- What is the purpose of the Mobile Giving Foundation?
The Foundation was created to combine the incredible scope and capabilities of the
US wireless industry with a need for charitable organizations to find a new class
of donors and newer, more intuitive methods of facilitating contributions. Specifically,
MGF is working with US wireless carriers to create a "Mobile Giving Channel," a
single channel available to wireless subscribers of all US wireless carriers by
which users can instantaneously respond to charitable solicitations by a text message.
- What is its status at present (March 2008)?
The MGF is up and running, and on the brink of its public launch with announcement
of founding partners and a wide-ranging fundraising and public awareness campaign.
To date, MGF has achieved 501 (C) (3) tax status, registered in states across the
country to undertake charitable solicitations, enlisted numerous wireless industry
participants, established relationships with major non-profit organizations (NPOs),
and won the support of wireless industry associations.
To prove the viability of mobile giving in the US, the MGF and United Way combined
to create a campaign to fight childhood obesity. Launched with a 10-second advertisement
during the recent Super Bowl in Arizona, the campaign was pronounced "profoundly
successful" by United Way, which plans to greatly expand its use of mobile giving.
- Who is behind MGF?
The Foundation was launched in August, 2007 by Jim Manis, a founder of mobile content
aggregator M-Qube, since sold to Verisign, who was instrumental in launching some
of the wireless industry's first "text to give" campaigns following Hurricane Katrina
and the Indonesian tsunami. Jim has been working with a core group of wireless industry
veterans and foundation experts on a voluntary basis, and plans to implement professional
staffing upon completing a fund-raising campaign.
- How is the MGF funded?
The MGF has initiated a Founders Capital Campaign planned to raise $1 million each
year for the next two years to cover initial start-up expenses including technology
acquisition and hiring permanent staff. QUALCOMM has led this campaign with founding
sponsorship along with the participation of other companies including Acta Wireless,
Mobile Accord, Hook Mobile, 1024 Wireless Services and VeriSign. Plans call for
the MGF to be self-sustainable once it achieves scale. The existing founding management
team, all volunteers, will remain on-board until sufficient staff is retained.
- How is the MGF Governed?
The MGF is governed according to accepted non-profit foundation standards. In addition
to Mr. Manis and a Board of Directors (currently undergoing expansion), an Advisory
Board of wireless industry and foundation executives is in place and operating.
- How does the Mobile Giving Channel work?
MGF serves as the link between a charitable giving campaign, the wireless industry
and the 250 million wireless users in the US. We help NPOs market their campaigns,
offer our messaging platform to interested wireless carriers, collect 100% of funds
generated over the Mobile Giving Channel, deduct messaging and other costs and distribute
90-95% of funds collected to recipient NPOs within 90 days of campaign closure.
- Isn't charitable giving in the US already well established?
In a way, yes. Some $300 billion a year is raised by charitable organizations, the
great percentage of that from individual donors. But contributing by text messaging
constitutes a tremendous advancement over current means. The immediacy and ubiquity
of wireless communications provides a huge advancement in speed and ease of use.
Contributors don't need to write a check, fill out forms or call someone they just
text a reply and the giving cycle is complete. The time lapse from notification
to contribution can be seconds rather than days, weeks or months.
- What's next for the MGF?
We plan to officially launch during the Spring of 2008 , with announcement of our
Founding Capital Campaign and an ongoing fundraising campaign that will permanently
establish the MGF. Further down the road are campaigns planned by leading charitable
organizations which have aligned with the MGF, including UNICEF, ASPCA, St. Jude's
Hospital, Keep a Child Alive, PBS and others.
- How do I get started?
Contact Jen Snyder of the Mobile Giving Foundation (jsnyder@mobilegiving.org) to
request an NPO application packet.
If in need of technical or creative interactive assistance contact an application
service provider that has been approved by the Mobile Giving Foundation. Currently,
that list includes:
i. Mobile Accord, Tony Aiello, SVP.
TAiello@mobileaccord.com, or visit
mGive.com
ii. Mobile Cause, George Morales,
George@mobilecause.com
iii. Mobile Commons, Jed Alpert,
jed@mcommons.com
iv. Wireless Factory, Stefan Latt,
sl@wirelessfactory.com, or visit wirelessfactory.com
v. Distributive Networks, Jeff Lee,
giving@distributivenetworks.com
- What is SMS or text messaging?
SMS stands for Short Message Service, commonly know to consumers as text messaging.
The protocol is designed to send text messages to and from mobile phones. The messages
may be up to 160 characters in length including spaces. Almost 100% of today’s phones
can send and receive text messages!
- What is a short code?
Similar to a telephone number, short codes are special 5 or 6 digit codes used to
route text messages from mobile phones to interactive mobile messaging applications,
typically in combination with a keyword. They are designed to be shorter to read
and easier to remember than normal telephone numbers. Short codes also allow for
billing and other unique forms of interaction via the mobile phone such as television
voting, ordering ringtones, charity donations and mobile chat services. MGF mobile
donation campaigns use short codes: 20222, 27222, 40202, 41010, 464329, 861232 (UNICEF),
864833 (UNITED) and 90999 at this time.
- What is a keyword?
Used in combination with a short code, a keyword is a word that differentiates a
mobile campaign form others on the same short code. The keyword and short code combination
allows mobile phone users to make a donation to MGF sponsored mobile donation campaign.
For example, an organization called Clean Water Planet might choose the keyword
WATER. In order to make a donation, mobile phone users would send the word WATER
as the body of his or her text message e.g. to the short code 20222.