Posted on April 8, 2025
Donations spotlight: Support CREW in its fight for a government that’s ethical, accountable and open
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This April, CREW is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will be critical to the nonprofit as it uses bold legal actions and in-depth investigations to target government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests for personal gain.
Read this important blog post from CREW —Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington — then visit CREDO Donations and cast your vote to help send much-needed grant money to the group to assist its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding April grantees.
As the most corrupt president in American history, Donald Trump has unprecedented conflicts of interest, resulting in regular use of the presidency for self-enrichment, constant risk that key decisions will be made in his business interests rather than the public interest, and growing consolidation of power by a small group of millionaires and billionaires. On top of that, the second Trump administration has set out to systematically dismantle the federal government and the services it provides to regular Americans and to eliminate the checks and balances that constrain presidential power.
Government ethics and accountability are a democracy issue. That’s why CREW is dedicated to taking high-impact legal action to enforce ethics laws and preserve American democracy in the face of authoritarianism.
In 2017, CREW sued Donald Trump on his first full day in office for violating the Emoluments Clauses of the Constitution, and we have been working hard to hold him accountable ever since.
Last year, we took Trump to the Supreme Court in an attempt to bar him from seeking the presidency under the 14th Amendment for his incitement of the January 6th insurrection. And although the Court allowed him to remain on the ballot, they did not dispute the finding in our case that he incited the insurrection.
Through aggressive legal actions, in-depth investigations, and detailed policy research, CREW is standing up to this administration to protect democracy and the interests of the American people. Some of our recent work includes:
- A suit against the so-called Department of Government Efficiency “DOGE,” the Office of Management and Budget, Elon Musk, Russell Vought, and the National Archives and Records Administration to get crucial records of what they are doing. In a key early victory, a court found they must obey records laws which will ensure transparency and accountability to the American people.
- Tracking foreign payments to Trump businesses, such as a Swiss bank’s purchase of millions worth of shares of Trump Social, which could allow foreign countries to improperly try to influence the Trump administration.
- Congressional testimony by CREW’s Executive Director on the importance of independent inspectors general to protecting the government from waste and fraud, in the face of the administration’s firing of these key watchdogs.
Working for widespread reform
However, defending democracy doesn’t just mean taking the fight to Donald Trump. It also means advocating for meaningful ethics reforms for Congress and the Supreme Court, standing up for the merit-based civil service, demanding transparency from the federal government, and tackling the corrosive impact of unchecked anonymous money in our elections.
We’re no strangers to taking on big fights, and that’s expertise that will prove invaluable during this administration. Thank you for supporting our work to make the government work for the people, instead of wealthy political donors or corrupt interests.
Learn more about the CREW’s core issues and recent victories here.
Posted on April 4, 2025
In April, CREDO Mobile is supporting Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Democracy Now! and GLSEN
April showers bring 3 new nonprofits. This month, CREDO Mobile is supporting Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Democracy Now! and GLSEN. April’s donations will be allocated at the end of the month based on the number of votes for each organization. You can vote for 1, 2 or all 3 nonprofits at www.credodonations.com
Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
CREW brings accountability to those who abuse democracy. In the face of rising authoritarianism, we work to change a broken system, ensure a fair and representative government, and safeguard the survival of our democracy and the rule of law. Funding from CREDO Moble will support CREW’s efforts to pushback against ethical violations, raise awareness of anti-democratic activities in government, and provide policy guidance on achievable democracy and ethics reform.
Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! is a daily, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Our reporting includes breaking news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the frontlines of today’s most pressing issues. Democracy Now! brings tens of millions of people critical information about war and peace, threats to democracy, the climate crisis, abortion rights, gun control and more.
GLSEN
Every day GLSEN works to ensure that LGBTQ+ students are able to learn & grow in a school environment free from bullying & harassment. Together, we can transform our nation’s K-12 schools into the safe & affirming environments all youth deserve. Funding from CREDO members helps GLSEN continue to advocate for inclusive & equitable policy, shape the national conversation on systemic change & education justice, and equip students, educators, and families with the support & tools they need most.
These donations are funded by our CREDO Mobile customers. If you are a CREDO Mobile customer, thank you. If you are not, check out CREDO Mobile and see how your mobile phone can make a difference in the world.
