Working Together - To Improve Public Education
Prominent Honolulu business men and women embrace a new plan, Learning Point Rewards, that could provide local schools with millions of dollars. Look inside to see who makes up this composite image.
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If you’re marketing by the book in this economic downturn, throw the book away. It’s time for flexibility, adaptability and, above all, creativity. The tools of business and personal survival have changed radically.
No one knows that more than Hawaii’s tightly wound businesses, cash-strapped government agencies, and families who are besieged by bills and higher prices.
We’re crying out for logical solutions.
One solution that could have well-rounded engagement and impact in the community is a new program called Learning Point Rewards. When we examined its formula from all sides, it measures up quite well as a collaborative marketing tool and community-relations agent.
The best part of it is that someone else has done the heavy lifting.
Creditback Inc., which has been doing business here since 2003, developed Learning Point Rewards and customized it for Hawaii, right down to hardware and software. We, as businesses or consumers, simply have to sign on.
Skeptical? Curious? Intrigued? Read on.
Learning Point Rewards is being introduced this month to retail merchants, public and private schools, students and families throughout Oahu. It is a fundraising partnership that could potentially bring hundreds of thousands of dollars into schools. The program provides a way for students and their families to have a percentage of their regular everyday expenses go back to their school.
Let us run that past you again, in slow motion.
You go shopping. You buy groceries, gas, clothing, household goods, whatever. If you are patronizing a Learning Point Rewards merchant, a percentage of your purchase is automatically donated to a local school.
This is known as “value added” purchasing. In a price-sensitive market like Hawaii, it’s a powerful force.
The program is funded by more than 240 local merchants that have enrolled to date. Participating merchants include the 73 locations of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell; Midas; Young Laundry; American Carpet One; Cold Stone Creamery; Aloha Island Mini-Marts; Roxy Honolulu; Quiksilver; Lex Brodie’s; McCully Bike; Education Works; IHOP Restaurants and many others.
Henry Katsuda, president-CEO of TD Food Group Inc., parent company of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, says, “Learning Point Rewards is especially relevant during these tough economic times and is a great win-win program that provides an effective way to raise much-needed monies for our schools. It’s fun, easy and, bottom line, it supports our schools.”
Chris McMahon, executive vice president of Learning Point Rewards, says, “Not only do the local schools benefit from the transactions, but the student or cardholder earns points towards our online catalog with more than 10,000 items, from toys to TVs.”
So if your kid is nagging you for an iPod or Playstation, have them earn it by accumulating Learning Points. It will teach them about loyalty marketing as well.
Students receive a free membership card and material that explains the program. Parents and relatives go online to register with Learning Point Rewards (www.learningpointrewards.com) and designate the school of choice. The program is a year-round “perpetual” fundraiser.
Kapolei High School principal Al Nagasako recognizes the potential and was the first to sign up his school for Learning Point Rewards. Since then, many other schools have signed on, such as Ewa Beach Elementary and Mililani Mauka.
Nagasako says, “When you put the math on paper and understand the simplicity of this program for the faculty, students, parents and residents of our state, you can see why we’re involved. Millions of dollars are spent each month in everyday expenses by our residents statewide. If just a small fraction of those dollars came back to the schools, it would make a significant impact in bridging the funding gap for education.”
The money from Learning Point Rewards is deposited into a school’s local fund, not the systemwide general fund.
McMahon notes that Learning Point Rewards consumers also can shop at more than 1,000 popular online merchants, including Walmart.com, iTunes, Office Depot, Macy’s and CompUSA.
Why is that a big deal? Well, more than 550,000 Hawaii residents shopped online last year and spent upward of $2,500 each, according to Scarborough Research.
“If just 25 percent of them registered with us, we could raise an estimated $3 million for education in Hawaii,” McMahon points out.
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