Charity affinity credit cards—marketing synergy for both card issuers and charities?

Abstract

Charity affinity credit cards are one of the more recent fund‐raising initiatives of the charity sector in the United Kingdom. This paper explains and exemplifies the concept of the charity affinity card by discussing both the history and economies of the credit card and of its affinity variant. Using charity affinity card examples, the benefits that the card issuer and the affinity charity can derive from this type of credit card are contrasted and con‐pared. Whilst the card issuers often have a clear marketing objectives, their choice of affinity charity is a key factor for success, as is the way that the ongoing relationship with the charity is managed. The charities enter into these affinity relationships with different objectives in mind, but their own marketing expertise and the quality of the relationship that they establish with the card issuer are critical elements in achieving their objectives. In order to demonstrate the marketing synergy available to both card issuers and affinity charities the exchange relationships in affinity card agreements are modeled, as a basis for both parties to construct Win‐Win relationships with maximum marketing effectiveness.