Frontier Communications is one of the five largest telecommunications companies in the United States, but some prospective customers didn’t know their brand because, for many years, it served primarily rural areas and smaller communities.
To give back to the local communities and the people they serve, Frontier revamped a customer referral incentive program into a charity fundraising effort with a feel-good corporate social responsibility twist. Instead of rewarding a $25 gift card to the referring individual, the referrer earned cash donations to their preferred school, charity, church, little league team, and other nonprofit groups.
Great Frontier Donate had twin objectives – be a good corporate citizen and generate new sales.
Project
Referral Incentive Program
Client
Frontier
Goals
Generate New Sales
Be a Good Corporate Citizen
Solution
Local community charities earned cash donations on new purchases of Frontier services, such as High-Speed Internet, DISH TV, FiOS services, telephone calling plans, or Frontier security products.
First, the community organization enrolled on the Great Frontier Donate website, and eligible organizations were verified as authentic 501(c)(3) charities. Then, the organization and its fundraisers received fundraising kits of marketing flyers with custom images about the organization’s mission, customizable postcards, special program telephone number, and a charity tracking code.
When a new customer used the special program telephone number and assigned tracking code to order qualifying products, Frontier sent a charitable donation to the designated organization along with a thank you letter from Frontier management.
Benefits
Beyond generating new sales, Great Frontier Donate donated over $30,000 to more than 250 charitable organizations. The largest payouts went to the American Red Cross at $9,000.
With most awards at $25 each, Frontier represented their brand and services to thousands of new prospects by the organization’s fundraisers circulating flyers.
Instead of a self-indulgent reward to the referrer, the local charities benefited. It was a creative, new method to make a socially acceptable referral.
