NEW YORK-In what is believed to be the first and only such endeavor to date, Working Assets this summer introduced an affinity program in which it donates a percentage of paging charges to nonprofit groups.
Working Assets, San Francisco, has become a customer and reseller of nationwide messaging services provided by PageMart Inc., Dallas, and using Motorola-brand pagers bearing the Working Assets logo.
A flier included in the August billing statements of Working Assets Visa card holders promoted the new program this way: “For just $12.95 a month, which can be conveniently charged to your credit card, you can lease the only pager that donates 1 percent of your paging charges to important causes. Your pager not only lets people reach you when they need you, but it’s also a tool for building a better world … It’s easy to use, affordable and manufactured by Motorola, the leader in paging with a reputation for innovation and quality.”
Bruce Carlisle, vice president in charge of new product development for Working Assets, said the 1 percent donated also covers the $20 activation fee. That fee will be waived for customers who sign on with the program before Sept. 15.
“The billing will come on Working Assets long-distance phone bills,” Carlisle said. Working Assets is a reseller of Sprint Corp. long-distance phone service, and donates a percentage of its customers’ long-distance charges to non-profit organizations. Under the Working Assets Visa program, a nickel goes into the donation pool each time a transaction is charged to each credit card holder’s account. Working Assets also manages mutual funds.
Working Assets management screens non-profit organizations for financial accountability. At the end of each year, it sends a ballot to all of its phone, credit card customers listing dozens of nonprofit groups whose missions fall into three general categories: economic development in poor areas, environmental protection and human rights advocacy. By majority vote of respondents, the donation pool-now in the millions of dollars-is divided and distributed among the recipient organizations. Participants in the new paging program will participate in the balloting.
“I hesitate to take any credit. This was their bundling strategy,” said Catarina Wylie, manager of corporate communications for PageMart. “We didn’t offer them any discounts. We just happened to be the carrier they chose. One of the reasons they would choose us is our nationwide footprint.”
Brenda Maxfield, media relations manager for the Personal Communications Industry Association, Alexandria, Va., said, “I’ve certainly heard of that twist in long-distance and credit cards, but not in paging.”
Carlisle said Working Assets also is exploring affinity cellular and Internet access programs.
