Mobile

In the wake of the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January, lots of folks are holding out hope that text-to-give and other mobile apps will be the Next Big Thing.

After the tragedy in Haiti, the word “mobile” seemed to take on a life of its own. Like most bright, shiny things, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the success we saw with text-to-donate campaigns for Haiti relief. While bringing the use of mobile devices into the nonprofit world is most certainly a positive step, it still must hold up to the standard critiques given to any new method of communication that an organization decides to test when reaching out to their constituents. Here are a few things to mull over as you add SMS to your nonprofit vocabulary.

Interested in mobile giving? Be sure to read "Early Signals on Mobile Philanthropy: Is Haiti the Tipping Point?," a joint study by Convio, Edge Research and Sea Change Strategies analyzing mobile trends and adoption rates across Gen Y, Gen X, baby boomers and mature donors.

Palo Alto, Calif., March 1, 2010 — CauseWorld, the mobile application that allows consumers to give to causes just by entering retail stores and restaurants, has added the option to contribute to the Chile earthquake relief effort. The funds sent to Chile through the app will be facilitated by CauseWorld partner GlobalGiving, a nonprofit aid resource for disaster relief and long-term development around the world. 

In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, important lessons are unfolding that underscore how the nature of fundraising is evolving as a direct result of technology and social media. 

Feb. 12, 2010, Austin, Texas – The newest fundraising tool for participants in the 2010 Hill Country Ride for AIDS comes by way of the mobile device. The Central Texas nonprofit launched its new iPhone application, further equipping event participants with the technology solutions they need to reach more donors and be more successful in their peer-to-peer fundraising efforts.

In the midst of the massive fundraising efforts for Haiti relief, and with donations garnered through text messaging grabbing national and international headlines, it was no surprise that mobile fundraising provoked much discussion and debate throughout the conference.

Nonprofit organizations around the world are raising millions of dollars via mobile fundraising for disaster relief in Haiti. And their experiences might well turn out to be both proving and testing grounds for this still-new medium.

In the session “Mobile, Online, Offline” at the DMA Nonprofit Federation 2010 Washington Nonprofit Conference last week, the “mobile” part of the presentation — moderated by Mark Smith, fundraising director, Greenpeace — took center stage as attendees engaged with speakers in a lively Q&A portion.

We're calling a new rector for my church. This entails creating a detailed profile of our institution, assessing our ministries, analyzing our finances, and praying and reflecting on our next "calling." It also entails letting some ministries go.

Lynn Edmonds, president, L.W. Robbins Associates
Loyal donors are being conservative but holding on. Since the spring, we have seen a slight increase in giving in some audiences but not all. And in certain cases, we have been able to reactivate lapsed donors by decreasing the gift asks.