Donated Miles Can Go A Long Way For Nonprofits In 2021

Cautious frequent fliers watching their miles collect dust this holiday season have a new opportunity to make a difference thanks to United.

Miles on a Mission, which launched last week on GivingTuesday, allow MileagePlus members to donate miles to a number of organizations to fund travel for education and leadership opportunities, increased access to healthcare, humanitarian aid and more. To further support, United will be donating five million miles to help these organizations reach their mile-raising goals.

“This year has posed unprecedented challenges for us all and has been especially devastating to some of the most vulnerable members within the communities we serve. The need for charitable giving has not stopped during the pandemic, and neither has United,” said Suzi Cabo, United’s managing director of global community engagement. “This GivingTuesday marks an opportunity for us to all come together for the greater good and we are proud to provide a platform to support organizations with upcoming travel needs that will enable them to continue supporting the communities they serve.”

As of December 7, there are nine active campaigns with goals ranging from 250,000 miles to 1,000,000 miles. All nine campaigns have been at least 20% supported, with most already exceeding 50% support. United will match up to 125,000 miles per campaign, through Dec. 31.

If a campaign does not reach its goal by month’s end, miles will be returned to donors.

United lists 20 currently participating charities, and interested organizations can apply to the program on a rolling quarterly basis. Applications for the second quarter of 2021 will re-open on Jan. 1.