American Express Rewards Members For Volunteering

American Express has teamed up with Take Part for the 2010 Members Project, an initiative that gives members new ways to give back -- and even get something in return.

When members volunteer with one of the nonprofit organizations affiliated with the program, they can earn credit card reward points, which they can redeem for personal perks like gift cards or use for online shopping at the American Express store. For every hour of volunteering, the volunteer will receive 500 reward points, up to a total of 10,000. The reward points don't have to be spent for personal use -- the volunteer also has the option of donating them back to the nonprofit.

Users can also participate in the Members Project by voting for their favorite nonprofit organizations to win funds from American Express. Every three months, the five nonprofits with the most votes will each win a $200,000 grant from the credit card company.