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Ringtones, Minutes, and Donations to Nonprofits

After you pay your cell phone bill, where does all that money go? A good chunk of it probably goes to supporting various political campaigns and some nonprofit organizations. But do you know exactly which politicians and causes your service is connected to, and whether those are the ones you want to be funding?


By Flickr user Gaetan Lee CREDO Mobile is a U.S.-based wireless phone service that lets customers weigh in on which causes they're funding with their business. First, customers nominate their favorite nonprofits that are changing the world; then, when the list is complete, they vote on what percentages of profits should go to which organizations. In 2007, over $3.5 million was given to 48 different nonprofits through the CREDO network. To give some examples, $115,776 went to the Natural Resources Defense Council, $38,156 went to the New Voters Project, and $60,718 went to the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.

Whether or not you're thrilled with the causes they've supported so far, you've got to give them credit for letting their customers have a say, and also for making this information so readily available to the public. CREDO Mobile provides other cool features, such as solar-powered phone chargers, and action alerts on selected social and environmental issues. I hope that more cell phone companies will catch on and start to live up to their potential as "networks."


Posted by Joanna, who blogged yesterday about The Best Independent Stories of 2008.