About CauseLoyalty

CauseLoyalty, LLC enables nonprofit organizations to earn contributions by leveraging the buying power of their supporter’s everyday purchases:

• Nonprofit organizations receive a percentage of that spending at no additional cost to their supporters.
• Merchants and service providers receive loyal new customers, increased retention of current customers and increased ticket amounts.

Learn more about CauseLoyalty programs Schoolpop or OneCause and get involved today.

About RakutenUSA
CauseLoyalty is a wholly owned subsidiary of RakutenUSA, Inc. Headquartered in Tokyo, Rakuten is one of the world's largest and most comprehensive Internet service companies, providing leading services in e-commerce, portal and media, travel, financial services, and professional sports. Rakuten is a publicly traded company in Japan (JASDAQ: 4755).

Meet the Team

Stephen D. Avalone - CEO and President

Leading the CauseLoyalty team, Stephen has over 13 years experience in strategic marketing and startup development in industries including enterprise software, CRM software, speech recognition applications, Internet commerce, loyalty marketing, media, entertainment, educational fundraising, retail and others. His extensive knowledge has helped him establish CauseLoyalty and bring together passionate supporters with cause-minded merchants to help nonprofit organizations earn contributions.

Fomerly, Stephen was cofounder, chief marketing officer and most recently CEO for LoyaltyPoint, a high-tech loyalty marketing company. Prior to that, he held roles as the vice president of marketing for NetByTel, the first company to successfully utilize speech recognition technology in prepackaged commerce applications, and director of product management and marketing for Allen Systems Group, where he managed global marketing operations for enterprise software companies.

Stephen has a bachelor of science degree in business management and an MBA with concentration in strategic management from Monmouth University.

Mary Beth Padian - Vice President, Online Marketing

Mary Beth has been deeply involved in online loyalty marketing programs for over eight years and is passionate about the affiliate marketing industry. She is responsible for getting new and existing supporters to channel their everyday shopping through Schoolpop and OneCause merchant partners, in order to increase contributions to their designated schools or organizations.

Previously, Mary Beth was a senior director of the Upromise Online Mall, where she was responsible for all merchant development within the apparel, department store, home, outlet and tool categories. Prior to joining Upromise, Mary Beth was also VP, merchant development for Schoolpop, so she is no stranger to the brand.

Mary Beth holds a bachelor of arts in economics from Hamilton College.

Katie D. Scott - Vice President, Account Development

A CauseLoyalty veteran since 2004, Katie is responsible for the launch and management of Schoolpop and OneCause initiatives in schools and nonprofit organizations. She puts her extensive experience in building and managing sales and service teams to work, ensures that the needs of all CauseLoyalty's clients are met and continually works to grow the company’s portfolio of causes.

Previously, Katie managed B2B sales and services at Interliant, Inc., a web hosting company, and Plaid Enterprises, the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of arts and crafts supplies. She began her career as a B2B sales manager at MCI Worldcom.

Katie has a bachelor of science in marketing and business management from Clemson University.

Taka Yamada - Vice President, Technology

Taka is responsible for product development and technology for CauseLoyalty, a wholly owned subsidiary of RakutenUSA.

Before relocating to Boston in early 2007, Taka led product development efforts of Rakuten's e-commerce businesses, including Rakuten Ichiba – Japan’s largest online shopping portal.

Taka received his bachelor of arts in environmental information from Keio University.