Mobile

The ease and convenience of using mobile technology — combined with the extraordinary communications and networking potential of social media — will enable nonprofits to engage potential donors and grow their revenues at a pace never before experienced.

Ted Hart speaks with Jed Alpert, co-founder and CEO of Mobile Commons, in this archived episode of his Nonprofit Coach radio show.

A growing number of charities are seeking year-end gifts by reaching out to donors with mobile apps. While few nonprofits expect to raise much through the apps, they hope the tools will serve them well in the future by appealing to younger, smartphone-savvy donors. Here’s how Hunger Relief International, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Environmental Media Association and Carter’s Kids are using apps.

The ability for supporters to donate via cell phones is having a significant impact on the campaign finances of both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama during the final months of the presidential race. A recent study by the Pew Research Center finds that 10 percent of donors to these campaigns have contributed through a text message or cell phone app. The study found 15 percent of Democratic donors made donations with their mobile devices compared to 6 percent of Republicans.

Pontiflex Inc., the mobile sign-up ad platform, announced that nonprofits and organizations with a social focus account for more than 10 percent of campaigns on the AdLeads mobile sign-up advertising platform. Organizations benefiting from AdLeads, such as DoGoodBuyUs, nycTIES, Missing Autism and ChangeForGreen.com, are involved in a variety of initiatives — from connecting eco-friendly charities with donors to helping build an organic rooftop garden that will be used to create opportunities for people with barriers to move toward economic independence in New York City.

United States consumers will soon be able to donate to their presidential campaign of choice by texting a keyword to a short code on their mobile phones for the first time.

Text donations were expected earlier this summer but were held up by the wireless carriers — key participants in the programs — as they sought legal protections over fraud and profitability. Both the campaigns for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have reportedly said the capability will be enabled soon.

Recently the San Diego Foundation became the first community foundation in the U.S. to develop free apps. Here, SDF's Adrienne Vargas and Heather Back provide some important factors for organizations considering launching a mobile app.

Square, a mobile payments startup company, announced that political organizations can mobilize their campaign staffs and empower them to accept credit and debit card contributions on their mobile devices on behalf of their organizations. Political organizations authorize individual staff members to accept payments on behalf of their campaigns from their Square accounst. Once staff members sign up, they download the free Square Card Reader app and receive a free card reader. When staff members collect payments, funds are deposited in the campaign’s bank account the next business day.

allAware, the free Web and mobile app solution for nonprofits, is now available on the iPhone. A mobile private social network for nonprofit organizations, allAware improves communication and member involvement while also providing support for mobile donations.

The creators of a newly approved political donation-by-text message platform find themselves at a boom-or-bust juncture.

In their perfect world, the Republican and Democratic national conventions will be political telethons of sorts, where viewers instantaneously text $10 to “OBAMA” or “ROMNEY” — a potential windfall for all.

But at the moment, the companies who want to run the donations by text message system are in drawn-out talks with major mobile phone carriers to figure out how it will all work and how much of a cut everyone will take.