What is the purpose of the Mobile Giving Foundation?
The Foundation was created to combine the incredible scope and capabilities of the 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-C is working with Canadian wireless carriers to create a “Mobile Giving Channel,” a single channel available to wireless subscribers of almost all Canadian wireless carriers by which users can instantaneously respond to charitable solicitations by a text message.
Do the wireless operators retain any portion of your donation?
Wireless operators graciously enable this service without retaining any portion of your donation or levying any “cost recovery” fees.
Who is behind MGF and the MGF-C?
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, has co-founded and led the 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. The MGF partnered with the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) to form the MGF Canada. The CWTA, led by Bernard Lord, is the pre-eminent wireless industry trade organization in Canada. Bernard’s commitment to innovation and creative use if wireless technology was instrumental in forming the MGF-C, along with his staff led by David Farnes. In addition, Scott Kepron has provided significant leadership in bringing this effort to fruition.
What is the status of the MGF-C?
The MGF-C has launched a number of successful campaigns in Canada and anticipates a continued rollout of mobile giving services as charities adopt mobile giving, and donors experience its ease and relevance.
How is the MGF-C Governed?
The MGF-C is governed according to accepted non-profit foundation standards. In addition to a representative Board of Directors (currently undergoing expansion), an Advisory Board of wireless industry and foundation executives is being put in place.
How does the Mobile Giving Channel work?
MGF-C serves as the link between a charitable giving campaign, the wireless operators and the 21 million wireless users in Canada. A donor sees or experiences a call to action such as “To help make a child’s wish come true text WISH to 30333 and donate $5 to the Children’s Wish Foundation.” (By example) We vet all Registered Charities that use the mobile channel, certify all mobile giving programs, provide industry-wide guidance for charitable campaigns and establish, with industry-wide input, the guidelines and standards for mobile giving. Additionally, we facilitate the text messages through our platform, collect funds generated through mobile giving campaigns from the carriers and then distribute the collected funds to the designated charity.
I am a RC, how do I get started?
- Download the MGF-C Guidelines to ensure that your organization qualifies to conduct mobile campaigns.
- Contact one of our approved application service providers (ASP) who will manage the technical components of your mobile giving campaign.
Email support@mobilegiving.org if you have additional questions.
What is SMS or text messaging?
SMS stands for Short Message Service, commonly known to consumers as text messaging. The protocol is designed to send text messages to and from mobile phones. The messages may be up to 136 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 4, 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-C mobile donation campaigns currently use short codes: 20222, 30333, 45678.
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 donation to an 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.
