Bellevue foundation helps raise $20 million for Haiti relief

There is nothing worse than watching a tragedy unfold from the comfort of your couch and feeling helpless. Instead of sitting idly in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated Haiti and killed an estimated 50,000 people, communities from around the world are stepping up to help send rescue workers and aid relief to Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas.

Bellevue is joining in and doing its part to help.

Mobile Giving Foundation (MGF), headquartered in Bellevue, launched in 2007 as a way to serve as the “glue” between charitable giving campaigns, the wireless industry and the 250 million wireless users in the United States.

Mobile Giving Foundation was the brainchild of Chairman & CEO Jim Manis, a former wireless executive who wanted to bring the power and reach of mobile phones to nonprofit organizations as a new fundraising and donor interaction mechanism.

These days, you can text to vote on American Idol. Why not text to give back and make a difference in the world?

“As a society, we have developed a type of psychology connection to our phone. There’s a difference between writing a check and making a donation by phone. Donating by phone is a personal thing and further proves the power of the medium,” Manis said.

The recent tragedy in Haiti spurred the Clinton Foundation and Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund among others to make an appeal for help to a large audience by allowing donations for Haiti to be made through the convenience of text messaging. Individuals who wanted to give a $5 to $10 donation were given a code and number to text. The donation would then be added to their monthly billing statement from their phone company, eliminating the need for an on-the-spot credit card transaction.

The donations, although given in small amounts, add up quickly. The giving campaigns (listed at the bottom of the article) have already raised more than $20 million for Haiti relief.

Prior to the launch of Mobile Giving Foundation, when a donor would give to a nonprofit via text, more than half of the contribution went to the telephone carrier, leaving less than 50 percent to the nonprofit.

For Manis, this was not good enough.

Now, when nonprofits team up with MGF, 100 percent of each donation is remitted directly from the wireless operators to the MGF, which in turn gives 100 percent to the recipient charity.

According to Manis, MGF works with all major phone carriers.

“Our job is to open up a channel between nonprofits and those who feel prompted to give,” he said.

Manis not only points to the convenience of donating through text messaging, but also the security in the charitable process.

“We set standards on what charities qualify and grant them a mark of certification,” he explained. “There is no third party involved and MGF issues the tax-deductible receipt, so from our perspective it’s a trusted customer experience.”

Local nonprofits such as Food Lifeline and the Seattle Theater Group have launched donation campaigns through MGF.

“We are privileged to develop a system, where if a donor hears a call to action on the radio, Web, or television, they can respond quickly and feel good about it,” Manis said. “It’s a great medium for an impulse gift.”

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425-453-4602.

To learn more about Mobile Giving Foundation, visit www.mobilegiving.org.

Call to Action:

Text the word “Yele” to 501501 to donate $5

On behalf of the Yéle Foundation, the leading contributor to rebuilding Haiti founded by Wyclef Jean

Text the word “Haiti” to 20222 to donate $10

On behalf of the Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief Fund

Text the word “Haiti” to 85944 to donate $10

On behalf of the International Medical Corp

Text the word “Haiti” to 25383 to donate $5

On behalf of the International Rescue Committee

Text the word “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10