from The New York Times: Charity Goes Mobile to Appeal to Young ... The messages went to teenagers who were more or less “defunct,” meaning that her organization, Do Something, had not heard from them in some time. For this appeal via text, some 20 percent returned to the fold in nine minutes. “It was nuts,” Ms. Lublin said. Right then and there, she decided Do Something, a national nonprofit group that works to involve teenagers in civic activities, had to go mobile. No longer could it rely on its Web site to motivate young people to take part in social activism. Instead, it would rely on mobile technology in the hopes of substantially increasing its reach and impact. “Teens receive, on average, over 3,300 texts a month, and their phones are part of their social tissue,” … Continue Reading
Capitalizing on Mobile Donations
The mGive Foundation has released a study on mobile donors and text giving. The study, Text Giving: Donor Survey Report, was designed to examine who mobile donors are; whether donation via text impacts the likelihood of donations, or the amount given, through other channels; and what dollar amount donors are comfortable giving via text. The survey highlights include: Perceptions of Mobile Giving Respondents indicated a positive experience with text giving. Charitable donors appreciate the convenience and immediacy of giving by text. Survey participants commented on their uncertainty regarding the way donations are billed through the wireless provider and questions regarding security. Respondents expressed positive feedback regarding the immediate nature of the text platform. Text Giving … Continue Reading
Jewish Federations Launch National Mobile Platform
The Jewish Federation system (JFNA) is rolling out a new tool that will give individual Federations the ability to launch and manage their own mobile text messaging campaigns. According to JFNA, "Text messaging is now the dominant way to communicate via mobile devices. Far more text messages are sent each day than cellphone calls, and unlike traditional mail and email campaigns, your messages won't end up in a trash can or a spam folder: 99% of text messages are read, and 83% are read within 15 minutes. And a text message sent soon before a fundraising email campaign can increase the conversion rate on that e-mail donation ask by over 75%." While we applaud JFNA for taking this step, we think they're a bit optimistic on promoting the 75% figure above and perhaps leading a less informed … Continue Reading
The Drawbacks to Text Giving
from The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Rethinking How to Calculate Mobile-Giving's Benefits ... Ten days after the Haiti earthquake, text-message donations accounted for more than $30-million, or 14 percent of all donations raised. Yet the strategy can have its drawbacks. While mobile giving can be an inexpensive way to reach the more than 260 million wireless subscribers around the country, questions remain about its effectiveness and reliability as a long-term fund-raising tool. … Continue Reading
U.K. Mobile Operators to Provide 100% of SMS Donations
02, the U.K.'s largest mobile phone operator, has joined Vodafone in providing charities 100% of monies received via SMS. From 1 August 2010, UK-based registered charities will receive the full amount donated by the network’s customers using a five-digit shortcode starting with the numbers ‘70’. In November 2009, O2 became the first UK network to pass on 90p for every £1 donated, withholding 10p to cover network and third party costs. O2 will now cover those costs and pass on 100 per cent of every donation made by O2 customers. John Low, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, welcomed the chnage, saying: "Donating by text is popular because it is instant and easy for donors but in the past high charges have put donors and charities off. Charities will celebrate this … Continue Reading
Texting Donations, a Bad Idea?
The reasons that donations via text message are a good thing are also why they’re problematic; it is instantly gratifying, but in that instant, there's no transparency about the organization receiving funds. Without that knowledge, you could be signed up for a recurring donation, or be giving to a middleman that advocates on behalf of the organization to which you thought you were donating. from The Washington Post: Should You Not Donate by Text Message? We all have our excuses for not donating to disaster relief funds or to our favorite charities: We're broke, the donation process is too complicated, we lack the time to write and send a check, and so on. Mobile donating - giving money to an organization via text message - makes giving a little easier. But is it safe? And does it … Continue Reading
The NTEN 2010 Conference: Lessons Learned
Two Jewish Agency attendees weigh in on the recent NTEN 2010 Conference. by Florence Broder and Ziva Haller Rubenstein This year’s Nonprofit Technology Conference in Atlanta was a buzz: continuing many of the trends from the SXSW conference, and the seminars and the energy of the participants did not disappoint. Early on, five key areas emerged as critical parts of keeping nonprofit organizations on top of its e-philanthropy initiatives as well as way to be interactive with online communities. 1. Metrics and ROI Most organizations already have a presence on social networks like Facebook and Twitter but that is no longer enough. It’s now time to become more strategic in undertstanding your audience through metrics analysis. Believe it or not, it’s time to go back to basics, that … Continue Reading
A 21st Century Pushke
Tamar Snyder writing in The Jewish Week: The pushke, or charity box, may well be a relic of the past to many members of the younger generation of Jews. In fact, promotional materials for eCharityBox paint the small tin can as a PC in a world of Macs - not only old school, but also a barrier to giving for those who want to give on the go, with just a click of their BlackBerry or iPhone. Launched in November, eCharityBox “adds an interactive experience to the act of giving,” says Getzy Fellig, the company’s CEO. Modeled on an actual charity box, eCharityBox is an application that can be downloaded onto an iPhone, BlackBerry or computer desktop. Users can then drop virtual coins - be it a penny, a dollar or $100 - into the eCharityBox whenever they’re in a particularly generous mood. They … Continue Reading
Five Steps to Creating a Mobile Campaign
If nonprofits found a silver lining behind the Haiti catastrophe, it was learning how fast a mobile campaign can raise a lot of money in a hurry. Jim Manis, chairman and CEO of the Mobile Giving Foundation in Bellevue, Wash, suggests that it takes about two weeks to create a mobile campaign. Manis says that there are five steps to setting up the campaign: Nonprofits must apply for an NPO application package from the Mobile Giving Foundation. The application is a series of questions that ensure that the organization meets federal and state laws and operates with transparency. There is a one-time application fee of $350. Mobile Giving Foundation reviews the data and notifies wireless carriers that the organization has been approved. Once approved, an organization is given a short code … Continue Reading
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