American Express - First New Zealand Charity Cards

NEWS RELEASE For immediate release: 27 February 2001

AMERICAN EXPRESS LAUNCHES FIRST NEW ZEALAND CHARITY CARDS

Auckland, NZ. Save the Children and WWF-New Zealand launch an innovative and collaborative fundraising initiative with international credit card giant American Express today. American Express has created two new Affinity Credit Cards, one for each organisation. The credit cards are the first American Express charity cards to be launched in New Zealand.

The new fundraising initiative provides Save the Children with the opportunity to extend its global projects, benefiting children in need around the world. WWF-New Zealand will use funds raised from the card to conserve the habitats of New Zealand’s plant and animal species and support WWF’s Southern Oceans conservation work.

Both Save the Children and WWF are proud to be associated with American Express and expect the initiative to be as successful as it has been in Australia, with 7,000 Save The Children and 10,000 WWF American Express Affinity Cards issued since May 2000.

WWF-New Zealand Chief Executive Jo Breese said American Express Affinity Cards had proved successful for other WWF national offices and that WWF-New Zealand was very excited about the new initiative.

"It's a really positive step for the organisation and our conservation projects. We're hoping the card will take off in New Zealand the way it has in Australia," Ms Breese said. She said it was also good to be working with another non-government organisation (NGO). "We're very pleased to be sharing this occasion with Save the Children," Ms Breese said. "It's not often you get the opportunity to deal with other not-for-profit organisations, let alone share resources with them."

Save the Children President, Martyn Turner, also believes there are mutual benefits to be gained by both Save the Children and American Express. “We both have respected, internationally established track records gained from over a 100 years of delivering effective solutions. This scheme aims to give the world’s most vulnerable children the best start in life. The new affinity card means that the public can help assist the work of Save the Children”.

The official launch of the cards will be held today at the Winter Garden in Auckland. Representatives of both organisations will be present.

ENDS

For more information and interviews contact:-

Anna Thomson, Communications Manager, WWF-New Zealand
Telephone: 04 499 2930 Mobile: 021 777 699

Alena Lynch, Marketing Assistant, Save The Children New Zealand
Telephone: 04 381 7573 Mobile: 021 137 6694

www.savethechildren.org.nz www.wwf.org.nz

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