Some retail stores, like Target, have programs that donate a percentage of what you've spent on your credit card to a school of your choice. Some might think that adds up to big bucks for schools, but it usually totals only several thousand dollars.

Not that what is received isn't appreciated.

"As strapped as we are with budgets, any little bit helps," said Greg Rodgers, finance director with he Council Bluffs School District.

For example, Target's program, Take Charge of Education, allows Target shoppers with REDcard or the Target Visa REDcard to have 1 percent of their card purchases made at any Target location or Target.com and .5 percent of purchases made elsewhere using the Target Visa REDcard donated to a K-12 public, private, or parochial school of their choice, as long as it has a 501(c)3 or 409 (a)1 status.

Schools that are designated under the Take Charge of Education program receive checks from Target twice per year.

The Take Charge of Education program was started in 1997, and has donated more than $170 million to schools across the country. While that sounds like a lot, and Target reports that some schools receive donation checks of $10,000 or more per year, none of the Council Bluffs or surrounding area's checks was for that much.

Target's web site allows people to view a particular school's donation status. The following high schools have been marked as designated to receive from the Take Charge of Education program:

- Abraham Lincoln High School: To date, 523 cardholders have designated this school through the program. The school's most recent donation check was for $496, and approximately $9,831 has been donated to the school since the program's inception.

- Iowa School For the Deaf: To date, 67 cardholders have designated this school through the program. The school's most recent check was for $129, and approximately $2,167 has been donated to the school since the program's inception.

- Underwood High School: To date, 67 cardholders have designated this school through the program. The school's most recent check was for $169, and approximately $1,932 has been donated to the school since the program's inception.

No Target cardholders have designated Thomas Jefferson, Lewis Central, Kanesville, Glenwood, Treynor or Tri-Center High schools to receive donations from the Take Charge of Education program. Nationwide, more than 106,000 schools are eligible to receive money from Target's shoppers.

Given the fact that Abraham Lincoln High School is located just several blocks from the Target at the Mall of The Bluffs, Principal Melanie Shellberg said it wouldn't surprise her if the majority of those cardholders were either school alumni or parents of students.

There are other similar programs through other companies and credit cards, adding up to several thousand dollars received by the Tri-Center School District annually, said Superintendent Brett Nanninga.

When the district receives the money, it's applied where needed.

"If students need certain supplies, or if there's a particular need in the district, we'll put the money towards that," Nanninga said.

In the past, Shellberg said, the money they've received from programs such as Take Charge of Education has gone toward various activities "that directly benefit the general student population," such as post-prom activities.

Lately, funds received have been placed into a fund that will be used to purchase a new marquee sign, similar to the one in front of Thomas Jefferson High School, Shellberg said.

Rodgers, who guessed the Council Bluffs School District receives less than $10,000 annually from donations through reward programs, said programs such as Target's Take Charge of Education are a win-win situation for both the company and the schools. The company is able to use it as a tax write-off, while the school receives money donated by the store.

"It's a great thing for them, and it's great for education at the same time," he said.

Obviously, Nanninga and Shellberg said, they can't force people to shop at certain stores with reward programs that benefit schools.

"We can't tell people to go shop here, or shop here," Nanninga said. "All we can do is make sure the offer is out there."

"We certainly don't push the issue, because we don't want to promote credit card use," Shellberg added. "We've let people know about the opportunities (such as the Take Charge of Education program), but that's about it."

©Daily Nonpareil 2006