Text Giving: A Tool, Not a Miracle

There's no way to find a factual answer to that question. But it should haunt the dreams of the Red Cross and every other organization that makes big use of text-to-give.

And here's the other thing: While it might look like millions of dollars magically appeared in the books of the Red Cross, that's not quite how it happened. The Red Cross has a unique brand that places it top of mind when disasters strike. That's a position few other fundraisers have. Can you get Michelle Obama to tell everyone in America to text a gift to your organization? Would you be one of the three or four organizations being mentioned by millions of Facebookers and Twitterers? Each organization that raked in text gifts in January had an over-the-top brand presence, mega-celebrities pushing it or disciplined marketing strategies to get its text number out there. Usually all three.