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CREDO/Working Assets is an American for-profit company that offers mobile and long distance phone service, as well as a credit card. Based in San Francisco, California, CREDO is a socially responsible business that donates a portion of its revenue to progressive nonprofit organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Greenpeace, Planned Parenthood and Amnesty International. Since its founding in 1985, CREDO has raised over $60 million for nonprofits in the following categories: peace and international freedom, civil rights, environment, voting rights and civic participation, and economic and social justice.[1]

Each year, CREDO members nominate groups for funding. Employees and the board of directors select the final list of nonprofits. Throughout each year, members vote to decide how donations will be distributed among the groups at the end of the year.

History

Working Assets was founded in 1985. Its first product was the Better World Credit Card. Following telecom deregulation, it introduced Working Assets Long Distance in 1991. In 2000 it launched its mobile service under the name Working Assets Wireless.

Name change

In November 2007, Working Assets announced that it was changing its name to CREDO to better reflect the company’s values: a belief that people, through donations to nonprofits and political activism, can effect progressive change.[2] The names of its phone services were changed to CREDO Mobile and CREDO Long Distance.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). The name of its credit card, however, remains the Working Assets Credit Card.

Environmental Record

In 2009, CREDO was recognized by the nonprofit Planning and Conservation League as the Environmental Business of the Year. CREDO is the only U.S. phone company to donate over $10 million to environmental nonprofits like Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and Ocean Conservancy. It’s also the only telecommunications company to print its bills on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with nontoxic soy-based ink, and to plant 100 trees for every ton of paper used.[3]

Additionally, CREDO was the first phone company in the U.S. to join Carbonfund.org’s CarbonFree® program. It offsets the estimated lifetime electricity usage and shipping of all its phones. It was the first to offer solar-powered mobile phone chargers. It also features refurbished phones in its product line and helps members recycle old phones.

Key People

Laura Scher is the co-founder, chairperson and CEO of CREDO. Ms. Scher helped establish Working Assets/CREDO in 1985. She received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University, studied at the Institute for International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. Ms. Scher currently serves on the boards of eScrip, the SalesForce.com Foundation and the Rosenberg Foundation. In September 2009, Self magazine named Ms. Scher to its “Most Inspiring Women of 2009” list.[4]

Michael Kieschnick is the co-founder and president of CREDO. Mr. Kieschnick helped establish Working Assets/CREDO in 1985. He received bachelor’s degrees in biology and economics from Stanford University and earned his Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Kieschnick currently serves on the boards of the League of Conservation Voters, OneCalifornia Bank Foundation and the Beatitudes Society. He also helps run the Secretary of State Project, which works to elect reform candidates to the position of chief election officer at the state level.[5]

Products and Services

CREDO offers four services: CREDO Mobile, CREDO Long Distance, CREDO Action and the Working Assets Credit Card.
Working Assets also published the best-selling book, How Would a Patriot Act? by Glenn Greenwald, in 2006.[6]

CREDO Mobile

CREDO Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), running on the Sprint wireless network. It does not maintain its own wireless network. CREDO Mobile offers customers nationwide all-digital coverage, as well as a selection of plans and phones, including BlackBerry® smartphones.[7][7] CREDO Mobile automatically contributes 1% of each customer’s monthly charges to its donations pool. Customers can call Congress and the White House for free under CREDO’s Free Speech program.

CREDO Long Distance

Like CREDO Mobile, CREDO Long Distance operates on the Sprint network and 1% of each customer’s monthly service fees go to the company’s donations pool. New CREDO Long Distance customers receive free coupons for Ben & Jerry’s® Ice Cream upon joining.[8] Customers can call Congress and the White House for free under CREDO’s Free Speech program.