Posted on April 2, 2025
Your TV is watching you: Here’s how to make it stop
When you sit in front of your smart TV, you’re not the only one watching. Your TV is watching too. It’s watching you.
Just about every smart TV these days collects data on your viewing habits, including what you watch, what time you watch it and for how long. If you use your smart TV to access the internet, it will monitor your online activity as well. If your smart TV has a built-in microphone and camera, it could be eavesdropping on your conversations and capturing video of you.
The company that made your smart TV uses the data it collects to build and maintain a profile of you and show you ads it thinks you’ll like based on that profile. The TV company might sell airtime to advertisers directly. It might also sell your profile to advertisers and data brokers, which then use it to target you with ads themselves. Bingeing “Top Chef”? You’ll probably be seeing more food-related commercials. Love “Growing a Greener World”? Expect more ads for lawn-care products. And so on.
A cheap TV comes with a price
Many of the smart TVs on the market are budget-friendly, often sold for less than they cost to manufacture. That’s because smart TV companies now make most of their money, not from your purchase, but from the targeted ads they can sell for as long as you own the TV.
What’s streaming? You
This smart TV business model represents a broad expansion of corporate surveillance. It also raises many privacy concerns. Based on your viewing habits, a smart TV company can make all kinds of judgments about you, from your income to your ethnicity to your political affiliation—which is somewhat alarming given today’s political environment.
When your TV-viewing profile is sold to advertisers and data brokers, it’s linked to your IP address. This enables corporations to mesh your TV habits with your online activity and watch a live stream of you—no matter what screen you’re on. Data is sent to the manufacturer continually, from every few seconds to every few minutes.
Smart TVs use a number of tools to monitor you and TVs from many manufacturers have these tools switched on by default. It’s up to you to go into settings and switch them off. Doing it may take a bit of time. You may have to go deep into the settings and the steps to turn off the monitoring tools vary depending on the manufacturer. Try Googling the name of your TV along with what you want to do, such as, “Turn off ACR on LG smart TV.”
Here’s a general guide.
Turn off automatic content recognition
ACR is a technology that identifies whatever video or audio is running on your smart TV. It will hear, see and recognize content regardless of where it comes from—a streaming service, a USB, a CD or a game. ACR data is used to target you with ads. It’s also used to profile you as an individual—your politics, ethnicity, sexual orientation, profession, economic status, gender identity, religion and more.
On some TVs, ACR is an opt-in feature. On others, it’s on by default. As noted, the steps to turn off ACR will vary depending on your TV’s manufacturer. Usually, you’ll go to Settings > Privacy. Then, look for Smart TV Experience, Viewing Information Services or words to that effect. When you find ACR, toggle it off. If you see a box labeled Use Info from TV Inputs, uncheck it.
Turn off the internet-based advertising service
This is a system that delivers targeted ads directly to your TV via your internet connection based on the profile that the TV’s manufacturer maintains on you. The system is designed to target ads at cord-cutters who mostly watch streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.
To turn it off, go to Settings, then go to Privacy, Support or Terms and Conditions, depending on your TV brand. Look for Ad Settings and/or Internet-Based Advertising or a similar descriptor. Toggle it off or uncheck the box.
Delete the advertising ID
Every smart TV has an advertising ID. This is a unique identifier that enables ads to be targeted to your TV based on the profile your smart TV company has built on you.
You can reset the ID, which takes your profile back to zero. If you do, the ads you see will not be personalized for a time but they’ll slowly get more so as your profile rebuilds.
You can also delete your advertising ID and opt out of profiling. Go to Settings, then go to Privacy, Device Preferences or a similar descriptor. Go to Ads and select Delete Advertising ID.
Turn off the camera
Some smart TVs come with cameras built-in, for video calling, gesture control and facial recognition. Some TVs will now recommend shows based on the faces of all the household members. Some even monitor your facial expressions while you watch, which is kinda creepy. It’s also conceivable that, if you don’t regularly update your operating system, a hacker could find a security gap and turn your TV into a live webcam.
To turn the camera off, go to Settings, then go to Privacy, Device Preferences or a similar selection. Find the Camera and toggle it off. Or, for a quick solution, stick a piece of black tape over the camera lens.
