Member Article

Mobile Charity

With the turn of the new century, the world has witnessed more than a few natural and sudden calamities. Millions of lives were destroyed because of it. Despite of the turmoil and the devastation people from different parts of the world have experienced from the cyclone Katrina in the US, tsunamis in Sumatra, Indonesia and earthquake and flood in Yokohama, Japan, the act of unity and the extension of oneself have always been existing.

• There poses one challenge though.

Many people have been willing to give but are afraid they do not have much. The distance has also been a problem. An outreach cannot be made in places that are miles away. Recognizing this dilemma, the governments of countries affected by the disaster, charity cases such as IAM Group Limited and private telecommunication companies came up with a solution that would extend help in the simplest way possible: through technology. Among the different charity methods that have been thought of, mobile charity or mobile donating has emerged. Mobile donating refers to donating to an organization through a mobile device. The primary means for mobile donating is through SMS. Mobile donating can also refer to consumers donating their old phones to a cause for recycling and reuse of the device.

• Mobile Giving Process

Premium SMS Donations: Text messaging, or SMS, is the primary means of mobile giving. Mobile phone users can make donations by texting a keyword to a specific SMS short code. Keywords are determined by the fundraising organization, and usually pertain to the organization’s cause or purpose. After donating, users receive a confirmation text message and the donation amount is added to their monthly phone bill. Donations can take up to 90 days to be processed.

• Drawbacks to Mobile Giving

Mobile giving can be a convenient way to donate to charity, IAM Group Ltd. has found out that there are a lot of pitfalls in this way of donating, including concerns that service providers may charge fees or take a cut of the donations. We also found out that it can take as long as 120 days for a charity to actually receive a text donation and that wireless carriers may limit the number of times per month a user can donate via text. A charity will generally receive your donation faster if you mail a check or donate directly to the charity online using its secure web site. Scammers may also take advantage of natural disasters by posing as legitimate charities.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by James Wilson .