Working Assets Credit Card

The Working Assets Credit Card is provided through Visa and Bank of America. Each time a customer uses the card, CREDO donates 10¢ to the company’s donations pool.[9]

CREDO Action

In addition to phone and credit card services, CREDO runs a free nationwide, nonpartisan progressive citizens lobby called CREDO Action. CREDO Action has one million members, including phone and credit card customers and noncustomers. Its most popular form of outreach is via e-mail and electronic petition, which enables members to take action by signing a petition and/or calling their local and national elected officials. Customers can also pay a small fee to have CREDO send a prewritten advocacy letter to a targeted decision-maker on their behalf.[10] Customers can also make free calls to targeted decision-makers under CREDO’s Free Speech program. Since 1991, CREDO members have generated over 30 million calls and letters to Congress, the White House and corporate leaders.

Recent CREDO Action victories include: pressing President Obama to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, urging Congress to extend healthcare coverage to millions of low-income children, pushing Congress to pass the first increase in fuel-economy standards in 20 years, pressing the National Marine Fisheries Service to approve stricter catch limits and helping halt 63 coal-fired power plants around the U.S.


Donations

Through three of its services – CREDO Mobile, CREDO Long Distance and the Working Assets Credit Card – CREDO customers generate automatic donations for progressive nonprofit organizations. The company donates 1% of each phone bill and 10¢ for each credit card transaction to the general donations pool. Since 1985, CREDO has donated over $60 million to groups in five areas: peace and international freedom, civil rights, environment, voting rights and civic participation, and economic and social justice.

Process

During the first half of the calendar year, CREDO customers and employees nominate progressive nonprofit groups for funding for the following year. In the fall, CREDO employees evaluate all of the nominees and, along with the board of directors, vote for the final list of nonprofits (usually 50 groups).

In addition to nominating groups for the following year, CREDO customers can also vote to decide how donations will be distributed among the current year’s groups. At the end of the calendar year, the votes are tallied and the donations pool is divided among the groups.[11]

Nonprofits

CREDO funds progressive nonprofit organizations working in five areas. Past and present groups include the following:[12]

Peace and International Freedom

Civil Rights

Environment

Voting Rights and Civic Participation

Economic and Social Justice


Activism

CREDO provides several outlets for customers and noncustomers to take political action. CREDO publishes monthly actions in its long distance and mobile phone bills. Each customer receives two national actions. Customers in California, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Washington state also receive one state action per phone bill. Recent action topics include: developing an exit strategy for Afghanistan, supporting a public option in healthcare reform, appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Bush-era war crimes, making Net neutrality law, repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, strengthening climate legislation, reducing special-interest influence and corporate campaign financing during elections, and stopping banks from cranking up interest rates.

Customers can pay a small one-time fee to have CREDO send a letter to the targeted decision-maker on their behalf.[13] Customers can also make free calls to the targeted decision-makers under CREDO’s Free Speech program.

In their monthly bills, CREDO customers can also opt to round up their payment. The extra amount goes into the donations pool or, if specified, to advance a particular progressive cause.[14] Past round-up causes include advancing gay-marriage and halting coal power.

CREDO Action, the company’s political lobby, has nearly 1 million members nationwide. Members primarily take action via online petitions. CREDO Action members have helped bring about numerous victories, including:

  • The Department of Justice’s announcement that it will investigate the Monsanto monopoly
  • Passage of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act
  • Passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
  • Health-insurance expansion to millions of low-income children
  • Increase in fuel-economy standards (for the first time in 20 years)
  • Passage of the Bottle Bill in several states
  • Stricter catch limits for ocean fishers
  • Tax credits for renewable energy
  • Defeat of ballot initiatives in several states that would have severely restricted a woman’s right to choose

CREDO Action frequently partners on campaigns with other organizations, including Courage Campaign to repeal Prop. 8 in California and Project Vote to increase voter-registration.[15]

Elections

In the run-up to the 2008 presidential election, CREDO helped 2.5 million Americans register to vote. To increase voter turnout, CREDO Action launched several programs: Pollworkers for Democracy, which hired volunteers to staff polling places and ensure fair voting practices; Text Out the Vote, a Web site where you could enter your friends’ phone numbers and send them a free reminder to vote on Election Day; support for Election Day registration, which was approved in several states; an online voter-registration tool; and govote.org, another online resource where voters could look up their nearest polling place.[16]

