Zavee Partners with Text My Pledge to Bring New Fundraising Options to Non-Profits, Schools and Universities

BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Zavee, the premier local shopping rewards program, recently partnered with Text My Pledge to bring innovative new fundraising options to non-profits, schools and universities. The opportunity to earn rewards from Zavee's network of local merchants is a value-added benefit for consumers who use the Text My Pledge platform to make a donation from their phone. Zavee (www.zavee.com) and Text My Pledge (www.textmypledge.com) are piloting their new program in South Florida, with plans to expand nationally.

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"Text My Pledge appeals to people who are confident in their opinions and decisive in their actions," said Ron Stack, COO of Zavee. "These are the same characteristics that make great Zavee shoppers. We want to reward Text My Pledge donors in a way they will find relevant – and Zavee offers fill the bill completely."

Zavee shoppers already support local non-profit causes. In addition to earning cash back rewards when they shop at any of the more than 500 participating local merchants, Zavee shoppers also earn Care Shares™, which Zavee converts to cash that it donates to Zavee member causes in the shopper's name. The non-profits, schools and universities who actively encourage large numbers of supporters to join Zavee for free, and select their organization, will reap the greatest financial benefits. Zavee already has over 60 causes in the program and continues to expand that base.

"Working with Text My Pledge is a natural extension of Zavee's commitment to local causes," Stack added. "The power of fundraising through Zavee has not yet been fully tapped. But we feel that by working together we will bring unprecedented fundraising capabilities to our community."

"Non-profits, schools and universities are always seeking innovative new fundraising ideas," said Chad Foos, CEO of Text My Pledge. "Being able to give their supporters two exciting, easy-to-use ways to help them reach their financial goals is something we feel will be embraced by our local organizations. For us, partnering with Zavee creates a powerful team that will drive results."

"What is really exciting about Zavee is that this donation process benefits both the cause and the consumer. There is an incredible potential to add a lucrative new donation stream, while your supporters are happily saving money at their favorite local stores and dining establishments," explained Stack. "Zavee's transactions are tracked through registered debit or credit cards, making it easy for both the shopper and the cause. It only takes a few moments for both the cause and shoppers to register with Zavee, and then the opportunities are endless."

Text My Pledge takes the popular fundraising tool of texting donations to the next level, by taking it out of the hands of the phone companies and by removing donation limits. Individuals text the amount of their pledge to a "short code" that appears on anything from the scoreboard at a game to advertising and print collateral. Text My Pledge follows up with donors, who fulfill their pledge with a credit or debit card. Over 95% of people who text, fulfill their pledge, according to Foos.

"In the past, people supported causes through an additional charge on their phone bill, but there were strict limits imposed on how much could be donated, and the charity received little or no data about individual donors," explained Foos. "We enable fundraisers to receive unlimited pledges via text, while obtaining up to date donor information. Previously, charities couldn't even thank their donors individually. Now they can."  

SOURCE Zavee