• by Aaron Baar , May 15, 2013

With the appeal of no-contract wireless plans growing, those who offer plans are looking for ways to differentiate themselves. Enter GIV Mobile, a new non-contract monthly wireless provider that offers, as a perk, to give a portion of its proceeds to a charity of the customer’s choosing. 

“There was a time when no-contract plans were more expensive than contract plans,” Omar Abhari, senior vice president of operations with GIV Mobile, tells Marketing Daily, adding that in recent years contract and no-contract providers have reached a relative parity when it comes to monthly service costs. “From our experience, it’s never going to be about the price point. You always need an edge.”

The company, a unit of Chicago-based PTel Mobile, launched on Wednesday. Through its service (available online only), it is dedicated to giving 8% of its no-contract, $40- or $50-dollar monthly “Unlimited Everything” plans, to a non-profit charity of the customer’s choosing (selected from a list of approved charities) such as the Alzheimer’s Association, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, American Red Cross, United Way Worldwide and Scholarship America.

Allowing consumers to designate charitable recipients sets the company apart from other providers who run promotional giving events (such as donating a portion of proceeds to breast cancer charities during Breast Cancer Awareness Month), and gives consumers a chance to donate to causes they support continually throughout the year.

“Eight out of 10 people -- even more -- give to charity,” Abhari says. “And most of the money given to charity is not from corporations, it’s from individuals.”

Of course, getting people to switch wireless carriers is no easy task. To that end GIV Mobile is relying heavily on word-of-mouth promotion in the beginning. Using the line “Answer the call,” as its motto, the company is also relying heavily on its charitable partners to get the word out to their supporters about the opportunity to make continual donations while maintaining their wireless service, Abhari says. The company is also planning to employ online marketing and social media as well, he says.