Three years ago, donors that wanted to give to the Thurston County Food Bank, Tenino Food Bank, and the United Way of Thurston County via credit cards were faced with a road block. These local non-profit organizations were not equipped to accept credit card donations. O Bee Credit Union, in conjunction with FrontStream Payments, saw a need to help and created a website to authorize credit card donations for these three organizations. Now, a visit to the O Bee Credit Union home page shows a quick link to a donation page.
“O Bee Credit Union wants to lower the barrier for giving by providing easy resources and connections. Our members trust our secure website and are comfortable conducting credit card transactions with us,” stated Lee Wojnar, Vice President of Marketing at O Bee Credit Union. “This is a unique relationship and a ‘first of its kind’ for a financial institution to provide this service,” continued Wojnar.
O Bee Credit Union provides a secure portal for processing the credit card transactions. When a donation is made, it appears on the donor’s credit card statement with the non-profit organization’s name. O Bee Credit Union does not charge any fees and even covers the processing fee charged by an intermediary. 100% of the donation is tax-deductible. “Every $1 goes to the charity,” commented Wojnar. The credit union has seen a doubling in volume of giving, according to Wojnar.
“O Bee Credit Union and Lee Wojnar wanted to support the community in a different way than what typically happens. Most businesses sponsor events and make corporate donations. O Bee is driving the spirit of giving from their website to our organizations,” said Paul Knox, Executive Director of the United Way of Thurston County.
“The partnership is wonderful because it increases awareness. People are online, doing their banking, and the opportunity to give is right there,” said Robert Coit, Director of the Thurston County Food Bank. “The last months of the year are our ‘make or break’. Traditionally, this is the time that people are thinking about charitable giving and making sure that others are not going hungry. It’s a real boost to have this added awareness through O Bee Credit Union.”
Visit O Bee Credit Union’s donation page by clicking here.
