Aussie Donors to be Rewarded for Giving Via Amex
12 January 2012 at 11:49 am
Community service organisation, Mission Australia and and credit card giant, American Express will trial a partnership to reward donor loyalty.
American Express Cardmembers can now be rewarded with extra points for making donations to Mission Australia.
Mission Australia has joined the American Express Rewards Program as a ‘Bonus Points Partner’. Under the arrangement, Cardmembers will receive 3 Bonus Points for every dollar they donate to Mission Australia. The program will initially run for six months.
“Everyone feels good when they make a donation to a charity, particularly one that helps people put their lives back together. Now American Express Cardmembers can also receive a boost to their rewards balance at the same time,” said Geoff Begg, VP and General Manager of American Express Global Merchant Services.
“Along with American Express we hope this program will be successful and encourage more people to support the important work Mission Australia is doing,” said Mission Australia’s spokesperson, Judi Lewis.
“There are thousands of excellent charities out there doing good work. For the general public, the sheer number of them can be overwhelming. How do you choose one to support one charity over another when both are doing great work?”
Bonus point partnerships between card companies and charities are common in the US and Europe but not as common in Australia. Some bank in Australia allow card holders to make donations to charities through their points redemption programs, such as the St George Rewards Program.
“Just as businesses have been using reward programs to encourage customer loyalty for many years, we think there’s an opportunity to take the same approach towards encouraging both donations and rewarding long-term donor loyalty,” said Lewis.