Recognition

  • In September 2009, CREDO CEO Laura Scher was named to Self magazine’s list of 11 “Most Inspiring Women of 2009”. Scher was recognized as “the CEO with a conscience.” [4]
  • In July 2009, a FastCompany.com blog post named CREDO Mobile to its list of “bravest brands,” stating, “CREDO offers people something of irreplaceable value: a direct mechanism for instigating change.” [17]
  • In February 2009, CREDO was named the Environmental Business of the Year by the Planning and Conservation League.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
  • In November 2008, Better World Shopping Guide named CREDO to its list of the best 10 companies for environmental and social responsibility.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
  • In June 2008, CREDO Mobile was a finalist in the Customer Service Team category at the 2008 American Business Awards.[6] CREDO’s customer service department previously received an “A” grade from the Consumer Federation of California Education Foundation. Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
  • In February 2008, the Los Angeles Times reported that California’s Fair Political Practices Commission had implemented new rules that would require politicians to reveal how meals, gifts and out-of-state travel are paid for with campaign contributions. The article credited CREDO customers for being the most outspoken delegation in favor of this rule.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
  • In October 2007, the Washington Post ran an article on “how to be routinely charitable” and recommended the Working Assets Credit Card.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
  • In August 2007, the New York Times’ “Bits” blog reported that CREDO (then Working Assets) was offering the first solar-powered mobile phone charger.[6]


Criticism

Credit card

Although the Working Assets credit card is now offered through Bank of America, the product came under criticism when it was issued through the bank MBNA, the top contributor to George W. Bush's 2000 Presidential Campaign. When asked about this, Working Assets' employees have made differing claims. In one letter, it was stated that Working Assets chose MBNA regardless of its political views and entirely for its experience and quality customer service.[18] In another letter, president Michael Kieschnick stated that Working Assets ended up under MBNA when the company purchased the credit card business of Fleet Bank, which had previously issued the card. Kieschnick said it was not Working Assets' choice to select MBNA and cannot change banks without violating its current contract. MBNA was subsequently purchased by Bank of America. Many environmental groups, including ones who benefit from Working Assets, have active campaigns against Bank of America, citing its funding of more projects that contribute to global warming than any other bank. This may cause a conflict of interest for these charities.

Warrantless wiretapping

Working Assets has been an active opponent against warrantless wiretapping by the NSA and has been active in criticizing Verizon and AT&T for collaborating with the NSA to permit these activities. Sprint, the network carrier which CREDO resells service on, is also named as a company which participated in this activity.[19] While CREDO has voiced opposition against FISA and providing immunity to AT&T and Verizon against lawsuits stemming from the wiretapping controversy, criticism or mention of Sprint is notably absent in its press releases.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ CREDO Mobile: Progressive Social Change
  2. ^ Working Assets Wireless becomes Credo Mobile
  3. ^ Green Statement
  4. ^ a b Self magazine: Most Inspiring Women of 2009
  5. ^ Secretary of State Project
  6. ^ a b c Working Assets Publishing Cite error: The named reference "””" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b CREDO Handsets Cite error: The named reference "”CREDO" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ CREDO Long Distance
  9. ^ Working Assets Credit Card
  10. ^ Citizen Letters
  11. ^ Nonprofit Donations
  12. ^ CREDO Nonprofit Donations
  13. ^ CREDO Citizen Letters
  14. ^ CREDO Bill Round ups
  15. ^ CREDO partners with Courage Campaign
  16. ^ SF Chronicle: CREDO relies on text messages to ensure progressive victory
  17. ^ Fast Company blogs: Bravest Brands
  18. ^ Unknown News, Working Assets works for Bush's biggest backers, May 7, 2003
  19. ^ Cauley, Leslie and John Diamond. Telecoms let NSA spy on calls, USA Today. Published February 5, 2006.
  20. ^ CREDO Mobile: Press Article
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