Turn Your Reward Points into Charitable Gifts
As we all deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our personal and professional lives, it’s easy to feel sorry for oneself a bit (or a lot) – but it’s important to remember there are many other people who are far worse off right now, and they could use our help.
One way to help oneself feel better is by helping someone else get through these trying times.
Charitable giving has been hit hard
The pandemic has certainly hit families and businesses hard but one of the most affected entities are those that society can least do without – the charitable organizations and non-profit groups who help millions of people every day. These critical organizations have seen a huge decline in donations, largely because so many people have less to give, resulting in curtailed charitable activities, staff layoffs and a general reduction in services for those who need them most.
Use reward points to help others
While economic realities do make it more difficult for people to donate cash, most of us belong to multiple reward programs, and many of them offer a charitable component, where members can convert their points into donations to charities and non-profits. This is an easy way to help others without having to write a check.
Feel good AND get a tax receipt
If a program does not directly facilitate a donation to a charity, there are other ways to use your points to help someone out. Most programs offer popular reward options such as retailer gift cards or pre-paid credit cards. These cards make perfect charitable gifts. A $25 or $50 grocery, gas or pharmacy gift card can make a difference for many people. The cards can be donated to the charity or non-profit, and in many instances, a tax receipt will be provided.
Gift cards are not the only option, however. Many charities and nonprofits seek donations of different types of merchandise. Most reward programs include a wide array of merchandise which can be redeemed for useful items including children’s clothing, toys, cold weather gear, blankets, and tents (used as temporary shelters).
Examples of charitable giving through loyalty programs
Lift & Shift has several clients who use their reward programs to help give back in their communities:
Lex Brodie’s Tire, Brake & Service Company
Lex Brodie’s Customer Rewards Program – Love Hawaii Program + Share the Aloha Charities
Lex Brodie’s is an institution in Hawaii and in the automotive industry. For almost 60 years its garages have served generations of consumers at their tire and brakes shops on the island of Oahu.
Part of the Lex Brodie’s mission is to promote and support their community. They have continuously supported their local charities including: 808 Cleanups – Keeping Hawaii Clean from Mauka to Makai, American Diabetes Association, Alzheimer’s Association Aloha Chapter, Arthritis Foundation, Hawaii Food Bank, The Institute for Human Services – who’s services help to end homelessness, the Kanaka Ikaika Racing Association – promoting ocean paddle sports, Lanakila Pacific – offering assistance programs to build independence, The Salvation Army, Susan G. Komen Hawaii – a non-profit breast cancer organization, and the Lex Brodies “Thank You…Very Much!” Award Program for students.
When they selected Lift & Shift to create and manage their customer loyalty program in 2015, they were determined to include a huge focus on the community, especially charitable giving. Customers who choose to earn Lex Brodie’s Caveman Points are automatically enrolled in the Love Hawaii Program + Share the Aloha Charities, where Lex Brodie’s donates up to 2% of the customers transactions to one or two charities of the customer’s choice, selected from a list of participating organizations. To date they have donated over $89,000.
Primo International
Primo Rewards Plus - Direct Point Conversion
Primo International is a leading Canadian importer of fine quality leather and fabric upholstery, bedding, home furnishings and décor. Since its inception, Primo has always treated its customers, suppliers and retail clients with the utmost respect. When the company launched its reward program with Lift & Shift in 2018, the team at Primo wanted to include a charitable giving feature that allows their customers (retail store owners) to convert the cash value of their reward points into cash donations. Primo selected a group of charities to support, which includes Habitat for Humanity – helping families create stable futures through home ownership, City of Hope - a world leader in the research and treatment of cancer, diabetes, and other serious diseases, and the Anti-defamation League – a leading anti-hate organization.
Primo customers have the option to convert 1,000 or 2,000 points into $25 or $50 donations to any of these important organizations. The customers simply log into their reward account to redeem their points and the company makes a donation to the charity for the value of all the points donated.
Wheel Pros, LLC
Wheel Pros Rewards – Charity Choice eGift Cards
Wheel Pros is an aftermarket wheel manufacturer and distributor with a network of more than 25,000 dealers in over 30 countries around the world. The company began working with Lift & Shift to introduce a dealer reward program in 2018 for customers in the US, Canada and Australia.
Participants in the Wheel Pros Rewards Program can redeem their Wheel Pros Points for Charity Choice eGift cards, which come in various denominations. The card recipient can use the card to donate its value to one or more of the hundreds of registered charities who utilize the Charity Choice platform.
This year Lift & Shift donated its eGift cards to Covenant House, a Toronto agency providing services to youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk.
How do you support the charities in your community? Contact us to find out how you can add charitable giving to your loyalty program.
Lift & Shift offers a powerful B2B reward platform that can help your company leverage its sales data to drive incremental purchases with customers and channel partners or motivate sales staff. We work with manufacturers, distributors and service providers to analyze sales data, identifying purchasing gaps and other valuable targeting opportunities.
We create and deliver highly relevant offers to customers, in-house sales staff or sales associates, motivating your target audience to respond, using a wide array of appealing reward options as influencers. Our performance-based reward structures deliver an unparalleled return on investment, with absolutely no wasted budget.
Our customizable reward platform enables clients to easily benefit from a robust loyalty reward program. It's affordable and includes Lift & Shift’s turnkey professional program administration. We take care of everything so you can focus on your key initiatives.
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