Santa, stockings & SMS: Mobile giving this holiday season

By: RogersMiranda

December 21st, 2010 a 11:30am

Giving to the needy is an important part of many Canadians’ holiday season.

We’re a giving nation, after all, with Statistics Canada reporting that nearly a quarter of us claimed a charitable donation on our tax returns last year. In one of our very first blog posts, we talked about how Rogers and Fido customers donated more than $385,000 to Haiti relief efforts through text messages. Since then, mobile giving campaigns facilitated through organizations like The Mobile Giving Foundation have successfully raised millions for various charities and relief efforts.

Indeed, thanks to mobile technologies, making a charitable donation has never been easier.

Connected Rogers Magazine has put together an article highlighting the ways to donate via your cell phone to hundreds of charities that have teamed up with the Mobile Giving Foundation including:

The Canadian Cancer Society – Text Fight or Life to 30333 to make a $5 donation
Daily Bread Food Bank – Text Hunger or Need to 45678 to make a $5 donation
Canadian Red Cross – Text redcross to 30333 to donate $5 toward the Canadian Red Cross relief efforts for flood survivors in Pakistan

As the article notes: “Donating this way is one of the safer ways to give money. Your wireless carrier simply adds $5 or $10 – depending on the charity’s code – onto your month-end phone bill. No credit card information is exchanged; the Mobile Giving Foundation collects the cash from the carrier monthly and then hands it over to the charity.”

You can learn more about how to get a tax receipt for your donation here.

Also, if you follow Connected Rogers Magazine on Twitter (@connectedmag), Rogers will donate $1 to the United Way for each new follower by January 1, 2011.

On behalf of us here at RedBoard, happy holidays. And, please do remember to give.

Miranda MacDonald is a regular contributor to RedBoard

Rating: 3.3/5 (8 votes cast)

Santa, stockings & SMS: Mobile giving this holiday season, 3.3 out of 5 based on 8 ratings

Categories:

Community, Wireless

Tags:

Canadian Cancer Society, charity, Connected Rogers Magazine, Daily Bread Food Bank, giving, Haitan relief, Haiti, holidays, mobile giving, Red Cross, smartphone, SMS, text messaging, The Mobile Giving Foundation, Wireless

6 Comments

Gabe says: December 22nd, 2010 a 8:12pm

Can I still donate even I’d I have dumb telus
- RogersMiranda says: December 23rd, 2010 a 4:40pm
  
  Yes, I beleive so. The text-to-donate service is available on most carriers. You can contact the Mobile Giving Foundation for more information though.
Evan says: December 23rd, 2010 a 2:03am

I’d donate, but I don’t see the point of Rogers getting MY donation receipt, and getting a tax break. Why have donate through a third party, when you can donate directly. Just sayin.
- Solomon says: December 28th, 2010 a 7:38pm
  
  Rogers doesn’t get your tax receipt, and it says that you can get a receipt right in the article, which you obviously didn’t read.. Learn to read before commenting.
Tom says: December 24th, 2010 a 5:13pm

Hi Miranda

Love the $1 donation by Rogers for each account following on twitter. Couple Q’s – can anyone follow to cause the $1 donation to be made? What, if any, upper limit is Rogers putting on their donation to the United Way?
- RogersStacey says: January 5th, 2011 a 10:57am
  
  Hi Tom,
  Sorry for the delay – I’m Stacey, I work with Miranda and wanted to jump in to answer your questions:
  
  –There was a limit of a $5,000 donation to the United Way total, and folks (could be anyone, did not have to be a Rogers or Fido customer) could follow @connectedmag by Jan. 1, 2011 in order to make their donation count.
  
  –That said, the way the program was set up was that new followers to @connectedmag would result in a $1 per new follower donation being made to the United Way – so basically 1 new follower = $1 for the United Way up to the limit above.
  
  Cheers,
  -Stacey