About Us

Mission Statement

Our goal is to enable the mobile channel for charitable giving in support of good causes by using the convenience, security and ubiquity of wireless network based billing systems across all mobile platforms – messaging, apps, web, advertising and social. Non-profit organizations will find mobile to be an effective channel for new donor acquisition, fundraising and donor interaction. Donors will find the use of mobile to be convenient, immediate, private and secure. Merging philanthropy with the power of the mobile medium serves the broader objective of expanding the pool of contributors to include those who might only be able to afford to make a small gift through a $5, $10, $15, $20, $25, $30, $40 or $50 charged through their carrier bill. Donors can immediately respond to a mobile call to action whether it is delivered at point of sale, on television, via print, etc. 100% of each donation is remitted directly from the wireless operators to the Mobile Giving Foundation, which operates as a Donor Advised Fund under IRS regulations, and grants 100% of the donation to the recommended pre-qualified charity minus applicable processing charges, if any.

The Mobile Giving Foundation operates in the US and Canada, and serves global charitable interests by:

Providing the organizational element enabling charitable giving across wireless carrier platforms
Oversee responsibility for compliance with all federal and provincial laws and regulations
Developing, managing and maintaining standards for participation
Certifying non-profit participation and giving campaigns — our certification program provides assurances to both the carriers and to donors making donations through carrier billed donations
Manage message delivery and billing solutions across carriers
Managing short codes and keywords utilized by charities for mobile giving
Providing billing settlement and a records clearinghouse between carriers, other billing processers and participating charities
Providing tax receipting tools for the individual donor
Providing publishers and brands with a Donor Advised Fund service to ensure a trusted corporate social responsibility experience
Managing ongoing technological development and policy to support enhanced program offerings and increased functionality

History, Charitable Status and Charitable Objectives

The Mobile Giving Foundation (MGF) was founded in 2007 by veterans of the wireless industry who wanted to harness the immense power of wireless communications to empower non-profit organizations. The concept was simple: give the millions of American wireless users a single “Mobile Giving Channel” over which they could receive and respond to appeals from worthy causes.

Specifically, MGF’s founders envisioned themselves as the organizational element that would permit charitable giving over the networks of US wireless carriers. Their goals were to develop and manage carrier standards for participation; ensure compliance with all laws and regulations concerning charitable giving; certify the participation of Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) and their campaigns; manage message delivery and billing solutions across all carriers; and act as a billing settlement and records clearinghouse between carriers and participating charities.

Since its launch, MGF has achieved 501 (C) (3) tax-exempt status, registered in all states to undertake charitable solicitations, enlisted numerous wireless industry participants, established relationships with major NPOs and won the support of wireless industry associations.

How It Works

MGF serves as the link between a charitable giving campaign, the wireless operators, and the millions of wireless users in the United States. MGF vets all non-profit organizations that utilize the mobile channel, certifies all mobile giving programs, provides industry-wide guidance for charitable campaigns and establishes, with industry-wide input, the guidelines and standards for mobile giving. Additionally, we facilitate the text messages through our platform, process billable donations, collect funds generated through mobile giving campaigns from the carriers and then distribute the collected funds to the designated charity at 100% pass through. The wireless carriers pass 100% of the charitable funds they collect through to MGF. The MGF then remits 100% of the donation, minus processing charges if applicable, to the recipient non-profit within 30 days of receiving funds from the wireless carriers. The MGF charges back costs for short-code costs, reporting and messaging charges directly to the non-profit organizations or their supporting service providers on a post-donation basis.

Board of Directors

John Graham, President and CEO, American Society of Association Executives (Board Chair)
Jim Manis, Founder
Brad Horwitz, President, Trilogy International
Brian Ashby, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Verizon
Sheri Bachstein, Global Head of Consumer Business, IBM Watson – The Weather Company

Management Team

Jim Manis, Founder and Board Member, Chief Philanthropy Officer
Sonia Vahedian, Chief Operating Officer
Joe Manis, Director, Charity and Partner Operations
Becky Shanafelt, Accountant
Katherine Winchester, Director, MGFC
Fiona Worley, Advisor, MGFC

Advisory Group

Tom Wheeler, former CEO of the CTIA and current partner of Core-Capital (former)
Mike Buhrmann, Partner, 1024 Partners
Sally Martin, former Grants Manager, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (former)
Paul Reddick, CEO of Handmark and former Vice President of Sprint PCS
Lisa-Anne Uhrmacher, Sprint and Advisor to the Tug McGraw Foundation
Anne Schelle, Actium Advisors
Wayne Irwin, President of the Americas, Acision
Richard Siber, President & CEO, Siber Consulting
Paul Palmieri, President & CEO, Millennial Media
Louis Gump, CEO of NewsOn Media (former member of the MGF Board of Directors)
Jeffrey Glass, Starting Five Partners (former member of the MGF Board of Directors)
Mike Silva, former COO, MGF; CEO & Founder, KnuVu
Jay Emmet, GM, Openmarket and SVP, Amdocs
Albe Angel, CEO, Give on the Go
Kurt Eide, Executive Producer, I.D. Studios, Inc.
Mark McDowell, Partner, Acta Wireless
Soren Schafft, Partner, Modern Crossing
Fabrice Sergent, CEO, Cellfish Media (ex officio)