Sanky Blog

By the end of 2009, approximately $1 million had been given to charities via mobile phones. At the start of February 2010, that number has grown to over $50 million!

By now it’s obvious that the tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 12 (and the aftershocks that followed) was a catalyst for the explosive growth of mobile giving. And considering that there’s a cap of $5 or $10 per donation cap, getting to $50 million via mobile in a few weeks meant over 6 million people donated – impressive numbers for any campaign, but even more so for a giving channel that was as small but nascent as mobile giving was before the earthquake.

We’ve seen over the years breakout successes that have really driven a giving medium forward. September 11^th, 2001 certainly stands out for online giving, but Hurricane Katrina in 2005 might be a better example. Over the course of just a few days, tens of millions of dollars came into charities online from around the country.

The Haitian earthquake has had the same impact for mobile giving. And recent data is showing – as many expected – that mobile donors are skewing younger than online donors, just as online donors are compared to direct mail donors. To this, a recent report called Early Signals on Mobile Philanthropy (full report here) had a few key findings:

• 17% of Gen Y respondents and 14% of Gen X said they made a donation to Haiti relief efforts via text message, and 3% of both Boomer and Mature respondents reported making a donation to Haiti relief efforts via text message.
• Generally speaking, 36% of all respondents were willing to donate via text message after an emergency occurs and 31% were willing to donate via text message if a friend is raising money.

Beyond the breakout success of this relatively new giving channel for charities, it’s apparent that mobile giving is also a huge opportunity for engaging a younger constituency. Contributing to this, the younger audience is an easier group to engage when there are donation caps of $5 and $10 – an amount that is within reach of many. The reality is that 1 in 6 of Gen Y and Gen X donated to earthquake relief, many of whom likely donated to a nonprofit for the first time.

There’s no question that the tragic earthquake destroyed the lives of many. But as with anything, there are new opportunities; the Haitian relief effort has shown the potential of leveraging a new medium to engage younger constituencies. Only time will tell whether or not the long-term direct marketing tactic of ongoing cultivation will mean that the 6+ million who donated in January can be renewed offline, online, or via mobile channels in the future.