Co-operative Bank's Customers Who Care scheme passes £4 million mark
Howard Lake | 21 January 2008 | News
The Co-operative Bank’s Customers Who Care scheme has now raised over £4 million for over 80 charities since it began in 1994. For every £100 spent by customers on Co-operative Bank credit and debit cards, 1.25p is donated to the Customers Who Care campaign fund. Campaigns address issues linked to the Bank’s customer-mandated Ethical Policy.
In the Bank’s most recent campaign to combat climate change it partnered with Friends of the Earth to call on the government for a stronger Climate Change Bill. The Bank fully funded two joint projects including the commissioning of two pieces of new research into low carbon living, and two national advertising campaigns to raise awareness and activism around climate change.
More than 22,000 customers write a letter or e-mail to their MP asking for more ambitious targets in the Climate Change Bill: indeed, the Bank says that “every single MP was lobbied by a Co-operative Bank customer”.
The Bank also donated £150,000 to five charities dedicated to tacking climate change – Green Alliance (£24,000), Stop Climate Chaos (£27,000), Waste Watch (£39,000), Women’s Institute (£24,000) and Campaign for Better Transport (£36,000).
Melanie Phillips, Campaigns Manager at The Co-operative Bank, said: “We are delighted to give these latest donations to groups carrying out important work in the fight against climate change.
“However, the Customers Who Care scheme is about much more than donating to charities. It allows customers to have a say on important issues and gives them a voice in order to bring about positive change.”
The next Customers Who Care campaign will focus on defending human rights in partnership with Amnesty International. There will be a chance for Co-op customers to nominate and vote for charities to receive a proportion of the funds available.
www.co-operativebank.co.uk
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.