Archive for category micro-giving

Rules of Mobile: Friend Raise, THEN Fund Raise

Jul 7

Posted by Steve Shepherd in fundraising, micro-giving, non-profit organizations | No Comments

Mobile Growth Strategy: Communicate, Cultivate, then Fundraise

In a recent NTEN survey, only 16% of nonprofits expect to have a mobile-ready website in place this year and only 19% will have a smartphone application.

Return on Engagement is the new Return on Investment.

Similarly, consumers are not simply gobbling up smartphones and tablets at historic rates, they’re using them to engage with their favorite brands. In a study conducted earlier this year by Performics and ROI Research, fully half of all consumers reported making purchases via their mobile devices in 2010 and that number is expected to reach 75% this year.

Meanwhile, Visa, Mastercard and other transaction processing giants are racing to build mobile payment technology that is as ubiquitous as the devices themselves. Juniper Research says that Near Field Communications (NFC) purchases just for ticketing (e.g. travel, shows, etc.), will climb from just 2 million in 2010 to a staggering 15 billion by 2014.

NFC, which makes it easier for individuals to make location-based purchases (and donations), is just one example of the so-called “mobile wallet” initiatives that also allow individuals to make purchases via mobile Web payments (WAP), direct mobile billing, SMS and direct carrier. Juniper claims that within two years mobile payments will total $600 billion.
For nonprofits, these are good signs. Forrester Research has confirmed that the same individuals most likely to use smartphones and other advanced mobile technology are the same audience upon which nonprofits most depend for support – namely educated and financially secure.

This post is just an excerpt of a new White Paper on fundraising by MobileCause CEO, Douglas Plank.

Download this file at no cost or obligation. We will not contact you unless you request it.

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77% of people surveyed are familiar with Text Donations

Mar 16

Posted by Steve Shepherd in Uncategorized, micro-giving, non-profit organizations, text2give | 1 Comment

Charities Must Focus on Multiple Ways to Reach Young Donors, Generation Study Finds

Excerpted from article by Caroline Preston

Conducted by Edge Research, the study polled more than 1,500 people who contributed to nonprofit groups in the past year.

The survey found that members of Generation Y, who were born from 1981 to 1991, and the group that preceded it—Generation X (those born from 1965 to 1980)—now make up more than half of the pool of potential donors.

The survey also signaled that text-message giving is gaining acceptance. Seventy-seven percent of people in the survey said they had heard about the opportunity to make a donation via their cellphones after the Haiti earthquake, and 36 percent said they would be willing to contribute via text after an emergency occurs.

Thirty-one percent of all donors in the survey said they would be willing to contribute via text to help a friend raise money, and 28 percent they would be willing to do so as part of a charity fund raiser.

Thirty-five percent of people born in 1945 or before said they had first learned about their favorite nonprofit group through the mail; 19 percent of boomers and 16 percent of members of Generation X said the same.
Younger donors were more likely to say they would increase their giving this year than older people, the majority of whom said their giving would remain the same.
Members of Generation Y were less likely than older people to say the economy had affected their giving, in large part because they had less money before the recession.
People born before 1965 were most likely to keep up-to-date on charities from mailings, while younger people said Web sites were a more important source of information.

Read full article on the Chronicle for Philanthropy

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Huge 8.8-magnitude quake hits Chile

Feb 27

Posted by Steve Shepherd in causes, fundraising, micro-giving, relief | No Comments

Location of Chile Earthquake

SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) – A massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck near the coast of south-central Chile early on Saturday, shaking buildings and causing blackouts in parts of the capital Santiago, 200 miles away.

It struck at 12:40 p.m. local time, the United States Geological Survey said. It occurred about 37 miles underground, relatively deeply, diminishing the phenomenon’s intensity.

Televised images of the towns in the country’s northern region just after the quake showed people running out of buildings, students evacuating schools and a car smashed by the collapse of a roof overhang at the entrance to a hotel in Antofagasta, 105 miles south of the epicenter.
A tsunami warning was issued for Chile and Peru by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and a tsunami watch was issued for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica.

Soon after, the U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had generated a tsunami that may have been destructive along the Chilean coast near the epicenter.

The USGS said the earthquake struck 56 miles northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of 34 miles at 3:34 a.m./1:34 EST. Its magnitude was initially reported at 8.3 then 8.5.

