CREDO

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CREDO started in 1985 in order to use proceeds from their credit cards, since expanded to long distance services and mobile phones, to give to leftist causes such as Planned Parenthood and the Color of Change.[1] Donations to leftist groups by CREDO has "reached over $81 million."

For example, CREDO claimed that in 2009, their organization donated a total of $2 million to Planned Parenthood. They wrote on their history page that they are "proud" to be "the largest corporate donor to Planned Parenthood."

Background

"It was 1985, the peak of the Reagan era, and greed ran rampant on Wall Street. But a small band of idealists refused to buy in, or sell out. Instead, we pursued an American dream of our own—to build a business that works for progressive social change. We launched Working Assets with credit cards in the ’80s, added long-distance phone service in the ’90s and mobile phones in the new millennium."

In 1993, CREDO used their "Citizen Actions" program to "focus for the first time on two issues: calling for a single-payer health care system, and urging an end to the ban on gays in the military."

In 2012, CREDO launched the "CREDO SuperPAC, raising $2.5 million from 70,000 donors." On their website, CREDO brags that this effort led to the "defeat [of] five of the worst Tea Party Republicans in Congress."

CREDO "launched the new CREDO Visa credit card in October 2013."

From their website:

"Whenever you use it, we donate 10¢ to progressive nonprofit groups working hard for women’s rights, the environment, equality, peace and social justice. The CREDO credit card is issued in partnership with Comenity Bank, which has been in business for more than 25 years."

For a price, a user can have CREDO send letters to elected officials for various progressive causes on their behalf.

CREDO Mobile

CREDO Mobile emerged from Working Assets in 2007 "to better reflect its progressive identify." The group "resells Sprint access" in order give to progressive causes. Working Assets was established "with the launch of the Working Assets Credit Card—a credit card that generates donations to progressive nonprofit groups every time the cardholder uses it."[2]

CREDO Action

CREDO Action "is a social change network of 4 million activists, made possible by the revenues of our mobile phone company, CREDO Mobile."[3]

"We mobilize our 4 million activists to speak out and pressure decision-makers from the local to the national level. From opposing war, to relentlessly defending reproductive freedom, protecting our environment and a healthy food system, fixing our broken democracy, fighting for an economy that works for everyone, and more, CREDO empowers activists to work for the change we want to see, not what we are told we can achieve by Washington insiders.

CREDO Action is the activism arm of CREDO, a social change organization that offers products — like CREDO Mobile — in order to fund grassroots activism and progressive nonprofit organizations.

Over the course of our history, CREDO has raised over $80 million for Democracy Now!, Brennan Center for Justice, Doctors Without Borders, ACLU, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Planned Parenthood, 350.org and hundreds of other nonprofit groups.
Our customers and activists have generated over 16 million letters and phone calls to elected officials, decision-makers and corporate headquarters across the country. Our activists have submitted their signatures over 137 million times on CREDO petitions and in public comments to government agencies. We believe in the power of people coming together to make real change — no matter the odds. When we do, we can win.
Our activists have helped win historic victories for peace with Iran, real Net Neutrality, blocking the Keystone XL pipeline, Arctic offshore drilling and coal leasing on federal lands, raising the minimum wage, and blocking Wall Street cronies from political appointments — and that’s just in the last couple of years."[4]

2016 RNC Initiative

Along with Color of Change, CREDO Action launched an effort to force corporations from sponsoring the Republican National Convention in 2016.[5]

Black Lives Matter Fund

CREDO directs donations to "groups organizing to end abusive and racist policing" through their Black Lives Matter Fund.

Black Lives Matter Fund is a special fund created and managed by CREDO in response to the two recent grand jury decisions not to indict police officers who killed African-American men. The decisions underscore the fact that our criminal justice system is broken. Your vote for the Black Lives Matter Fund will provide critical donations to groups working to change the way police forces operate and alter the impact they have on African-American communities.

CREDO will direct 100% of the Black Lives Matter Fund to groups organizing to end abusive and racist policing.[6]

Staff

CREDO beneficiaries

CREDO beneficiaries 2016

CREDO beneficiaries 2015

References

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  1. ↑ THE TECHNOLOGY CHRONICLES Working Assets Wireless becomes Credo Mobile, accessed July 17 2016
  2. ↑ Our History, accessed July 17 2016
  3. ↑ CREDO, accessed July 17 2016
  4. ↑ About CREDO, accessed July 17 2016
  5. ↑ GOP convention sponsors have second thoughts as online activists notch win, accessed July 17 2016
  6. ↑ Black Lives Matter Fund, accessed July 17 2016
  7. ↑ Our People, accessed July 17 2016
  8. ↑ Who We Fund, accessed July 17 2016
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