Author:
Bre Zigich, August 31st, 2010
Text SWAT to 50555 to Donate $10 to UNHCR. Your donation will help provide tents, blankets and emergency aid to displaced families in Pakistan
Angelina Jolie, the Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) released a video today that urges Americans to text SWAT to 50555 to donate $10 to the UNHCR. The donations will help provide tents, blankets and emergency aid to over 20 million people in Pakistan affected by the flooding.
Click on the image to view the video
In her video message the actress points to the sheer scale of the disaster. “One-fifth of Pakistan is under water and the threat of disease now looms for 20 million affected people. This is not just a humanitarian crisis; it is an economic and social catastrophe. UNHCR is on the ground. The more support we can give, the greater number of tents, food, clean water, and medicine will get to the people in need,” Jolie says.
Monsoon rains continue to sweep across parts of Pakistan displacing thousands daily. The bloated Swat river has burst its banks inundating the rich agricultural region. Of some 25 bridges in Swat there are reports that 22 have been completely washed out as flood waters wash downstream towards the Kabul and Indus rivers.
UNHCR teams in Pakistan have provided shelter and other emergency supplies to hundreds of thousands of people caught up in the disaster. But with nearly 20 million people estimated to have been affected, the needs of the victims are outpacing the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide assistance.
Please join Angelina Jolie and the UNHCR in their effort to aid Pakistan. Text SWAT to 50555 to donate $10.
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Categories: mGive Blog Tags: Angelina Jolie, mgive, mGiving, mobile accord, Mobile Donation, mobile donations, mobile fund raising, mobile fundraising, mobile giving, non profit donations, Text Donations, Text Message Donations, text to donate, text to give, UNHCR | 
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Author:
Bre Zigich, August 24th, 2010
“Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a theory. For diplomacy to work outside embassy walls and state department dinners, you have to reach out to the people. One powerful way is through their cell phones. The state department has enlisted the help of a Denver company called Mobile Accord to do this,” said Colorado Public Radio’s Ryan Warner, host of Colorado Matters.
James Eberhard, chairman and founder of mGive and its parent company Mobile Accord, was featured in a segment of Colorado Matters titled Colorado Firm Aids Digital Diplomacy which aired on Colorado Public Radio last Friday. The segment featured a discussion between Eberhard and Warner regarding Humari Awaz, “Our Voice,” Pakistan’s first free mobile social network established by Mobile Accord, the U.S. State Department and Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Technology. The broadcast also highlighted the crucial role mGive and Mobile Accord played in raising money for the earthquake victims in Haiti.
Launched in November 2009, the Humari Awaz program enables Pakistanis to build mobile-based networks that effectively allow the sharing of real time information across a nation. Powered by Mobile Accord, the network was established to link friends, families, and a range of other users – from farmers and resellers who want to share market prices, to businesses that wish to communicate with their staff on the road, to news outlets that want to share information with targeted groups. To date, the Humari Awaz program has connected over 1 million people and deployed over 350 million text messages with the U.S. State Department covering the costs of the first 24 million messages.
Additionally, shortly after receiving a phone call from the U.S. State department regarding the earthquake in Haiti, mGive partnered with the American Red Cross to provide the mobile giving platform behind the text HAITI to 90999 campaign. The unprecedented volume of donations seen during the Haitian relief effort led to the processing of upwards of 1,000 text messages per second and over $40 million in mobile donations, making the text HAITI to 90999 campaign the most successful mobile donation initiative to date.
To listen to the full interview, please visit http://www.cpr.org/#load_article|Colorado_Firm_Aids_Digital_Statecraft_.
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A Note from the Author
I just wanted to take a minute to introduce myself as you will be seeing more of my blog posts in the near future. My name is BreAnne (Bre) Zigich and I am the new Marketing and Communications Manager for mGive. In my new role, I will provide the strategic marketing direction and the voice of the organization. I graduated from Colorado State University in 2008 with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration concentrated in Marketing, a minor in Biomedical Sciences, and a certificate in Entrepreneurship. I look forward to delivering more communications surrounding mGive and welcome your comments.