An earthquake of magnitude 8 or over is classified as a “great” earthquake that can cause “tremendous damage,” according to the USGS website. The earthquake that devastated Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince on January 12 was rated at magnitude 7.0.

According to a 2002 census, Concepcion is one of the largest cities in Chile with a population of around 670,000. The quake knocked out power in nearby coastal areas.

People streamed onto the streets of the Chilean capital, more than 200 miles north of the epicenter, hugging each other and crying, a Reuters witness reported. Buildings shook and there were blackouts in parts of the city.

Mobile giving opportunities abound. Text donations can be made for Haiti and other relief efforts. Community Aid Relief & Development offers disaster relief around the world. http://www.coaid.org/relief

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Update on Mobile Fundraising for Haiti Relief

Feb 3

Posted by Steve Shepherd in charities, fundraising, micro-giving, relief, text2give | No Comments

The Mobile Giving Foundation said it’s processed $35 million in donations so far for relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The Bellevue-based foundation is a 3-year-old nonprofit that enables people to text-message $5 and $10 donations to charity. For example, mobile-phone customers text-message the word “Haiti” to 85944. The customer is billed by the wireless provider, which forwards the money to the Giving Foundation, which sends it to a designated nonprofit agency.

According to the foundation, wireless carriers are advancing payments for relief efforts and dollars contributed so far via mobile donations are already in use by services in Haiti.

Here is a list of many of the relief organizations collecting funds via text donations. MobileGive.us also offers an online giving widget that allows a donor to simply enter their phone number to give $10. See the CoAid giving widget at the bottom of this post.

Text COAID to 85944 to donate $10 to CoAid
Text HAITI to 25383 to donate $5 to International Rescue Committee
Text CARE to 25383 to donate $10 to CARE
Text OXFAM to 25383 to donate $10 to Oxfam International
Text AJWS to 25383 to donate $10 to American Jewish World Service
Text HABITAT to 25383 to donate $10 to Habitat for Humanity
Text BABY to 20222 to donate $5 to March of Dimes
TextGIVEto 25383 to donate $10 to Partners in Health
Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross
Text YELE to 501501 to donation $5 to Yele
Text HAITI to 864833 to donate $5 to The United Way
Text CERF to 90999 to donate $5 to The United Nations Foundation
Text DISASTER to 90999 to donate $10 to Compassion International
Text HAITI to 20222 to donate $10 to The Clinton Foundation
Text HAITI to 85944 to donate $10 to International Medical Corps
Text BEST to 501501 to donate $5 to Project Medishare
Text FRIENDS to 90999 to donate $5 to World Food Program
Text HEART to 85944 to donate $5 to Happy Hearts Fund
Text HAITI to 52000 to donate $10 to Salvation Army
Text UNICEF to 20222 to donate $10 to UNICEF
Text HAITI to 40579 to donate $10 to National Religious Broadcasters
Text SAVE to 20222 to donate $10 to Save the Children
Text WORLD to 20222 to donate $10 to World Vision
Text QUAKE to 20222 to donate $10 to The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
TextRELIEFto 25383 to donate $10 to Catholic Relief Services

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Kelly Ripa Launches Text-A-Thon Campaign with MobileCause to benefit Ovarian Cancer Research

Sep 9

Posted by Steve Shepherd in causes, celebrities, charities, fundraising, micro-giving, mobile, non-profit organizations, text2give, video | No Comments

powered by WordPress Multibox Plugin v1.3.5

During September, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, you can help us raise funds and awareness to support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Donate $5 now to help fund research to find a cure.Plus, every day you log on to Kelly Confidential, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a front load washer and dryer in Turquoise Sky, the color inspired by the teal ribbon of ovarian cancer awareness.

MobileCause provided the Text2Give solution that allows donations to be made through a caller’s mobile phone.

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The #1 Charity to follow on Twitter is…

Jul 9

Posted by Steve Shepherd in causes, charities, children, clients, fundraising, micro-giving, non-profit organizations, text2give | No Comments

Note: We just added a cool new app called

Apture. Try clicking on the links in this article…it brings up info and videos without leaving the page.

