Remove the barriers to giving, and people will give. That seems to be the lesson many charities are learning in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti on Tuesday. Within 36 hours, mobile donations to relief efforts for Haiti have topped $7 million, according to the Mobile Giving Foundation.
The organization says it represents a mobile-giving record in terms of funds raised for a single cause. U.S. and Canadian supporters have been texting on behalf of a variety of organizations, as the Mobile Giving Foundation has been activating new short codes. The orgs include:
—the Yéle Foundation, the leading contributor to rebuilding Haiti founded by Wyclef Jean: Text the word “Yele” to 501501 to donate $5
—the Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief Fund: Text the word “Haiti” to 20222 to donate $10
—the International Medical Corp: Text the word “Haiti” to 85944 to donate $10
—the International Rescue Committee: Text the word “Haiti” to 25383 to donate $5
—the the Red Cross in the U.S.: Text the word “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10
—the Salvation Army Upper Wisconsin: Text the word “Haiti” to 52000 to donate $10
—the Salvation Army in Canada: Text the word “Haiti” to 45678 (In Canada Only)
—the Plan Canada: Text the word “Haiti” to 30333 (In Canada Only)
The charges show up as a one-time fee on a users’ wireless bill, and the Mobile Giving Organization says 100 percent of the proceeds go to the charity (meaning no carriage fees get collected).
In related news, American Express and Visa said that they would waive or rebate all merchant transaction fees for donations made via credit card, in the wake of widespread criticism by media outlets like HuffPo. Amex will rebate the merchant fees for charities listed on the website of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) between Jan 12 and Feb 28; Visa will rebate fees generated through the end of Feb as well (via the AFP).
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