Donating by cell phone is incredibly quick and easy: You just text a word or number to a specific phone number, and a set amount is charged to your phone bill. Your carrier then delivers the funds to the charity. Advocates say that mobile donations are an appealing option because they're convenient and offer instant gratification. The system also opens up philanthropy to individuals who might otherwise feel that they couldn't contribute. Younger audiences, for instance, appreciate being able to donate via text message because they don't need a credit card to do so.
Try to determine whether normal texting rates will apply to your donation. It all depends on the carrier and on the charity you're giving to. In addition, make sure you're committing to a one-time donation and not to a recurring one that will appear on your phone bill every month. The biggest problem with mobile donations, though, isn't where the money is going, but how long it will take to get there. It might take only a few seconds for a donor to text a gift, yet the contribution might not reach the targeted relief agencies for a few months. ECFA
Editor: I wish he'd talked about how non-profits could set up a text-donating system for their own fundraising. Now that would be interesting, eh?
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