First-of-Its-Kind Program Changing the Way Frequent Flyers Donate Their Status Points
BOULDER, CO, November 14, 2012 – Kula Causes, the world’s largest online giving platform and a company whose technology allows consumers to convert the rewards they earn with their favorite brands into charitable donations to nonprofits, has taken their efforts to the sky – literally. A new partnership with Milepoint, an online frequent-flyer community and its Milepoint Cares program, will create an online avenue for Milepoint members to more easily donate to the causes they care about most. Through the partnership with Kula, as Milepoint members earn participation and “status points” within the community, they will receive a Milepoint Cares Giving Code, enabling them to make an impact towards over 2.5 million causes across the world.
The partnership with Kula gives Milepoint members a new benefit with their Milepoint Cares Giving Codes - a benefit they can utilize to directly benefit others. From local food banks and children’s classrooms, to international humanitarian organizations, this program provides a unique opportunity for the frequent flyer community to donate to causes they have a personal connection with and contribute to a nonprofit of their own choosing, at a local, national or global scale.
“Our new partnership with Milepoint couldn’t have come at a better time. Charities are always in need of assistance whether they’re in Haiti, New Orleans, Japan, or right here in the United States,” said Gerrit McGowan, Founder and CEO of Kula Causes. “Frequent flyers are often travelers with a global perspective, thanks to the bird’s eye lens through which they see the world. They understand that we all share the same planet and that aiding one charity, indirectly aids the world, and can now make a huge impact through their participation in the Milepoint Cares program.”
Leading up to the annual StarMegaDo4, a once-in-a-lifetime field trip for the world’s ultimate travel junkies, which kicks off on November 13, 2012 at the Hyatt SFO, Milepoint hosted a “pre-auction” on its website to generate charitable donations. These funds will be used by Kula to provide each StarMegaDo conference attendee with a Milepoint Cares Giving Code – which can be redeemed on the Milepoint site to support a cause of each individual’s choice, in real-time.
“We sought out a provider of the best-of-class technologies to enlarge our scope of charitable giving and discovered that not only was Kula able to provide exactly the tool set we needed to enhance our efforts, but they were the only ones that were also channeling their efforts in the exact same industry as ours,” said Randy Petersen, Co-Founder of Milepoint. “From the global reaches of our travel and the rewards we receive as benefits from the many travel loyalty programs around the world, we see the ability to help others as vital to our cause – especially in these unprecedented times when a historic natural disaster begs for a worldwide, charitable response. At Milepoint, one thing that really drives our members is the desire to give back, so this is truly an innovative collaboration which will give our members the ability to support causes that matter to them, whether they’re around the corner or thousands of miles away. ”
For more information about Kula Causes, or the Milepoint Cares program, or to arrange an interview with Gerrit McGowan from Kula or Randy Petersen from Milepoint, please contact Vanessa Horwell at 1.305.749.5342 x235 or vanessa@thinkinkpr.com in the US or Danielle Mason at +1.416.628.6570 or at dmason@thinkinkpr.com in Canada.
About Kula Causes:
Founded in 2010 and based in Boulder, Colorado, Kula Causes helps companies create meaningful brand loyalty. Kula’s loyalty technology, CLM™, is an innovative business-to-business SaaS application that enables companies to measure, engage, and reward their customers through democratized charitable giving. This puts the power of choice in the hands of customers, creating rich customer engagement and meaningful brand loyalty. With over 2.5 million charities in 50 countries to choose from, CLM reaches virtually every customer giving affinity—from local schools and places of worship to international development and aid organizations. CLM calculates and drives the ROI of corporate philanthropy, while increasing the visibility of nonprofits across the world. For more information, please visit www.kulacauses.com.
About Milepoint:
Milepoint is a privately funded venture based in Colorado Springs, CO. It is a small, diverse group of experienced frequent flyer experts, travel community builders and technologists who want to help frequent flyers become expert travelers. At Milepoint, we believe that learning about frequent flyer miles should be as fun as travel itself, so we’re creating a new online experience to bring our vision to life. This innovative new community is led by frequent flyer guru Randy Petersen, who also founded FlyerTalk.com, BoardingArea.com, InsideFlyer.com, WebFlyer.com, MileageManager.com and other leading addresses on the Internet devoted to frequent flyers. For more information, please visit www.milepoint.com.