Debating Text-to-Give

After the devastating earthquake in Haiti earlier this year, more and more people are texting to give. If it brings in donations from people who wouldn't otherwise give or from folks who then will go on to give larger contributions online or in the mail, that's a good thing — a great thing, actually, to the tune of more than $30 
million just days after the quake hit.

But does the ease and immediacy of text-to-give somehow suppress donations by encouraging small, quick gifts in lieu of online or direct-mail gifts that tend to be much larger than the $10 cap text-to-give allows?

"Yes!" if you ask some folks. "No way!" if you ask others. You can find arguments on both sides of the fence — and observations about mobile giving in general — in Jeff Brooks' column on Page 16 and in our "More About Mobile" feature on Page 27.

That there are such diverse opinions — even among experts in the mobile-giving milieu — just underscores the fact that it is a very young medium, with a world of potential to be discovered and pitfalls to be overcome.

What do you think? Please share your opinions about mobile and text-to-give efforts, and we'll include them in a Web-exclusive story at fundraisingsuccessmag.com

Hey, Joe

In FS staff news: Managing Editor Janet Spavlik is leaving to take the editor-in-chief spot at our sister publication, Book Business. We wish her the best! And moving on up is Joe Boland, who will become senior editor for FS. Joe has been with our parent company, North American Publishing Co., for two years as the Target Marketing Group's kick-butt copy editor and as a contributing writer for this and other magazines. He'll be largely responsible for the FS Advisor. I'm so happy to welcome him aboard. You can reach Joe at jboland@napco.com.

A note on our online conference

Everyone at FS is super excited about our very first, daylong virtual conference and expo, "Engaging, Enlightening, Empowering Donors," which we'll host on Thursday, May 20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's seven hours of sessions dedicated to offering you the latest and most effective fundraising strategies, tips and tactics for your organization, presented by some of the most respected fundraising professionals in the sector. And the real kicker? It's 100 percent free! Tons of your peers already have signed up. Shouldn't you? Go here to register and check out the rockin' agenda: tinyurl.com/yajspdb