The (57 million) Member’s Project
June 23rd, 2007 by Eric
You may have heard about this from a television ad or maybe one of those annoying and ubiquitous pop-up ads on the Internet, but in case you missed it, American Express has started a rather progressive program to encourage social activism called “The Members Project.” More than just a donation to a cause, this group gets its members to participate. All 57 million of them.
Anyone who has an American Express Card can register via that handy-dandy tool called the Internet. For each new registration, American Express will donate one dollar to a cause, up to five million bucks. Who decides what cause the money goes to? Well, you, me and anyone else whose credit report says “American Express” on it.
Up until June 14, cardholders were able to submit , from any of the following categories:
- Arts and Entertainment
- Business and Finance
Community Development- Education
- Environment and Wildlife
- Fun
- Health and Fitness
Over 7,000 ideas were presented. While it’s too late to submit anything new, starting on July 3, members will be able to vote on the top 50. Two weeks later, the pool will be narrowed down to 25, then 5… you get the picture.
Since I have a bit if a “green thumb” I’m partial to the “Plant a Million Trees” idea, but they range from micro-loans for businesses in developing nations to the preservation of music programs in our nation’s schools. There are enough of them for everyone to find a topic close to their heart.
So if you are an American Express cardholder, register online to get the program a little closer to that $5 million mark. Then, starting on July 3, vote, vote, and vote some more. They make enough money off of you; it’s time you were able to spend a little bit of theirs, and make a little progress at the same time.
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