Following Wednesday’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti, talk of donations and relief efforts have crowded the airways. And rightfully so. But are the days of sending a check or calling with your credit card number over? Red Cross International Response Fund is accepting $10 donations via text message. You can simply text “Haiti” to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross (through an effort backed by the U.S. State Department). Funds will go to support American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.
I participated yesterday and the process was easy. I am told I will see the $10 charge on my next monthly bill. Today I began to question if my wireless carrier would get a cut of my donation, so I did a little more research. The campaign is run through mGive and their site FAQs state: “100% of your text donation is delivered to the International Federation of the Red Cross to support relief efforts in Haiti.”
I hope the ease of donating a small amount of money adds to this great organization’s fundraising efforts. I noticed there is even an mGiving Red Cross Facebook Application. Props to the Red Cross for embracing technology to support their mission. Impressive.
I just heard $8 million has been donated to Haiti through text messages so far.
I heard this morning on the Today Show that even though the text message giving has already reached over $27 Million, the funds won’t get to the victims until you pay your phone bill, which could be 30 to 60 days.
Obviously, it’s still a great way to help out. I found this online today as well – just a good reminder of how it works and what to do if you want to donate.
What: Donations made via mobile phones for Haiti Earthquake Relief have surpassed $27 million across all the short codes managed by the Mobile Giving Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping other non-profits raise
funds through mobile.
Thanks largely to national television appeals and more non-
profit organizations joining relief efforts, mobile
donations increased by $7 million, raising the total amount
from $20 million reported by MGF yesterday to more than $27
million as of 8:00pm Eastern on Monday. The Foundation
continues to see donations come in at an increasing pace.
MGF will report updated numbers throughout the week.
How: By texting a keyword to a designated short code via a mobile phone, a micro-donation of $5 or $10 can be made to aid the millions of people affected by this tragedy. 100% of
your donation goes to the recipient charity, and the
donation appears as a charge on your carrier bill, standard
rates may apply.
Who: As more organizations join the relief efforts in Haiti,
additional short codes are available for making monetary
donations to aid those affected by the recent earthquake:
Text the word “Yele” to 501501 to donate $5
Text the word “Haiti” to 501501 to donate $10
On behalf of the Yele Foundation
Text the word “Quake” to 20222 to donate $10
On behalf of The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
Text the word “Haiti” to 20222 to donate $10
On behalf of the Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief Fund
Text the word “Haiti” to 52000 to donate $10
On behalf of the Salvation Army
Text the word “Hope10″ or “UNICEF” to 20222 to donate $10
On behalf of UNICEF
Text the word “Habitat” to 25383 to donate $10
On behalf of Habitat for Humanity
Text the word “Haiti” to 40579 to donate $10
On behalf of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB)
Text the word “Oxfam” to 25383 to donate $10
On behalf of Oxfam America, Inc.
Text the word “Save” or “Safe” to 20222 to donate $10
On behalf of Save the Children Federation, Inc.
Text the word “Give” or “World” to 20222 to donate $10
On behalf of World Vision Inc.
Text the word “Haiti” to 85944 to donate $10
On behalf of the International Medical Corps
Text the word “Haiti” to 25383 to donate $5
On behalf of the International Rescue Committee
Text the word “Care” to 25383 to donate $10
On behalf of Cooperative for Assistance and Relief
Everywhere, Inc. (CARE)
Text the word “Live” to 25383 to donate $10
On behalf of AmeriCares, Inc.
Text the word “Give” to 25383 to donate $10
On behalf of the MTV telethon
Text the word “AJWS” to 25383 to donate $10
On behalf of the American Jewish World Service
Text the word “Haiti” to 45678 (In Canada Only)
On behalf of the Salvation Army in Canada
Text the word “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10
On behalf of the American Red Cross in the U.S.
Text the word “Haiti” to 30333 (In Canada Only) to donate $5 On behalf of Plan Canada
Text the word “Hope” or “Monde” to 45678 (In Canada Only) to donate $5 On behalf of World Vision Canada
Text the word “CAHAITI” to 20222 (In Canada only) to donate $5 On behalf of the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth
Initiative
For more information on these various campaigns and how
mobile giving works, Jim Manis, CEO of the Mobile Giving
Foundation (www.mobilegiving.com), is available to provide
an overview.