Text Message Nonprofit Fundraising Comes of Age

We'd like to extend our thoughts and prayers to our neighbors in Haiti.

During the tragedy that unfolded in the aftermath of the earthquake and numerous aftershocks that pounded the people of Haiti, a new channel of online fundraising has come of age. The American Red Cross has reported that over $22 million in aid to Haiti was raised via cellphone text message. This far exceeds the previous record of $400,000 that was raised for a fundraising campaign via text message.

The campaign involved a straightforward request to text the word "Haiti" via SMS to the number 90999 in order to send a $10 pledge to the Red Cross which is added to the subscriber's phone bill. The Red Cross reported that text donations represented approximately a fifth of all donations for Haiti relief. In the case of Haiti relief effort, wireless carriers have also helped out by waiving standard texting fees and expediting donations to the Red Cross before subscribers pay their bill.

The takeaway for nonprofits is that when utilized properly, texting can be a very viable channel for fundraising campaigns. In the months and years to come, we can surely expect many creative uses of texting and detailed research on the opportunities texting can present for nonprofits.

In January 2010, text message fundraising came of age.