JustTextGiving

Question: What have the following got in common?

Kent Wildlife Trust, The Holly Eatwell Trust (cancer in young people), The Giraffe Project (child education in Nairobi), The Jeremy Willson Charitable Trust (supporting projects in athletics, adventure and the environment).

Yes, they are all Maidstone based charities, but all of them also use the JustTextGiving service – a 'not for profit' tool created by the online fundraising website JustGiving.com in partnership with cellphone company Vodaphone.

The service allows charities and individuals to raise money by text messages and provides a fast, free and easy means of fundraising.

JustTextGiving is free to set up making it accessible for even the smallest charities, including village halls, churches and parent teacher associations. And nothing is held back by the phone operator – every penny goes to the charity.

You can belong to any network provider and there are no network charges levied upon the donor. Gift aid can also be claimed on each donation which adds a further 25% to whatever is given.

Donations are made by individuals sending a text message that includes their chosen charity's unique text code with the amount they want to give added to the end of the code.

The hope is that charities who set up the service will help attract new sources of funding, especially from the younger generations who are so comfortable using mobile technology, but who are less likely to set up a direct debit or standing order.

With just under 90% of 18 to 65 year olds owning a mobile phone it has been estimated that text donations could be worth almost £100 million per annum by 2014.

Nationally over 13,000 charities have already signed up to the service and I would urge organisations and individuals in Maidstone and the Weald to seriously consider adding this scheme into their fundraising strategy. Every bit extra helps in these tough times. Google justtextgiving for more information.

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