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E-mail DanMobile Giving: Lessons From The Haiti Relief Efforts
January 19th, 2010 - by Dan AllenbyThe business of raising money for charity is not complex. Beware of making it that way.
It’s not about convincing people to make a donation. It’s about creating opportunities for people to make a gift in a way (and at a time) that’s both rewarding and convenient for them. Letters, phone calls, and e-mails don’t convince people to give. Experiences and causes do. Fundraising appeals are just reminders that connect people to things that they have already identified as important.
The first question you should ask when evaluating your fundraising appeal isn’t “who should be the signatory?” or “what font works best?” Rather, it’s how does this make it easy for a donor to make gift?
Text fundraising underscores this very point. In the wake of last week’s tragic earthquake in Haiti, text fundraising has been recognized as an easy and immediate way to support people in need. Techcrunch’s recent article on mobile giving explains how and why mobile giving has recently come of age. Click here to read the article, which includes the following list of options for texting support to the relief efforts currently underway in Haiti.
- Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross
- Text QUAKE to 20222 to donate $10 to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
- Text HABITAT to 25383 to donate $10 to Habitat For Humanity
- Text OXFAM to 25383 to donate $10 to Oxfam
- Text HAITI to 25383 to donate $5 to International Rescue Committee
- Text HAITI to 45678 to donate $5 to the Salvation Army in Canada
- Text YELE to 501501 to donation $5 to Yele
- Text RELIEF to 30644 to get connected to Catholic Relief Services
- 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
I do think this situation is different for many of us in the business of raising funds while also building relationships. People are responding to an immediate need and the vast majority are not going to renew their support for the American Red Cross/Unicef/etc., until the next major catastrophe occurs. Giving via text is expensive – the carriers are waiving their fees for this disaster – in some cases can be as high as 50%; the opportunity for stewardship by the organization is typically not available; and in most cases, the organization doesn’t receive it’s money for 90 days. For organizations that are trying to build a relationship with a donor and to move him/her through the phases of philanthropy, text giving isn’t the model that facilitates these goals. If the goal is to raise money for an awful tragedy immediately then it’s a means to an end. I just don’t think it’s the answer for most non-profits until several issues are addressed.
Yele isn’t in a position to provide quick-turnaround humanitarian aid, according to its founer, Wyclef Jean.
Here is a foolish question. When I dial these numbers on my Verizon mobile phone I get “Your call cannot be completed as dialed.” What am I doing wrong.