Posted on December 22, 2016
New video: Thank you for your support in 2016
Looking back on 2016 will always be tough. Despite the hardships of this tumultuous year and the many challenges that remain ahead, we want to acknowledge the positive change that our members made possible in 2016. We at CREDO and the organizations we fund are grateful for the incredible support from you and other CREDO activists.
Hundreds of thousands of CREDO members voted in our monthly donations elections, instructing us how to distribute more than $2 million to 48 progressive nonprofit organizations. Check out this message of thanks from a few of the groups we funded in 2016.
Posted on December 19, 2016
Forbes features our list of 8 women’s advocacy groups to support
CREDO was recently featured in Forbes for our recommendations on where to donate to support women’s rights this holiday season.
“Come December, a blizzard’s worth of lists and ‘best gift’ ideas typically blanket the internet and airwaves to compete for our snowflake-like attention. The nonprofit-supporting mobile network CREDO, however, has been making its holiday rounds with a different mission: to remind shoppers that support for women’s and families’ rights is some of the best money you’ll spend all year.
To help with those last-minute gifts or deductions, CREDO Mobile has prepped a list of some of the most game-changing women’s rights organizations out there. The progressive phone company, whose donations to date to women’s causes exceed $9.7 million, explained by email that the time is better than ever to show support (with wallets and words) for those organizations we rely on–guys included–whether we know it or not.”
Posted on December 14, 2016
Update: Kasich vetoes extreme abortion ban, signs 20-week ban.
In the last few days, CREDO members made hundreds of calls to Gov. Kasich’s office urging him to keep abortion safe and legal in Ohio.
On Tuesday, Gov. Kasich vetoed a bill that would have almost completely banned abortion for Ohio women. House Bill 493 would have outlawed abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy – long before most women even know they are pregnant. But he signed Senate Bill 127, an unconstitutional bill that bans abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
Our pressure helped make sure that Gov. Kasich did not completely outlaw abortion in Ohio, but his signature on SB 127 not only puts women’s lives at risk, it also helps anti-woman extremists continue their assault on Roe v. Wade.
Twenty week abortion bans are a cornerstone of the Republican-led anti-woman agenda to outlaw abortion. Lawmakers in 18 states have been outspoken about using court challenges to 20-week abortion bans as a tool to chip away at Roe v Wade. And with Trump’s promise to appoint anti-choice Supreme Court justices, these bans set a dangerous precedent and could be used to overturn Roe v. Wade all together.
It’s important to remember that abortion is healthcare. Most abortions occur before 20 weeks of pregnancy. When they’re needed later in pregnancy, it’s often in very complex and sometimes dangerous medical circumstances.
Gov. Kasich, who tries to claim he is a moderate Republican, has just signed a bill into law that will take away medical options from women and their doctors. There’s nothing “moderate” about forcing women to carry pregnancies to term when there’s no chance of survival or a high risk of severe pain and suffering for their child.
Posted on December 14, 2016
How your votes are making a difference: a thank-you from our November grantees
Each month, CREDO members vote for how we distribute our monthly donation to three amazing organizations fighting for progressive causes. Those small actions add up. Last month, over 57,000 CREDO members voted on how to distribute our funds to Fight for the Future, Oil Change International and Planned Parenthood.
These donations are made possible by thousands of CREDO customers and the revenue they generate through using our services. Their distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO activists – like you. And for that, our November recipients thank you.
Posted on December 9, 2016
6 ways progressives can fight back against Trump
Election night 2016 left progressives shaken. America elected a bigot as president of the United States. Despite the results, we can still fight Donald Trump’s hateful, reckless agenda.
At CREDO, where I serve as CEO, we are executing an aggressive response to Trump that focuses on protecting vulnerable communities at risk, delegitimizing an unqualified candidate who was opposed by a majority of voters, obstructing Trump’s hateful and aggressive agenda and going on the counterattack wherever possible. Our community of more than 4.7 million CREDO activists is mobilized and already fighting Trump. We know firsthand that individual actions can avalanche into large-scale transformation.
