliefs by using their phone. Embedded in the business model is a donation program to progressive causes. Featuring heavily on the donation list are environmental, and social sustainability non-profits.
Donation-Linked Cell Phone contract
Credo Mobile’s mission is to make it easy for the progressively-minded to make a difference. It’s business model is born to service the philanthropic tradition in the United States. Credo donates one percent of its customer’s charges to selected nonprofits. Every year Credo asks its members to nominate their favorite nonprofits for funding. The nominees are evaluated, Credo Mobile chooses fifty and informs their membership of the choice. At the end of the year members vote to decide how to divide the donations raised among the nonprofit groups.
We know we’re doing the right thing because it’s what our customers want. After all, they generate the funds, they choose the groups we support and they tell us where they want the money to go.”
Credo Mobile is owned by Working Assets, an organization that, since 1985, has offered donation-linked services (long distance, mobile and credit card). Every time a customer uses one of the services, a portion of the charges is donated. To date, Working Assets and its members have donated more than $60 million to groups that members have helped select, including like Doctors without Borders, the ACLU, the Global Fund for Women, Greenpeace, and Planned Parenthood.
In 2008 Credo members helped raise USD$3,345,331 for nonprofits. Of that, approximately $700, 000 was donated to national and global environmental groups. Also in 2008, Credo Mobile was named a finalist in the Customer Service Team category in the American Business Awards and was included on Better World’s world’s top ten best companies.
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