Cellphone Companies Advance Text Donations for Red Cross But Not Other Groups

Jan. 20, 2010, Chronicle of Philanthropy — Because of the scale of the catastrophe in Haiti, cellphone carriers are speeding up the delivery of text-message donations to the American Red Cross — but not necessarily to other relief organizations.

Typically when a donor makes a contribution by text message, it’s 60 to 90 days until the charity actually receives the money. The reason for the lag: Cellphone companies wait until after they have received the money from their customers before sending on the gifts.