The American Red Cross was on hand today to deliver the keynote for the DMA’s Nonprofit Mobile Day event in New York, where SMS and mobile-giving took center stage.
The Red Cross was just bolstering its mobile efforts when the earthquake in Haiti struck, and the nonprofit provided a lifeline of support during relief using SMS to solicit donations. “Last year around this time the American Red Cross put together a mobile team focused on disaster services and marketing, so when the earthquake in Haiti struck, it gave us an early edge,” said Jana McAndrew, manager of online fundraising at the American Red Cross.
The Red Cross said it received donations via SMS from 3 million unique donors, of which 20,000 even opted-in to receive on-going email communication. In total, the Red Cross helped raise $32M in relief aid to victims of the Haitian earthquake, of which 95% were first-time donors. This is an incredible statistic, and one that speaks volumes of the ease and reach of SMS donations.