Switch to CREDO Mobile
We’re the one mobile service that cares about privacy as much as you do. That’s why we support the ACLU, whose Privacy and Technology division defends your right to privacy and protects you against surveillance technologies. And Fight for the Future, which advocates technology as a force for liberation, not oppression.
Join CREDO Mobile and you’ll get all you want from your phone company: the nation’s largest, most reliable network, competitive plans, great deals on new phones and friendly customer service.
And you’ll get much more. You’ll get an easy, effective way to make change in the world.
Switching is easy. You can bring your current phone and your current number. Just go to CREDOMobile.com.
Posted on April 1, 2025
April Events
You’re invited to April events. These events are nationwide, some in person and some virtual.
Texting Tuesdays – Black Voters Matter | Every Tuesday in April 6pm Eastern | Virtual
Join us on Zoom at 6pm every week as we gather to drive change through digital organizing. Our texting campaigns will give you the opportunity to engage residents across the U.S. while empowering them to make a positive impact in their communities.
Day of (No) Silence – GLSEN | April 4th | Virtual/Everywhere.
Learn more about the Day of (No) Silence and how you can support LBTGQ+ youth.
https://www.glsen.org/dayofnosilence
Defenders of Wildlife at Awesome Con – Defenders of Wildlife | April 4-6 | Washington, DC
Defenders of Wildlife will have a booth with giveaways and robust science education programming.
https://awesome-con.com/exhibitor-list/#/artist/defenders-of-wildlife
Empowering Communities: Guidance on KYR in Protected Areas – National Immigration Law Center | April 10 @ 4:00-5:00pm ET / 1:00-2:00pm PT | Virtual
At this special session, we will provide essential guidance Know Your Rights in protected areas and answer the most common questions we receive from advocates seeking to support and defend immigrant families. *Please note that NILC does not provide individual legal advice and this webinar series is meant to cover general questions from the field.
https://nilc-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/8817405818232/WN_LKU7gS0BRQi9hunUEqz3Ow#/registration
Black Voters Matter Book Club – Black Voters Matter | April 17th 6:30PM Eastern | Brooklyn, NY and Virtual (Livestream)
We will host an in-person panel at MOCADA that includes different members of the Black diaspora. If you are in the New York area, join us. If you are not, join the Black Voters Matter livestream of the event.
https://www.mobilize.us/blackvotersmatter/event/751343/
Care Talk on the Budget – Health Care Voices | Anytime | Virtual
The budget reconciliation process is complicated. So, Bobby Kogan of Center for American Progress explains how it works and what happens next, in our Care Talk streaming show. We’ll keep explaining what’s going on with the budget process and how you can push back in weekly episodes of Care Talk.
https://www.youtube.com/live/h_qqd_xf1Aw
YEO Network 20th Anniversary Convening – People for the American Way Foundation | April 30th – May 4th | Washington, DC
People For the American Way Foundation will host its 20th anniversary convening for the Young Elected Officials (YEO) Network in Washington, DC. Bringing together a diverse and dynamic group of young elected officials, faith leaders, activists, innovators, policy experts, and partners from across the nation to share best practices, while participating in three days of intensive issue and skills-based trainings.
Posted on April 1, 2025
Donations spotlight: Help GLSEN create safe, inclusive K-12 learning environments where all students can succeed
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This April, GLSEN is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will be vital to the nonprofit as it works to ensure that LGBTQ+ students can learn and grow in a school environment free of bullying and harassment.
Read this important blog post from GLSEN, then visit CREDO Donations and cast your vote to help send much-needed grant money to the group to assist its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding April grantees.
In classrooms across America, LGBTQ+ students are facing unprecedented challenges. These challenges are impacting their wellbeing and their ability to thrive throughout their education journey. Indeed, today’s young people are confronting a coordinated assault on their very existence, especially in K-12 learning environments. More than 380 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have already been introduced in state legislatures this year, with nearly 50% of those bills aiming to restrict student and educator rights.
Additionally, GLSEN, like many of our peer organizations and the communities we serve, is not immune to the widespread and sudden changes occurring across political, social and economic landscapes—changes that have brought a stark decrease of critical support and funding for LGBTQ-focused organizations and their missions.
