CREDO Mobile
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 1985 in San Francisco, California, United States |
| Founder | Peter Barnes, Michael Kieschnick, Laura Scher |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Becky Bond (Vice President) |
| Products | Mobile phone service, long-distance phone service, credit cards |
| Website | www |
CREDO Mobile (previously known as Working Assets Wireless) is a United States-based mobile virtual network operator with its headquarters located in San Francisco, California. The company’s wireless services utilize the Verizon Wireless network.[1]
History
Established in 1985 in San Francisco by entrepreneurs Peter Barnes, Michael Kieschnick, and Laura Scher, Working Assets was created as a socially conscious enterprise. Its operational model directs a fraction of proceeds from mobile, long-distance, and credit card services toward progressive nonprofit organizations, having raised more than $87 million for entities such as Planned Parenthood, Rainforest Action Network, and Oxfam America.
Credit cards
The initial offering from the company was a credit card that allocated a portion of every purchase to progressive nonprofit organizations. Customers engage in an ongoing voting process to determine the distribution of funds among the supported causes.
Long-distance phone service
In 1991, Working Assets introduced long-distance telephone service, committing 1% of customer charges to nonprofit groups. Monthly statements featured political engagement tools, allowing customers to place complimentary calls to elected officials or send "CitizenLetters" advocating for issues including single-payer healthcare and LGBTQ+ military rights.
Mobile phone service
The company entered the wireless sector in 2000 as an MVNO on the Sprint Nextel network, simultaneously launching its advocacy platform Act for Change (currently known as CREDO Action). In 2016, CREDO Mobile shifted its MVNO services to the Verizon Wireless network, improving service dependability and broadening its market presence.[1]
Name change
In November 2007, Working Assets Wireless rebranded itself as CREDO Mobile, updating its phone service names to CREDO Mobile and CREDO Long Distance while maintaining the Working Assets Credit Card brand.
Environmental policy
Demonstrating its dedication to environmental sustainability, CREDO Mobile provides complimentary phone recycling, prints bills on paper made entirely from post-consumer recycled materials, and compensates for electricity and shipping-related emissions through Carbonfund.org’s initiatives. The company plants 100 trees for every ton of paper consumed and has contributed over $15 million to environmental organizations worldwide. In 2009, it received the Environmental Business of the Year award from the Planning and Conservation League.
Political activism
CREDO Mobile promotes social progress through contributions to progressive nonprofits and its advocacy division, CREDO Action.
Donations to nonprofit groups
Since its inception in 1985, donations sourced from credit card, long-distance, and mobile customers have surpassed $80 million. In 2015, CREDO emerged as Planned Parenthood’s largest corporate benefactor with donations exceeding $3 million. Other significant recipients include the ACLU, Doctors Without Borders, Rainforest Action Network, 350.org, and Amnesty International.
Each year, customers vote on how funds are distributed among nonprofits dedicated to civil rights, social justice, environmental protection, peace initiatives, and civic engagement. Nonetheless, some critics point out that only roughly 1% of each customer’s bill is contributed.
In 2018, CREDO supported Strong Arm Press’s crowdfunding campaign with a $4,000 donation—a small publishing house founded by editors Ryan Grim and Alex Lawson—displaying CREDO’s logo on its early releases.
CREDO Action
Credo Mobile has developed a digital community comprising more than 3 million activists dedicated to progressive social reform, operating independently of corporate backers and lobbyists. The organization actively resists corporate lobbying efforts and empowers everyday Americans to shape public policy.
Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Credo partnered with MoveOn.org and True Majority to place a full-page advertisement in the New York Times expressing opposition to the war. In 2004, it initiated an election protection initiative, contributing upwards of $1 million toward voter registration drives and efforts to increase turnout.
The company has maintained a steadfast stance against the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, advocating for the withdrawal of military forces. This dedication to activism earned Credo recognition from Fast Company in 2009 as one of the top five "brave brands." On environmental issues, Credo actively campaigns against fossil fuel dependence, coal energy production, hydraulic fracturing, and infrastructure projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline.
To enhance voter engagement during the 2008 presidential election, Credo launched Pollworkers for Democracy, compensating individuals to serve at polling locations, alongside Text Out the Vote, a peer-to-peer SMS campaign designed to remind voters. Its GoVote.org service provided tools for voter registration and locating polling stations across multiple states.
Credo’s advocacy extends across various political causes including marriage equality, women’s rights, food safety regulations, prosecuting financial misconduct on Wall Street, and combating corporate influence in politics following the Citizens United ruling.
CREDO SuperPAC
In 2012, Credo established the CREDO SuperPAC with a focus on opposing specific candidates rather than endorsing others. Under the leadership of Vice President Becky Bond, the group prioritized grassroots volunteer mobilization over conventional advertising strategies. Its "Take Down the Tea Party Ten" campaign contributed to defeating five House candidates aligned with the Tea Party movement.
By 2014, the SuperPAC concentrated efforts on five Senate contests aimed at supporting Democratic contenders to prevent Republicans from gaining Senate control. The campaign targeted Republican-held seats in Georgia and Kentucky while working to defend Democratic incumbents in Michigan, Colorado, and North Carolina.
Influence
Patriot Mobile was created in part as a conservative counterpart to Credo, illustrating market differentiation within the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) sector.