Many charities now accept donations through mobile texting, especially for domestic or international emergencies. The Red Cross, for example, broke new ground in 2010 with its huge campaign to raise money for the Haiti earthquake victims.
But many people may have never donated by text through their mobile phones. If you are one of those people and would like to try it out, just follow these simple directions:
How do you text a donation?
Find out the phrase to text and the number (short code) to send it to, depending on which charity you wish to donate to. For example, you might text the word "CHARITY" to the number 491062 and hit send. That, in this hypothetical case, would trigger a donation of $10 to the charity. Wait to receive a text message asking you to confirm your donation. Click yes. Your donation will not take effect until you confirm it.
Your $10 donation will be charged to your mobile phone bill. Your donation will be processed through an intermediary, such mGive, that specializes in processing mobile donations. That intermediary may charge a small fee for the transaction. mGive charges $.25 per donation. In some cases such as a high profile emergency, the processor may waive the fee. Your phone company may or may not charge text and message fees depending on your mobile phone plan.
You may be able to repeat your text donation up to a maximum of $30, again depending on your phone company. Your donation/s will appear on your mobile phone bill.
Don't expect a thank you message other than a short text message automatically generated to your phone. One of the drawbacks to mobile donations is that the charity receiving your donation does not have access to donor information.
Save your phone bill to use as a receipt in order to receive a tax deduction for the donation.
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