The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has launched a mobile giving campaign as part of its efforts to raise money to help save animals ravaged by the BP oil spill, which is estimated to be the worst in U.S. history.
The new campaign, organized in part by the Mobile Giving Foundation, allows wireless subscribers to donate $10 to the NWF’s Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund, by texting WILDLIFE to 20222.
"The more people we can get to spread our message, the more impact we can have to help wildlife affected by this senseless tragedy," said NWF chief operating officer Jaime Matyas in a statement. "…We need immediate support."
An organization spokeswoman called mobile giving a “key tool” in the NWF’s fundraising efforts around the oil spill cleanup because it “allows consumers to give quickly and at the moment that they see an appeal for help.”
“We are hoping to use mobile to establish a direct relationship with a whole new generation of NWF supporters,” she said. “Short term, our intent is to raise money to help save wildlife in the Gulf. Long term, our desire is to use mobile as yet another key channel to activate our supporters and get them engaged in protecting all of our precious wildlife today and for future generations.”
Mobile donations soared in popularity after the American Red Cross launched a text-to-give campaign that allowed cell phone users to make $10 donations by sending HAITI to 90999. The campaign raised $32 million dollars within one month of its launch and threw mobile giving into the spotlight.
Jim Manis, chairman and CEO of the non-profit Mobile Giving Foundation, says that the level of public awareness about mobile giving was “minimal” before the Haiti earthquake. “It’s unfortunate, but fairly typical, that a large emergency creates the basis for introducing people to new technology, in this case a new way of donating to a cause they support,” he says.
The foundation has had over 700 new membership inquiries since the Haiti campaign was launched and is launching upwards of 40 campaigns a week, said Manis. The group vets non-profits who use the mobile channel, certifies mobile giving programs and is working to establish industry-wide guidelines for mobile giving. The foundation also provides an SMS platform for mobile giving campaigns and distributes mobile donations collected by the campaigns to non-profits.
The success of mobile donations lies in its ability to allow potential donors to act on impulse. “The immediate nature of mobile giving is very relevant to its success,” Manis says. “It allows donors to take action… it also captures a demographic that may not have a credit card to use for a donation. “
Manis says donors who send money through the mobile channel tend to be aged 18-29 because of their familiarity with text messaging but adds that it’s “equally clear” the parents of that demographic are also participating in mobile giving.
It’s not clear how much money the NWF will raise through its mobile giving initiative. The success of text-to-give campaigns varies widely between causes: while the Haiti mobile relief effort raised an estimated $20 million within a week of its launch a similar campaign launched for a devastating earthquake in Chile raised just $100,000 in the first eleven days of the campaign.
The public profile of causes effects donations, as does the government’s willingness to accept aid; Chilean mobile fundraising efforts were hampered in part by the government’s hesitancy to accept outside help.
Manis says one thing is clear with the gulf oil spill: the public needs to take a role in the cleanup efforts. So far the disaster has dumped up to 28 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, according to recent estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey.
“There’s a natural inclination for people to think BP is going to take care of the cost, but there’s a need for us to stand up and take care of this,” he says.