The overall message is clear: Some people believe that LGBTQ+ identities don’t belong in our nation’s schools and they don’t deserve to be represented within the curriculums that are taught or the content that’s available to students. But at GLSEN we stand firm in our conviction that every student deserves to learn in an environment free of bullying and discrimination.
The impact of safe, affirming schools
When LGBTQ+ students have supportive educators and inclusive policies, their educational outcomes improve dramatically. They experience less harassment, miss fewer school days, earn higher GPAs and have stronger feelings of belonging. Most important, they see a future for themselves.
As Ollie (they/them), a former member of GLSEN’s National Student Council, shares, “GLSEN has given me community, a purpose and a platform. Having an organization that advocates for my equality and gives me the opportunity to meet like-minded people made a frightened, uncertain middle-schooler realize that change is possible. Now, I’m able to provide support to other people who are as vulnerable as I was and to empower my community because GLSEN provides me mobilization space, the educational resources to inform myself, the community to make change with and the resources to develop events and spaces where queer youth can feel recognized and protected.”
Ollie’s journey exemplifies what is possible when young people have the support they need. From a “frightened, uncertain middle-schooler” to an empowered advocate, Ollie’s transformation illustrates why we can’t abandon this work—especially now.
Meeting this moment
In the face of growing hostility, GLSEN is focused on advancing our most impactful work to meet the needs of students, educators, families and our broader community. We continue to advocate for inclusive and equitable policies, shape the national conversation on systemic change and education justice (informed by young people themselves), strengthen our national movement by working locally with communities across the country and equip stakeholders year-round with the support, training, tools and community-building networks they need.
But we can’t do this work alone. We need help. Here are a few key ways you can get involved.
- Use GLSEN Navigator: Understanding the landscape of LGBTQ+ education policy is crucial for effective advocacy. Whether you’re a student seeking to know your rights, an educator working to improve your school environment or an advocate pushing for policy change, GLSEN Navigator equips you with evidence and tools you can use to drive meaningful action.
- Download and share GLSEN resources: Our extensive library of free downloadable resources offers something for everyone who’s working to create safer schools. From inclusive curriculum guides and lesson plans to GSA toolkits and inclusive sports models, these evidence-based materials are designed for real-world implementation. Each download and share extends our reach, helping more people understand how to create affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ youth.
- Support educators: Teachers and school staff are on the front lines. Share GLSEN’s professional development opportunities and resources with educators in your community, as well as our Rainbow Library program. Our research-based approaches help create affirming classrooms even within the context of challenging policy environments.
- Amplify GLSEN’s voice: Follow GLSEN on social media (@GLSEN) to stay updated on our latest initiatives, success stories and calls to action. You can also subscribe to our email newsletter for in-depth updates and exclusive content. When you share our posts or forward our emails, you help expand our message beyond existing supporters to reach new allies and advocates.
Despite current challenges, we remain hopeful about the future we’re creating together. Every day, we witness the resilience of LGBTQ+ youth and their allies who continue to organize, support one another and advocate for positive change.
Our vision—of schools where all students thrive regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression—is one worth pursuing, not just because it’s right but because we’ve seen the transformative impact it has. Students like Ollie remind us that when we provide supportive environments young people flourish and go on to create positive change in their own communities.
Will you join us? Visit GLSEN.org today to find your place in this movement.
Posted on March 24, 2025
The gender pay gap is getting worse: Here’s how you can help fix it
March 25 is Equal Pay Day, dedicated to raising awareness of the gender pay gap. It’s an important occasion—and also an unusual one, as it happens on a different day each year.
This year it’s March 25, because that’s how long into 2025 a woman must work before she earns what a man earned in 2024 alone. In 2024, Equal Pay Day was March 12. Which means we’re headed in the wrong direction. After years of narrowing, the gender pay gap is growing again.
How bad is it?
- Women who work full-time in the U.S. earn just 84 cents for every dollar a man makes, a difference of more than $10,000 a year. Women who work part-time earn 78 cents for every dollar a man makes.
- Women earn less than men for doing the same job even in professions typically dominated by women.
