New Year’s Resolution for 2023: Using your wallet as a force for good

It’s that time of year when we resolve to eat better, workout more, spend more time with family, manage our time more efficiently and a lot more.

But when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions, we here at CREDO believe we can make one of the most positive impacts for ourselves and our planet by using our wallets as a force for good. 

More than 35 years ago, we went into business to help consumers spend their hard-earned money with a brand that shared their values — and many companies have since followed.

So how can we spend our money with companies that align with our values? We’ll share a few ways in this week’s tip.

Here’s an incredible statistic: A recent Harris poll found that a stunning 82% of consumers want a brand’s values to align with their own.

We’re not surprised in the least. Back in 1985, we knew then that consumers wanted to spend their money with a company that shared their values as an alternative to big corporations that may be destroying the planet, funding conservative causes, or treating their workers poorly. 

Since then, we’ve donated over $94 million to organizations fighting for economic justice, civil rights, climate justice and more — and our model of progressive philanthropy has clearly stood the test of time, thanks to our incredible CREDO members.

Obviously, CREDO isn’t the only brand doing good in the world. Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s — sure! Fox News, AT&T, Exxon, Koch Industries — not so much. But how can you determine if other companies share your progressive values — and how do you avoid those that don’t?

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself:

• What kind of products or services does the company sell?
• Does the company pay a fair or living wage to its workers? Has the company been accused of unfair labor practices or union busting?
• Does the company make donations to organizations that align with your values? Or does the company donate to conservative causes and politicians that you disagree with?
• Does the company speak out AND take action publicly about important social issues? For example: Has the company taken steps to protect workers in states with anti-abortion laws?
• Does the company use its business practices and revenue to actively combat the climate crisis?

These questions are just the beginning, but you get the idea. 

Next, it’s good to conduct some simple research into the companies that you want to do business with, too. Here are some resources to get started:

• OpenSecrets is an incredible clearinghouse that tracks campaign contributions, lobbying data and money in politics. You can look up which industries, corporations, individuals and employees have donated to candidates, political action committees and other political organizations.
  
• Subscribe to Judd Legum’s Popular Information newsletter. Judd, who we interviewed in 2021 about his work uncovering AT&T’s donations to conservative causes, has been shining a light on corporate bad actors and holding companies accountable that don’t act in our best interests.
  
• Google News. This may seem obvious, but if a company has recently come under scrutiny for bad business practices — or praised for doing good! — you’ll probably find it in recent news articles. Just be discerning when a company is getting credit for, say, donating a large sum of money to a charity or launching a new sustainability initiative. It could be a public relations stunt.

If you aren’t yet a CREDO Mobile customer — but you want to do good by your cellular provider — check out our history, mission, who we fund, and how you can vote to help us distribute this month’s grant to three non-profit organizations. You can even check out the profile of our now-defunct Super PAC on OpenSecrets which helped take down some of the most conservative members of Congress in 2012. Then, head over to CREDOMobile.com to see which phones and plans work best for you!