One Good Idea: Affinity Credit Cards Garner Big Rewards for Small Organizations

The first time a donor uses a card, the organization gets a $50 donation, and it gets a percentage of each future purchase, Davis explains.

“It may not seem like a lot at first, especially for a smaller organization,” he says. “But over a few years it accumulates.”

Aggressive list and awareness building are major factors in the success of an affinity credit card program. To that end, organizations that partner with the company get credit cards that display unique designs related to their causes. For example, a wildlife organization may have cards that show owls and bears.

CardPartner clients include a number of SPCA chapters, some with fewer than 2,000 donors; the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network; Gillette Children’s Foundation, which provides specialized health care for people with short- and long-term disabilities that began during childhood; and Soles4Souls, a charity that gives shoes to the needy.

Most of the organizations CardPartner works with have between 500 and 80,000 supporters, Davis says.

“There’s a feel-good factor [for the person who carries the card],” he says. “We call it the ‘front of the wallet.’ Your credit card says something about you. You’re not just taking someone out to lunch. You’re telling someone something about you, whether it’s losing somebody to a disease or showing your love for marching bands.”

Interested organizations can learn more about the program or begin the sign-up process by visiting www.cardpartner.com.