- Women working in financial management make just 71% of what men do. In retail sales, 72%. In education and childcare administration, 79%. Women working as administrative assistants make only 80% of what men do.
- The pay gap is far smaller for workers aged 25-34 than for all workers. This indicates that men get more raises in their careers than women do.
- Over the course of her career, a woman will make $417,000 less than a man.
- The pay gap persists into retirement. The average woman has 50% less in her 401(k) and gets around $4,000 less in annual Social Security benefits.
If you’re an American woman (or man) you should be outraged. Not only does the gender pay gap harm women, it harms the economy and every American. It cuts the purchasing power of women, undervalues their talents, reduces their participation in the workforce and increases poverty among older women.
The gender pay gap is more than an imbalance, it’s a tipping point. Unequal pay leads to unequal wealth (the typical single man has over $82,000 in wealth, the typical single woman just $58,000) and unequal wealth leads to all sorts of bad outcomes.
In her 2024 book Holding It Together, sociologist Jessica Calarco wrote that “other countries have social safety nets, the U.S. has women.”
This is why one of CREDO Mobile’s issue areas is Women’s Rights. We’ve donated over $11 million to over 150 nonprofits working for Women’s Rights.
Join us
CREDO Mobile is more than a phone company. CREDO Mobile is an easy, effective way to make a difference.
Will you join us? You’ll get all you want from your mobile service: the nation’s largest 5G network, competitive plans, great deals on new devices and friendly customer service.
And you’ll get much more. You’ll get an easy, effective way to support the causes you care about, like women’s rights, reproductive freedom, climate action and an economy that works for everyone.
Switching is easy. You can bring your current phone and your current number. Just go to CREDOMobile.com.
Posted on March 18, 2025
How to use less data and save money on your mobile bill
People are looking to save money wherever they can.
One place you might look is your phone bill. Do you have an unlimited data plan? It makes sense if you’re a heavy data user—streaming HD, making video calls—or if you have several family members sharing a plan.
But if you do have an unlimited plan and you don’t use a lot of data, you could save money by switching over to a metered plan—up to hundreds of dollars a year.
What’s a metered plan? Metered plans give you a predetermined amount of data each month. They can be more economical than an unlimited plan. But they’re hard to find these days. The major carriers now push unlimited plans almost exclusively. It’s more profitable for them, because a lot of people on unlimited plans don’t actually consume all the data they’re paying for.
CREDO Mobile is different. We put our customers first. That’s why, in addition to our high-value unlimited plan, we also have a range of metered plans, from 1GB a month to 15GB a month. We know many of our customers meet their needs with less data and that’s why we offer a variety of money-saving metered plans.
Could you save with a metered plan?
To find out, first you need to determine how much data you’re using every month. You can do this by checking your phone bill. If you don’t see data usage listed there (a lot of carriers hide it) you can look for it on your phone.
On an Android, open Settings, tap Network & internet > Data usage. On an iPhone, go to Settings, then tap Cellular or Mobile data. Scroll down to Current period.
So let’s say you’re on an unlimited plan and you discover you’re using less than 9GB every month. You could save money by switching to a 9GB metered plan. The trick then is to use no more than 9GB per month, to avoid an annoying overage charge.
Here are a few steps you can take to control your data usage.
Use WiFi when possible
There are a lot of data hogs on your phone, apps that consume GBs of data whenever you use them—and often when you don’t. The biggest data eaters include social media apps, email apps, cloud storage, navigation and music streaming apps. All of these suck up data when you’re using them—and also when you’re not, as they run in the background, sync, check for updates and refresh content.
YouTube uses more data than any other popular app, consuming 193 MB in just 5 minutes of typical use. The 10 popular apps that use the most data, in order, are YouTube, Disney+, Uber, Snapchat, Amazon Prime Video, Google Maps, Pinterest, TikTok, Telegram and Instagram.
If you’re on a metered data plan, using these apps regularly can quickly push you over your limit. But you can save data if you connect to WiFi whenever you can—at a friend’s house, at work, at your local cafe.
Use your phone’s data saver
Both iPhones and Android devices have a feature that lets you restrict apps’ background data usage, as described above.
