Following the recent earthquake in Haiti, many organizations set up funds and charities in order to raise money to help the victims of this devastating event. In the past two weeks, there has been an incredible outpouring of generosity from people all across the world. In America, universities, work forces, cities, religious institutions, and other groups have successfully raised millions and millions of dollars. For one charity, the medium used for a record breaking fundraiser was one not commonly utilized -- text messaging. An article posted by Peter Dunn on mediapost.com accredits the Red Cross with figuring out how to best reach into Generation Y's pocketbooks and urge them to donate. By simply texting "Haiti" to 90999, each individual donates $10 to Haiti relief funds. The best part? That there is no credit card information being texted -- the money simply is charged to the user's cell phone bill. As of January 21st, the Red Cross had received $23 mill in pledges from texts alone.
I, too, donated via text message to the Red Cross, although I'm not sure how proud I am of doing so. Granted, I know that my $10 will help out, but I am sheepishly ashamed of my generation's laziness. I know that my peers and I have grown up online and with cell phones in our hands since we were in junior high, but something seems off about this campaign. Perhaps it is that a large number of teens and young adults that typed in "Haiti" and hit "send" will never
actually pay that money -- while their parents may receive a cell phone bill that looks a little pricier than the last.
That being said, the Red Cross have been very successful in their endeavors, and I truly believe that the money is going to help so many lives. It is devastating to turn on the news and see the country that once was Haiti. I am sure that the prominence of American's texting efforts will spark many other fundraisers using similar methods in the future.