Categories: mGive Blog Tags: Colorado Public Radio, CPR, James Eberhard, mgive, mobile accord, mobile donations, mobile fundraising, mobile giving | No comments
Author:
Angela Whaley, August 19th, 2010
Text GOAL to 90999 to donate $10
Soccer star Landon Donovan has partnered with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to run a 10 day campaign to raise money for childhood cancer. Be sure to listen for Donovan on ESPN radio TODAY at 1:10 p.m. Pacific Time and Fox radio this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time as he talks about why he supports LLS and how your contributions can make a difference.
Leukemia is the most prominent cancer, and killer, of children. Now is the time to focus on children battling leukemia as they are heading back to school. Landon Donovan and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society are asking you to contribute just $10 to BrighTEN the Future of Children and help conquer childhood cancer. Text GOAL to 90999 to give $10. Landon’s “goal” is to help raise money to fund cancer research that will enable patients to live better, longer lives.
The Leukemia Lymphoma Society is dedicated to curing leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and helping patients and their families. The support you provide is always invested wisely. To view where your contribution is going, click here.
The campaign ends August 26, so be sure to donate soon and tweet your support to let Donovan and LLS know you contributed!
Twitter.com/LLSUSA
Twitter.com/LandonDonovan
Twitter.com/mGive
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$10 will be added to your mobile phone bill/ deducted from your prepaid account. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Full Terms: mGive.org/T. Privacy Policy.
Categories: mGive Blog Tags: 90999, cancer, children cancer, donovan, goal, landon, Leukemia, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Lymphoma, mgive, mobile accord, mobile donations, mobile fund raising, mobile giving, non profit donations, sms donations, text goal, Text Message Donation, Text Message Donations | No comments
Author:
Lori Hunter, August 4th, 2010
Earlier today Secretary Clinton made the following statement about the crisis the Pakistani people are facing due to the flooding and other recent events. Several mGive clients are running mobile giving campaigns to raise funds to help provide relief to the thousands of people in need and we will list those soon.
You can watch a video of her statement here.
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Good morning. Good morning, everyone. As you know, the people of Pakistan are dealing with a major challenge. Last week’s flash floods, the worst in more than 80 years, have affected some three million Pakistanis nationwide. An estimated 1,500 people have lost their lives, but many more are missing. Thousands are trapped and hundreds of thousands require emergency assistance.
In addition to the floods, a suicide bomber struck just a few hours ago near a major market in Peshawar killing three people, including a government official, and wounding several more. Violence like this is abhorrent at any time, but especially at this time of crisis for the Pakistani people. And I want to convey the condolences of the American people to the Pakistani people on behalf of everything they are confronting.
I’ve been to Pakistan, as you know, a number of times, and I have seen firsthand the strength and resilience of the people of Pakistan. They have the capacity to come through this challenge and swiftly rebuild. And as they do, they can look to the United States for our support.
The United States is responding to this crisis in a number of ways. We immediately committed $10 million in aid. U.S. humanitarian relief experts have been deployed to the field. U.S. helicopters have already airlifted hundreds of people out of danger and delivered critical supplies including hundreds of thousands of halal meals. We’ve sent boats to help with the search and rescue. Water purification – excuse me – we’ve sent boats to help with the search and rescue and water purification units to provide clean water for thousands of people as well as temporary bridges to replace the bridges damaged by the floods. All of this has been done in close coordination with the Government of Pakistan and their disaster management specialists. This represents just the start of our efforts. We will continue to help Pakistan in the days and weeks ahead.
Now, much of the response is being coordinated by USAID and I want to thank Administrator Dr. Shah and his excellent staff for their heroic work this past week. The United States has a history of working with the Government of Pakistan to respond to natural disasters. In the aftermath of the earthquake in 2005, the United States provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to help millions of survivors. Today, we’re continuing that tradition. We’ve been working hard over the past year to build a partnership with the people of Pakistan and this is an essential element of that partnership; reaching out and helping each other in times of need.
I also want to mention a way that American citizens can contribute to this relief effort. Using your cell phones, you can text the word “SWAT” – s-w-a-t – to the number 50555. And you will make a $10 contribution that will help the UN High Commissioner for Refugees provide tents, clothing, food, clean drinking water, and medicine to people displaced by floods. When prompted, reply with “yes” – y-e-s – to confirm your gift. I just texted a contribution myself, because we know from our own experience, particularly in Haiti, small donations can add up to make a big difference. And Americans have always shown great generosity to people facing crises worldwide. So I urge Americans to join this effort and send some much needed help to the people of Pakistan.