According to Paste Magazine Twitter offers one of the best ways to connect with charities and Charity: Water does it better than anyone. We’re thrilled to have entered into a new partnership with Charity: Water to enable anyone with a phone to donate by simply sending a one word text message. We’ll let you know as soon as the campaign kicks in. In the meantime, follow our friends on Twitter (you could be follower #565,607). By the way, have you seen Jennifer Connelly in this amazing video promo?

In the same article, we noticed another one of our clients made #6 in the Best Charities on Twitter list. Our friends at Invisible Children have done an amazing job of utilizing social media to spread the word about the atrocities in Uganda and the children who are forced to be soldiers in Joseph Kony’s army. Show your support for them by texting RESCUE to 20222 to donate $5. This is a brand new campaign (Verizon customers may have to wait a week or two more before it is active). Remember, your tax-deductible donation will show up on your phone bill. Follow Invisible Children on Twitter.

By the way, are you following MobileCause on Twitter?

Do you know of a great cause that could use some help connecting with new audiences and donors via mobile? Let us know…

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When times are tough, the tough throw a free music festival. For 35,000 people.

Jun 24

Posted by Steve Shepherd in clients, conferences, micro-giving, non-profit organizations, text2give | 1 Comment

Let Free Ring! Virgin Mobile USA Announces 2009 “FreeFest” to Give Back in Bad Economy

Weezer, Blink-182, Franz Ferdinand, and Public Enemy Plus More Than a Dozen Others Scheduled to Perform August 30, 2009

Speculation and predictions that have filled blogs and discussion boards can be put to rest. The Virgin Mobile Festival is returning, but with a catch. Admission will be free.

Virgin Mobile USA, creator of one of the largest and most critically acclaimed music festivals in the U.S., announced today that it would host the 2009 Virgin Mobile FreeFest on Sunday, August 30, at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD., with admission free of charge. All tickets will be given away, and previous Virgin Mobile Festival ticket buyers and Virgin Mobile customers will have the first crack at securing the 35,000 tickets.

“In a time of economic challenges and daily sacrifices, we wanted to throw a fantastic party so people could let loose and have a great time — on us,” said Sir Richard Branson, Founder and President, Virgin Group. “Virgin Mobile FreeFest offers music fans a brilliant day of fun and music and a chance for them to give back to those even less fortunate.”

To respond to the sharp decrease in national social giving, Virgin Mobile FreeFest will also host a special VIP seating area for those who donate their time to community service at designated homeless youth shelters around the country. Virgin Mobile is also encouraging people, regardless of wireless carrier, to text “FREEFEST” to 20222, with a $5 donation which will go to select youth homeless centers around the country.In parntership with MobileCause.

http://twurl.nl/fc563s

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Estimated $5 Million Raised via Text Donations this Year

Apr 6

Posted by Steve Shepherd in charities, fundraising, giving, micro-giving, non-profit organizations, text2broadcast, text2give | No Comments

Why ask potential donors to pull out their checkbook or credit card when they are inclined to give?

As I mentioned in a blog post months ago, Micro-Giving will be the hottest fundraising trend of 2009. According to an article today, VeriSign and the Mobile Giving Foundation expect that more than $5 million will be raised this year via mobile charitable giving.

Text donations (MobileCause is one of the few ASPs provisioned thru all major carriers) take a matter of seconds for web-savvy Gen-Y-ers and the charge shows up on their phone bill.

As MobileCause has been doing for the past 3 years with our Text2Broadcast platform, more nonprofits will also encourage donors to opt into mobile programs to receive alerts, updates and news of events through SMS messages. Personalized messages will also improve the relationship between nonprofit and donor, especially in these hard economic times when charities normally struggle for funds and attention.

Read more about this and other mobile trends in today’s article on Mobile Marketing.

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Ten Reasons Mobile Giving will be the Bright Spot in Fundraising for 2009…

Mar 6

Posted by Steve Shepherd in causes, charities, fundraising, micro-giving, text2broadcast, text2give, text2screen | No Comments

This post is a response to a commentary made by a traditional fundraising consultancy.

“One major question we continue to ask ourselves is what is the value of a $5 text donation? Our traditional fundraising research shows us that donors who give low dollar amounts (such as $5), have a commensurately low lifetime donor value. Often, we’ve found that the cost to cultivate (i.e. mail, email, call, etc.) these donors exceeds the donation income they provide. In other words, we end up LOSING money in cultivating donors who give very small amounts.”

