Mobile Giving: Being charitable in a mobile world.

Many mobile industry insiders and novices alike were stunned at the $20 million and counting that has been donated via text for Haitian earthquake relief, marking the largest outpouring of support via mobile device in history, and that’s just to The Red Cross.
The Red Cross is just one of the many legitimate charities that Americans can donate to aid Haiti in its time of need, most of which are offering mobile giving campaigns. Among them are UNICEF, the Clinton/ Bush Haiti Fund, the Salvation Army and the Yele Fund (founded by singer Wyclef Jean).
This burst of assistance via text has aid organizations suddenly very aware of the potential power of mobile giving. It is beginning to be seen as a practical way to reach donors quickly. More importantly, it has made donating to your favorite charity virtually hassle-free, letting people forgo the often timely operation of donating through a hotline or even the web.
This influx in generosity via cell phone has changed the way charities have traditionally viewed texting. Texting in the past has been used as a secondary strategy for non-profits rather than an actual channel like television, phone calls, letters and emails.
Jim Manis, CEO of Mobile Giving said that charities are being educated on how to integrate mobile into their broader donor marketing strategy, with more non-profits learning the value of cross platform integration, in other words integrating mobile giving with television, the internet and print.
The genius of mobile giving lies in the one area that was seen as a drawback to mobile giving in the eyes of most non-profits, the allowance of only micro donations via text.
In this particular economy, The allowance of only micro-donations allows many people who would never think of donating a way to quantify the amount of money they would be donating; the cost of one latte, the cost of one value meal at their favorite fast food joints, etc.
Whatever it is that made people have decide to forgo for just one day in order to donate through texting, it is it has led to record donations and non-profits no doubt are going to upgrade mobile giving from strategic afterthought to viable channel in receiving donations.