Now, I would like to ask Dr. Shah to come to the podium and provide some more details about what we’re doing and what more lies ahead.
Categories: mGive Blog Tags: | No comments
Author:
Lori Hunter, July 20th, 2010
Sending a text message can now mean saving money on groceries, thanks to a new fundraising campaign from mGive and A&P. The A&P family of supermarkets launched the “Text, Give, Save” campaign last week, which lets customers text “KIDS” to the number 90999 from their mobile phones to make a $5 donation to the Children’s Miracle Network. Customers of A&P, Pathmark, Waldbaum’s, SuperFresh and The Food Emporium stores get access to $10 in coupons once the donation is confirmed. The coupons can be automatically loaded onto their club card and are good for discounts on various Procter & Gamble products, including Always, Bounty, Cascade, Charmin, Crest, Gillette, Olay, Pampers, Pantene and Tide.
Text, Give, Save is a unique win-win situation for A&P customers, who can save money while giving back to those in need. While many people are familiar with mobile donations from the campaign that raised millions for earthquake relief in Haiti, this campaign provides shoppers with something additional: a direct benefit from their donations. Besides the coupon benefits, donating via text message is also environmentally friendly and efficient, since it’s paperless and involves sending a simple keyword. The donation amount is then added to the donor’s mobile phone bill.
The coupons are made possible through a partnership between Procter & Gamble, Children’s Miracle Network, Zavers, mGive, Blue Chip Agency and Vestcom. The last day to receive the coupon discounts is July 22, so hurry if you’d like to take advantage of this offer! Of course, anyone—even those who don’t shop at A&P stores—can donate to the Children’s Miracle Network by sending “KIDS” to 90999. The Children’s Miracle Network is an organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for 170 children’s hospitals throughout North America.
For more info, visit TextGiveSave.com.
Categories: mGive Blog Tags: 90999, A&P, childrens miracle network, mgive, mGiving, mobile accord, Mobile Donation, mobile donations, mobile giving, non profit donations, P&G, Procter & Gamble, sms donations, Text Donations, Text Give Save, text KIDS, Text Message Donation, Text Message Donations, text to donate, text to give, Zavers | No comments
Author:
Stephen Joos, June 30th, 2010
A recent report from the Journal of Philanthropy tracked a surprising rise in the number of volunteers in America during the last year. This rise contradicts conventional wisdom which assumes that people tend to “hunker down” during periods of economic stress. The report indicates that nearly 27% of the population said that they had volunteered in the last year – more than 63 million people. This was a 2.5% increase over the previous years’ number of volunteers. View the Report
The unexpected rise in people who are volunteering to support a cause they believe in is welcome news for non-profit organizations facing funding pressures — especially while many of these organizations are confronting even bigger challenges than in the past.
Mobile for Managing Human Capital
The success of mGive’s Red Cross mobile fundraising campaign for Haiti made people realize how mobile technology can help charitable organizations to raise financial capital and donations. But many don’t realize that the mobile platform is also a powerful tool for managing human capital – the supporters and volunteers that do the good work of many non-profit organizations.
The same attributes that make a mobile device effective for fundraising can make mobile technology a core part of an effective volunteer management effort. For example:
- A Mobile Phone is Personal
People have it with them all of the time. It makes it easy to donate whenever they are inspired to donate. It also makes it easy for a non-profit organization to contact supporters if there is an update message or a need for volunteer action.
- A Mobile Phone Operates Within a Controlled Environment
This makes donating safe. It also makes it easier for volunteers and supporters to get the message when they are not faced with spam like online email, or junk mail.
- A Mobile Phone Provides Meaning
One of the biggest motivators for volunteers and for donors is the knowledge that what they are doing is important and it’s having an impact. Providing regular updates about the organization’s accomplishments – using mobile technology – can be an efficient way to make sure everyone is up-to-date.
- A Mobile Phone Engages Youth
According to the Journal of Philanthropy, one of the challenges of volunteer programs is engaging with younger volunteers. Mobile programs reach the younger generation “where they live”!
Here at mGive, we know that mobile technology can be a powerful force for social good in many ways. We’re excited and inspired by the everyday actions of everyday people who are working to make the world a better place.
Categories: mGive Blog Tags: advocacy, cell phone, human capital, journal of philanthropy, mgive, mobile, mobile accord, mobile donations, mobile giving, red cross, volunteer, volunteerism | No comments
