Jennifer WilsonThursday, June 9, 2011
It's actually been around for years, but texting a donation to a charity
is just beginning to make an impact, particularly with natural disaster
relief. You may have texted a donation to a national organization to
help the victims of hurricanes in the United States, earthquakes in
Haiti or even tsunamis in Japan. However, three local nonprofits have
added texting to their fundraising tool belt in the last few months.
Make-a-Wish Foundation of Michigan, Kids' Food Basket and West Michigan
Center for Arts and Technology have all included text-to-give campaigns
as a way to make a donation to their organizations. And, all three
organizations have rolled out their campaigns in conjunction with
large-scale events.
"It was a great way to reach a large group of people in a
non-traditional way," explains Christine Lentine, Fund Development and
Community Outreach Coordinator at Kids' Food Basket.
It's also an innovative way to fundraise in an environment where
technology seems to be moving faster than the speed of light and is an
additional source of revenue when donations are on a downward slope in a
sluggish economy.
Results have varied with texting donations as its very presence in West
Michigan is at an infancy level. It's very labor intensive behind the
scenes and pricing is still at a premium for the ability to receive
donations in such a way. However, these pioneering organizations have
laid a foundation from which other charities can build upon.
Although local text-to-give campaigns have not had nearly the same
results as disaster relief on a national level, we should applaud these
community charities for taking risks, creating opportunities and
remaining on the cutting edge of the nonprofit sector. Keep your eye on
these organizations as they are in the forefront of fundraising.
To be a do-gooder:
• Contribute to Make-a-Wish Foundation of Michigan through their
website
• Make a donation to Kids' Food Basket online
here
• Donate to West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology
on the webSource: Christine Lentine, Kids' Food Basket
Writer: Jennifer Wilson, Do Good Editor