On your Android device, open Settings, tap Network & Internet, then Data Saver and toggle it on.
iPhones have a similar function called Low Data Mode. On LTE and 4G phones, go to Settings and tap Mobile Data. Tap Mobile Data Options and toggle on Low Data Mode. On 5G phones, go to Settings and tap Mobile Data. Tap Mobile Data Options, tap Data Mode, then toggle on Low Data Mode.
Update and download apps only via WiFi
Your phone will occasionally ask you if you want to use data to update an app. Say no. Wait till you’re connected to WiFi. The same goes for downloading new apps. Wait till you’re on WiFi.
Turn off Smart Network Switch or WiFi Assist
Slow WiFi is a drag. We all know that. But did you know your phone will automatically switch to using data when you’re on a weak WiFi network? On an Android, it’s called Smart Network Switch. On an iPhone it’s called WiFi Assist.
To turn off Smart Network Switch on your Android, go to Settings > Connections > WiFi > Advanced, which is usually accessed via the three dots at the upper right. You’ll see Smart Network Switch. Toggle it off.
To turn off WiFi Assist on your iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular Data or Mobile Data, scroll down and toggle off WiFi Assist.
Set a data alert or limit
This is a feature yet to be offered by Apple. But if you have an Android device, you can set it to alert you when you’re nearing the limit of your monthly data allotment.
Open Settings and tap Network & Internet > Internet. Next to the name of your carrier, tap Settings. Tap Data Warning & Limit. Toggle on Set Data Warning and tap Data Warning. Enter a number. To switch between megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB), tap the down arrow. Tap Set.
Switch to CREDO Mobile
Major carriers have moved away from metered plans. They’d rather have you on an unlimited plan, which is more profitable for them because most people don’t come near to using all the data they’re paying for.
CREDO Mobile offers a variety of money-saving metered plans, from 1GB to 15 GB per month. Our average customer uses less than 5GB a month. If you’re also not a heavy data user, you could save hundreds of dollars a year by switching to a metered plan from CREDO Mobile.
Switch today and you’ll get all you need from your mobile service: great coast to coast coverage, competitive plans, great deals on new phones and friendly, responsive customer service.
And you’ll get much more. You’ll also get an easy, effective way to make a difference in the world, just by using your phone. CREDO Mobile donates to nonprofit groups fighting for the causes you care about. Groups like Friends of the Earth, Social Security Works and Reproductive Freedom for All.
To date, we’ve given over $95 million to these and many other nonprofits dedicated to making our world a better place. These donations cost our customers nothing extra. But they mean everything to the groups that rely on us.
Ready to switch? Join CREDO Mobile today.
Posted on March 13, 2025
It’s Pi Day: Let’s celebrate pi (and pie)
March 14 is Pi Day. (3.14, get it?) It’s a day to celebrate mathematics. “An annual opportunity for math enthusiasts to recite the infinite digits of pi, talk to their friends about math and eat pie,” say the people at Piday.org.
As fans of math (and pie) ourselves, we love Pi Day. We also love pie charts. Like this one.
We love the chart because it shows where our donations go: to nonprofit groups dedicated to making positive change in the world. Groups like Friends of the Earth, Reproductive Freedom for All and Black Voters Matter.
In fact, we funded dozens of nonprofits in 2024. And we’ll fund dozens more this year. Each month, we’ll ask our members where they want to see our donations go. They’ll vote for their favorite nonprofits at CREDODonations.com. Then we’ll send the money.
You vote, we listen.
That’s how we do it at CREDO Mobile. Because, unlike a lot of politicians these days, we believe in democracy. We believe that, working together, we the people can make our world a better place.
Want to join us? Switch to CREDO Mobile today and you’ll get all you want from your mobile service: competitive plans, great deals on new devices and superfast coast to coast coverage.
And you’ll get much more. You’ll get an easy, effective way to make a difference for the causes you care about. Causes like a fair economy, reproductive freedom, women’s rights and climate action.
Let’s do the math.
To date, we’ve donated over $95 million to hundreds of nonprofit groups. These donations cost our members zero. And they’ve made an infinite amount of positive change.
On Pi Day, please join us in celebrating numbers like those. Please also join us in a slice of pie.
