Can Mobile Fundraising Work For You?

Mobile phones are the third screen for many of us in our lives. We watch tv, surf the internet, and now spend hours a day utilizing and exploring the wonders of our mobile phones. The mobile phone has become one of our most valued items and as seen recently, we can even use it to help others in the world.

As you likely already know, you can give a donation to the American Red Cross for Haiti via your mobile phone. The technology has existed for a while, so this isn't anything new. The key now is that people are using these devices instead of others like your computer. A majority of people even use their mobile phone in place of their computer. The American Red Cross has raised more than $35 million dollars for Haiti solely from mobile donations, according to the Mobile Giving Foundation.

According to a March 2009 report from the United Nations, nearly 60% of the world has a cell phone subscription. The driving growth trend is coming from poor developing countries. This 60% figure is up from just under 15% in 2002. That's a lot of phones! (Now if everyone would make a concerted effort to not text while driving...)

Mobile technology is quickly becoming one of the hottest marketing communication technologies of 2010. The question to ask is: are you ready? Are you prepared to communicate with your audiences using mobile technology? Here are some items to consider:

• Is your website mobile optimized?
• Have you started creating a database of mobile phone numbers?
• Do you know how to create a mobile communication plan?
• Can your company create enough buzz to rally people to donate?

These are just a few of the considerations when deciding if mobile is right for you. There are regulations that govern mobile giving that will also need to be considered, and you should definitely devise a long-range plan and strategy for communicating via mobile.

If you would like to see how your organization could use mobile technology or just have questions, contact ABC Creative Group.