SMS Donations Worked for Red Cross in Haiti, Not for Everyone Else

by Amar Toor on November 1, 2010 at 04:05 PM

When a massive earthquake struck Haiti ~~last~~ this year, the Red Cross managed to collect a total of $30 million in donations sent via text message. Since then, many other nonprofit organizations have tried to incorporate the Red Cross's SMS approach into their business models, but, as the New York Times reports, few have been able to do so successfully.

The biggest hurdle most nonprofits face is an all too familiar one: money. SMS campaigns may seem relatively simple, but marketing them effectively can often require substantial investment. In Haiti, the Red Cross benefited from highly visible endorsements from the likes of Michelle Obama and the NFL -- a luxury that very few nonprofits can afford. Even obtaining a five-digit short code, like 'HAITI,' can cost up to $12,000.

The Red Cross's involvement in Haiti was also unique because it was founded in desperate urgency. Aid workers needed money, and they needed it fast. Nonprofits devoted to more persistent, long-term causes, however, have found it difficult to arouse the same kind of instantaneous response from mobile donors. Suzy Twohig, the director of donor relations at Share Our Strength, told the Times, "The Red Crosses of the world have the urgency of 'now.'" Twohig's nonprofit, which is devoted to fighting childhood hunger, had to "[throw] a lot of spaghetti at the wall" to find the right mix of Web marketing, public service announcements and internal campaigns. "The challenge for other organizations is to figure out what the 'now' message is, and get people to experience that same sense of urgency."

Even the Red Cross has struggled to replicate the success of its Haiti campaign. Although the organization managed to pull together $250,000 in mobile donations after the May floods in Tennessee, it hasn't found a way to successfully adapt the program to non-disaster related contexts. Much of the difficulty lies in the inherently limited nature of mobile campaigns; nonprofits are only allowed to gather personal information on mobile donors if the donors expressly agree to it, making it difficult for organizations to compile donor databases for follow-up correspondence.

Some, however, see this intrinsic confidentiality as a strong selling-point for mobile donation drives, and an aspect that may attract more privacy-conscious donors. And there's no denying that SMS-based campaigns provide uniquely direct contact with younger, more connected generations. As many nonprofits have discovered, though, the Red Cross's blueprint can't be easily followed, and it certainly can't guarantee windfall donations. "When nonprofits smell money, they tend to jump on the bandwagon without thinking it through," said Katrin Verclas, co-founder of MobileActive, a nonprofit mobile network aimed at advancing social welfare. "Mobile giving isn't a magic bullet. It's just one of many tools nonprofits can use."

Tags: cellphone, charity, disasterrelief, donation, haiti, HaitiEarthquake, HaitiRelief, money, NonProfit, RedCross, sms, Texting, top

source: NYT

Comments

Robert DeenNov 2nd 2010 8:46AM

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I donate to the red cross, every 56 days.

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Bob BentzNov 2nd 2010 9:08AM

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Great story and very accurate with one exception. In the second paragraph, you refer to HAITI as a "short code" which it is not. In this instance, 90999 is the short code and HAITI is the keyword.

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peteNov 2nd 2010 11:09AM

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Red Cross, and all other charities, would benefit greatly if big government would get out of the business or "redistributing wealth." When I don't know how much my taxes are going to go up, when I see the cost everything I buy daily (gas, groceries, shaving cream, hair gel, skivvies, and everything else) increasing weekly, the only thing I know for sure is I'm not going to have as much to donate as I did last year.

I'd much rather give the guy on the corner $10 than have MY government take $1,000 from me for "charity" and, after it's processed thru government hands, they give the guy on the corner the equivalent of a few pennies in a voucher or welfare credit card. That type of "charity" does neither the guy on the corner or myself a whit of good.

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VanessaNov 2nd 2010 3:14PM

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The earthquake in Haiti was this year not last! ... I can't even finish reading the rest of the article.

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KatieNov 2nd 2010 12:25PM

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I wouldn't donate to the Red Cross if they were the last charity in the world! I would BURN my money first!
Several years back I was helping fill sandbags to help keep my community from flooding. It was November, it was raining/sleeting, IT WAS COLD! But as a member of that community I felt it was my place to volunteer for this duty. About 5-6 hours into the day, the Red Cross showed up and set up a couple of warming tents and had sandwiches and hot coffee & hot chocolate available to the volunteers FOR PURCHASE!! I guess it wasn't enough that we were out breaking our backs in the cold rain, they wanted to charge us for the hot food and drink. AND, to make matters worse, we weren't allowed to sit in their warming tent unless we purchased food and/or drink!
Up until that time, I was a faithful blood donor who went every 56 days to donate. I KNOW they make a lot of money selling the blood to the pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and clinics. Up until the time of the flooding, I had already donated 8 GALLONS! to them. No more! If the blood bank is affiliated with the Red Cross, they don't get my donations. Great! I wonder if they charge the fire victims they assist, or heaven forbid, the Haitians!!

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BlkmagickferretNov 2nd 2010 4:56PM

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@SassyKat Unfortunately, the answer is: Yes, the Red Cross does charge victims of fires, tornadoes, floods, etc. that they assist. A month or so after the disaster, people who received assistance will get a bill for blankets, clothing, and food they were "given". The Red Cross has been doing this since at least the early 1950s. I've found that most people don't know this and find it hard to believe.

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Geocur3971Nov 4th 2010 1:55PM

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I, too, have a regular supporter of the Red Cross. That support continued up until I had conversations with several people who were in New Orleans during the Katrina tragedy. When I learned of the overt, arrogant racism, including to hungry, homeles black children, openly practiced by Red Cross workers there, I decided that I would NEVER donate another red cent to them. And I shan't. Nor will any member of my nuclear family, at very least, and I'm still working to spread the word.

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