Posted on March 13, 2025
Pi is a remarkable number: Here’s an outrageous one
Friday, 3/14, is Pi Day. It’s a day to celebrate math and the wonder of numbers. Specifically, it’s a day to celebrate pi, the wonderful number that goes on forever.
Here’s another number that goes on forever—or seems to, anyway: U.S. military spending, which in 2024 reached $884 billion.
Most of the federal budget is mandatory spending – spending already legislated by Congress. This is mostly Social Security, Medicare and interest on the debt. The rest is discretionary; almost half of which is military.
People talk about cutting spending, but these are focused on things like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) which helps millions of hungry families and takes up 1.8% of the budget.(1) Or, Foreign Aid, which takes up 1.3% of the budget – this includes aid to Ukraine.(2) These cuts won’t really save any money and punish people in need.
Here’s some spending you can get behind
$95 million. That’s how much we’ve donated to the causes you care about. Not military bloat but peace, justice, climate action and an economy that works for everyone.
That’s what we believe in. And that’s why, every month, we donate to nonprofit groups like Friends of the Earth, Reproductive Freedom for All and Social Security Works.
Because CREDO Mobile is not just a phone company. We’re a movement of people who stand for basic human values like truth, fairness and equal rights – working for a better world.
Will you join us? You’ll get all you want from your mobile service: the nation’s largest 5G network, competitive plans, and friendly customer service.
And you’ll get much more. You’ll get an easy, effective way to make a difference in the world every day.
Switching is easy. Just go to CREDOMobile.com.
(1) https://www.pgpf.org/article/what-is-snap/
(2) https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/02/06/what-the-data-says-about-us-foreign-aid/
Posted on March 12, 2025
How Does CREDO Mobile’s Donations Program Work
CREDO Mobile isn’t like most companies. Our passion isn’t dollars—it’s change. And it’s been that way since we started, in 1985. It was then, at the height of the “greed is good” Reagan era, that our founders launched a company focused not only on the bottom line but on a higher purpose: a better world. It’s been more successful than we ever thought possible. We’ve been able to donate over $95 million to nonprofit groups fighting for civil rights, equality, the environment, women’s rights and more.
But we always get the question: How is CREDO able to donate every month to groups that share our values at no extra cost to our members? Here’s an inside look at how it all works.
Every CREDO Mobile customer is a philanthropist
We work hard every day to provide the best possible mobile phone service to our customers. We take a portion of the revenue generated by the business and distribute it to the three progressive nonprofits we are supporting that month.
What groups does CREDO Mobile Fund?
We fund progressive nonprofit groups that believe in our values and fight along with us for greater social change. We primarily fund organizations that fall generally within six broad categories: Civil Rights, Climate Justice, Peace, Women’s Rights, Economic Justice and Voting Rights. We fund nonprofits that are working for societal change – organizations that other companies might not necessarily support. Organizations with a clear point of view. It is a good thing to help feed the hungry. It is also a good thing to build a society where people are not hungry – and that is the kind of progressive social change we are working for.
Some recent grantees include Democracy Now!, the ACLU, Rainforest Action Network, Social Security Works, Black Voters Matter, Friends of the Earth, March for Our Lives, and Abortion Care Network. You can see a list of groups recently funded here.
The groups we support are chosen democratically. Throughout the year, CREDO Mobile customers, CREDO employees and members of the general public nominate nonprofit groups to receive donations funding. The CREDO team invites organizations to apply to our Donations Program and also vets other potential organizations. Each month, we present a handful of those organizations to all CREDO employees who then vote on the final three organizations that appear on our monthly ballot to receive a donation. It is very difficult to choose from so many important and deserving nonprofits.
You can nominate a group for funding here.
Voting to distribute funding
Here’s what makes CREDO’s philanthropy truly special and different from other companies: We let you vote to decide how we distribute the donations among three nonprofit groups. It’s truly democratic. Each month, CREDO customers, supporters and the general public visit CREDODonations.com to vote for the group (or groups) they’d most like to see funded. Donations are then distributed according to their votes.
You can vote now
Monthly voting is open to anyone who wants to take a few seconds to vote on our ballot and direct funding to the progressive nonprofit(s) of their choice. You can vote for 1, 2 or all 3 groups. You can vote every month if you like – but only one time per month.