We also contribute every month to progressive nonprofits from revenue generated by CREDO Mobile, our progressive phone company. That adds up to more than $1.6 million this year and over $81 million over our 30+ years in business.
Posted on December 5, 2016
VICTORY: Dakota Access pipeline blocked
In a surprise move on Sunday, the Army Corps of Engineers denied the easement (PDF) needed for the Dakota Access pipeline to cross Lake Oahe, effectively blocking the construction of the pipeline from moving forward at this time.1, 2
This is a tremendous victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, other indigenous leaders and the Iowa landowners who have led the fierce and principled grassroots resistance to the pipeline.
While this fight is not over yet, Sunday’s announcement was a major setback for the pipeline and a testament to the power of grassroots activism. Nearly 500,000 CREDO members have taken action against the pipeline by signing petitions, calling the White House, pledging to resist arrest to stop the pipeline’s construction in Iowa and joining rapid response rallies against the pipeline from coast to coast.
To celebrate this amazing people powered victory and thank the heroic Water Protectors who led this fight by putting their bodies on the line, please share our “Thank you Water Protectors” graphic on Facebook now.
Posted on December 1, 2016
Victory: We just struck a blow against the right-wing’s agenda of hate
Our activism works.
On Tuesday, after facing intense pressure from over 265,000 CREDO members and our allies in the progressive community, congressional Republicans caved and agreed to strip the anti-LGBTQ Russell Amendment from the defense spending bill. The provision would have given religiously affiliated organizations license to discriminate against women, the LGBTQ community and religious minorities using taxpayer dollars, undermining the protections currently in place for people employed by federal contractors.
Posted on November 30, 2016
Breaking news: We’re fighting to protect your privacy
To our progressive community: This is something I’ve wanted to tell you since I became CEO of CREDO but haven’t been able to because of a gag order issued by the federal government.
In 2013, CREDO received two National Security Letters from the FBI. We filed a lawsuit against the FBI challenging the constitutionality of National Security Letters or NSLs. NSLs are a tool the federal government can use to secretly demand information about our customers. The federal government forced us to remain silent about these requests and our fight against them with a gag order. For three long years, we have been forced to keep this lawsuit a secret.
Unlike other phone companies who profit by selling your information to the federal government, privacy is a core value for CREDO, and we will fight to defend it. We have run campaigns opposing the PATRIOT Act and other privacy-violating laws and funded a variety of groups who fought alongside us.
Posted on November 28, 2016
Double Donations in December: Standing Up Against Trump’s Hate
Donald Trump’s bigoted attack on the diversity of our communities, including the bullying of immigrants and Muslim-Americans, was abhorrent during the election, and it will be disgraceful if he continues this behavior in the White House. His first staffing decisions show that he wants to build an administration that will use the power of the federal government to deliver on those threats.
CREDO believes it is incumbent on all of us to stand up and defend those threatened by Trump. That is why we decided to select groups standing up against Trump’s hate for one of the slates we are funding in our special December donations election.
This month, instead of donating our typical monthly contribution, we’ll be donating to over $300,000. And instead of three groups, you’ll be able to vote for three issue slates, each comprised of five nonprofits, to fund a total of 15 groups. These organizations are small grassroots groups, meaning your vote and the contribution it represents will go even further.
Learn more about the groups in the “Standing Up Against Trump’s Hate” slate below and cast your vote by Dec. 31.
Posted on November 28, 2016
Double Donations in December: Advancing the Movement for Black Lives
The movement for Black lives changed the conversation in 2016. No longer could America ignore issues like police violence against people of color, criminal justice reform and economic injustice. Taking to the street, activists created a new conversation and forced the media to cover their issues like never before.
In 2017, it is critical this work continue. That is why CREDO decided to select groups advancing the movement for Black lives for one of the slates we will fund in our special December donations election. This month, instead of donating our typical monthly contribution, we’ll be donating over $300,000. And instead of three groups, you’ll be able to vote for three issue slates, each comprised of five nonprofits, to fund a total of 15 groups. These organizations are small, grassroots groups, meaning your vote will go even further.
Learn more about the groups in the “Advancing the Movement for Black Lives” slate below, and cast your vote by Dec. 31.
