For Donors

1. What is the purpose of the Mobile Giving Foundation?
2. Who is behind MGF?
3. How is the MGF funded?
4. What is SMS or text messaging?
5. What is a short code?
6. What is a keyword?
7. What is a call to action?
8. What exactly is mobile giving?
9. Are there any text messaging fees incurred from making a text message donation?
10. Where does the donation get charged?
11. How do donations reach the vetted non-profit organization?
12. Where can one obtain a tax receipt for donations made through text message?
13. Do the wireless operators receive any portion of text message donations?
14. Which wireless operators are currently supporting Mobile Giving Foundation programs?
15. Who can be contacted to answer questions about mobile giving?

1. 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 works with US wireless carriers to offer 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.

2. Who is behind MGF?

The Foundation was launched in August, 2007 by Jim Manis and other executives from the wireless industry. Jim was a founder of mobile content aggregator M-Qube since sold to VeriSign, and was instrumental in launching some of the wireless industry’s first “text to give” campaigns following Hurricane Katrina and the Indonesian tsunami. Every successful effort requires leadership and support from a variety of people and organizations. Christian Zimmern, a founder of the SMS interoperability company Inphomatch, co-founded and helped lead MGF partnership efforts. The MGF approved ASPs that work from our platform are critical resources in enabling the success of mobile giving for the NPOs. Of course, none of this would be possible without the full support of the wireless operators, who support us and their customers on a no cost basis, and the wireless industry.

3. How is the MGF funded?

In addition to revenue generated through ASPs, the MGF has benefitted from founding corporate and foundation sponsorships from: QUALCOMM, the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the U.N. Foundation, Acta Wireless, VeriSign, Acision, 1024 Wireless Services, and Hook Mobile. We would welcome your support if you would like to contribute by contacting Jim Manis at [email protected].

4. What is SMS or text messaging?

SMS stands for Short Message Service, commonly known as text messaging. Text messaging is a feature available on almost all of today’s mobile devices. This feature allows short messages, up to 135 characters in length including spaces, to be transmitted to and from mobile devices.

5. What is a short code?

Similar to a telephone number, short codes are special 5- or 6-digit numbers 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 and easier to remember than regular telephone numbers. Short codes also allow for billing and other unique forms of interaction via the mobile phone, such as news alerts, contest voting, ordering ringtones, charity donations and mobile chat services.

6. What is a keyword?

Used in combination with a short code, a keyword is a word that differentiates a mobile campaign from others on the same short code. The keyword and short code combination allows mobile phone users to make a one-time or monthly recurring donation to any specific MGF sponsored mobile donation campaign. For example, a non-profit organization 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.

7. What is a call to action?

A call to action is any advertisement that asks an individual to take action in response to the message portrayed within the advertisement. A mobile giving call to action typically asks viewers to text a specific keyword to a short code to donate $5, $10, $15, $20, $25, $30, $40 or $50 to the respective non-profit organization.

8. What exactly is mobile giving?

Mobile giving encompasses all of the above noted definitions and terms: text messaging, short code, keyword, and call to action. Mobile giving can be described as the act of donating money to a registered charity through one’s mobile device via text messaging. Mobile giving is often referred to as “text-to-donate”.

9. Are there any text messaging fees incurred from making a text message donation?

No. All text messages that are required to initiate and confirm the donation are free. There are no standard rate text message fees associated with text messages sent to or received from the mobile giving short codes throughout the donation process. The only fee incurred by the mobile user is the dollar amount of the donation itself ($5, $10, $15, $20, $25, $30, $40 or $50).

10. Where does the donation get charged?

After completing the necessary steps required to confirm a donation through text message, the charge(s) will appear on the donor’s next wireless bill/invoice statement.

11. How do donations reach the vetted non-profit organizations?

All donations made via text message are charged to the donor’s wireless bill. The wireless operators remit 100% donations that have been collected, on a monthly basis, to the Mobile Giving Foundation, which in turn remits these funds directly to the respective charities.

12. Where can one obtain a tax receipt for donations made through text message?

Official tax receipts can be obtained by visiting Tax Receipt. Please note that one must be in possession of the mobile device used to process the donation(s) in order to obtain an official tax receipt.

13. Do the wireless operators receive any portion of text message donations?

No. The wireless operators do not receive any portion of donations made through text messaging.

14. Which wireless operators are currently supporting Mobile Giving Foundation programs?

Currently, this service is available through the following wireless operators: Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular and other regional carriers through Interop Technologies. 

15. Who can be contacted to answer questions about mobile giving?

For any questions related to mobile giving in the United States, please send inquiries to [email protected].

2011-2020 990s and Audited Financials

• MGF-2020-Form-990
• MGF-2020-Audited-Financial-Statements
• MGF-2019-Form-990
• MGF-2019-Audited-Financial-Statements
• MGF-2018-Form-990
• MGF-2018-Audited-Financial-Statements
• MGF-2017-Form-990
• MGF-2017-Audited-Financial-Statements
• MGF-2016-Form-990
• MGF-2016-Audited-Financial-Statements
• MGF-2015-Form-990
• MGF-2015-Audited-Financial-Statements
• MGF-2014-Form-990
• MGF-2014-Audited-Financial-Statements
• MGF-2013-Form-990
• MGF-2013-Audited-Financial-Statements
• MGF-2012-Form-990
• MGF-2012-Audited-Financial-Statements
• MGF-2011-Form-990
• MGF-2011-Audited-Financial-Statements

2020 Annual Report