First of all, I’m glad they’re bringing attention to micro-giving. We believe (along with Forrester Research, Mobile Marketer, and others) that micro-giving will be one of the trends to watch in 2009 and following. They are correct that in previous “traditional research,” small one-time donors may have a lower lifetime value, but these studies have not accounted for the new developments in text donations.

Here are 10 reasons why Text Donations will be the be the trend to watch and why every Cause should consider adding Mobile to their Donor Engagement tool belt.

Turns a mobile phone user into a donor in less than a minute (no credit card, web access, phone operators necessary!)
Donation is tax-deductible and shows up on the caller’s phone bill.
Engages the donor at the closest point of emotional engagement. (we carry our phones at all times!)
Caller can text-donate up to 5 times per month (5x per billing cycle)
$10 donations are now possible (as of March 2009)
Recurring donations will be available soon. That means sending a one-word text message instantly turns a caller into a $120/year donor! Wow.
The Call-to-Action couldn’t be easier to remember–across all types of media channels. Pick up your mobile phone and try this sample: text GIVE to 27138. (no donation will be transacted. It is a sample to show how easy it is)
Used in conjunction with other mobile engagement tools (like text2broadcast and text2screen), organizations can build consistent and lasting relationships with donors.
As of 2008, all major carriers have waived 100% of their fees for approved 501c-3 orgs who partner with a qualified service provider like MobileCause. (Elsewhere in the world, the carriers still charge up to 50%)
Response rates have shown to be 10%-40% compared to 1% – 3% for direct mail and other types of donor acquisition methods.

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Things are moving extremely fast with Mobile Technology and we are thrilled to partner with the Mobile Giving Foundation to help organizations like Open Doors, Focus on the Family, Invisible Children, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Sparrow Clubs and so many others fulfill their mission in effective new ways.

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Every Non-profit should have mobile Tools

Jan 19

Posted by Steve Shepherd in SMS, causes, charities, micro-giving, non-profit organizations, text2give | No Comments

excerpted from Mickey Alam Khan’s post today

Average individual donations are falling to below the $10-level, especially when large nonprofits such as the American Red Cross suck up all the household charity budgets during hurricanes and large-scale calamities.

So it is critical for smaller nonprofits, and even the bigger charities such as the Red Cross or The Salvation Army, to raise donations by text to rapidly respond to emergencies.

The Red Cross, for example, has successfully worked with the wireless carriers to encourage $5 donations for its disaster relief fund. The organization raised more than $200,000 in its most recent September through December appeal.

Subscribers of participating wireless carriers can donate $5 up to five times per month by texting the keyword GIVE to 2HELP (24357).

Charges for these donations will appear on the subscriber’s mobile phone bill each month. They can also be debited from prepaid account balances for those mobile consumers without a contract.

Standard text messaging rates may apply to those texted donations.

Other charities can follow the Red Cross’ example. Publicize the short code on the direct mail, email and Web sites. Encourage donors to sign up with the mobile program. Strike a similar billing relationship as the Red Cross did with the carriers and also work with an SMS aggregator.

Building a mobile database not only will save smaller charities in these hard-pressed times, but will also result in repeat donations.

Mobile also cuts creative, printing and postage costs out of a charity’s operations. Thus, a larger percentage of the donations can go to the actual cause for which the funds are raised.

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Turn-key Mobile fundraising…Reach more. Raise more.

Archive for category micro-giving

Rules of Mobile: Friend Raise, THEN Fund Raise

Mobile Growth Strategy: Communicate, Cultivate, then Fundraise

77% of people surveyed are familiar with Text Donations

Charities Must Focus on Multiple Ways to Reach Young Donors, Generation Study Finds

Huge 8.8-magnitude quake hits Chile

Update on Mobile Fundraising for Haiti Relief

Kelly Ripa Launches Text-A-Thon Campaign with MobileCause to benefit Ovarian Cancer Research

The #1 Charity to follow on Twitter is…

When times are tough, the tough throw a free music festival. For 35,000 people.

Estimated $5 Million Raised via Text Donations this Year

Ten Reasons Mobile Giving will be the Bright Spot in Fundraising for 2009…

Every Non-profit should have mobile Tools

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Twitter feed: @MobileGive

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