#huffpost10

Celebrating HuffPost's First 10 Years by Looking to the Next 10

The Empire State Building was lit white and green last night to celebrate HuffPost's 10th birthday. Now, we're looking at the Next 10, highlighting the leaders and issues we think will define the next decade. 

Below, check out our deeply reported profiles on influential figures we think will shape the decade ahead:

How Becky Bond Is Using A Mobile Company To Empower Progressive Activists

Adam Schiff Believes Washington Is Finally Ready To Reform America's Spy Programs

Vanita Gupta Is Setting The Tone For Obama's Civil Rights Division

Meet The Woman Helping Native American Communities Get Ready For Climate Change

Rashad Robinson Is Leading The Social Justice Movement Into The 21st Century

How Jessica Rosenworcel Is Shaping Our Digital Future

Zephyr Teachout Puts America's Corporate Elites On Notice

Meet The Fist-Shaking Socialist Behind America's Highest Minimum Wage

And check out more of our 10th anniversary content here.

How Becky Bond Is Using A Mobile Company To Empower Progressive Activists

CREDO began in 1985 as a credit card company called Working Assets Funding Service. It added long-distance phone service in 1991 and mobile service in 2000. Since then, it has directed a portion of its revenues toward a range of fellow progressive groups. To date, it has given away more than $76 million to groups like the climate change-focused Friends of the Earth, the digital civil liberties group Electronic Frontier Foundation and the youth-led immigrant advocacy group United We Dream. CREDO has also been Planned Parenthood’s largest corporate sponsor since 1986.

Plenty of companies give money to various groups and organizations. CREDO's model, however, departs from the traditional understanding of corporate social responsibility, in which company executives meet in a boardroom and decide, on behalf of their shareholders, which foundations or nonprofits to fund.

At CREDO, the monthly donation process begins when members and customers nominate groups to receive funding. CREDO staff members pick three recipient organizations from that nominee pool, and then members vote for their preference to determine how to allocate the money. Groups can receive anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars to more than $100,000 in a month.

This article is part of a Huffington Post series, on the occasion of the site's 10th anniversary, looking at some of the people and issues that will shape the world in the next decade.