The greening of credit cards
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From an organization's vantage point, one method of giving isn't better than another, says Terry Macko, vice president of membership and corporate partner marketing for the World Wildlife Fund.

"$1 million received through a credit card program or $1 million received through another type of corporate partnership or $1 million received directly from individuals is all the same to us," he says. "I think what is important is that people give in ways that they are comfortable giving."

The decision of how to give may boil down to convenience.

Waiting until you get a cash-back check, depositing it and writing a personal check may simply be too much for some people to manage in their busy lives. Also, with many programs you must call or go online to cash out or you get a credit to your account. With rewards programs, the system is automated; the card issuer does the calculations and makes the donation for you.

Do green cards really make a difference?
If you wonder whether these cards truly impact their intended causes, many say the answer is overwhelmingly "yes."

"I can tell you that they help a lot -- dramatically," says Macko, who says the World Wildlife Fund has raised more than $10 million during the last 12 years through its relationship with Chase (formerly Bank One and First USA). "So with over $10 million, a lot of conservation work can get done with that."

To put that figure into perspective, for its 2007 fiscal year, the World Wildlife Fund raised $168 million from all channels excluding WWF international and government sources, says a WWF spokeswoman.

Ultimately, marketing is the end game for the organization and the card issuer. The cause wants to raise money and the card issuer wants more customers. Environmentally friendly issues are hot right now, and these business relationships are mutually beneficial.

"I don't think (marketing to green causes) is unique to credit cards necessarily," says Macko. "But I think what you are seeing is that there are a number of credit card issuers who have looked at (green issues) and for good reasons have said, 'How can we tap into what is a market demand of individuals who care and want to demonstrate that they care?' and then funnel the money that normally gets funneled, whether to reward programs or other programs, to fund those initiatives."

Macko says the bottom line for the World Wildlife Fund is how to best help the cause.

"We are all about making as much money as we can for conservation," he says. "The fundraising we do is critical. We can't execute any programs without it."