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Australian Telcos Launch Text Giving Trial

Announcement posted by Telco Together Foundation 01 Oct 2015

Text SAVE to 1995 8888 to donate $5 to UNICEF and help provide life saving medicine to a child

Click here to watch Text Giving in Australia video

Australia’s leading telcos have joined together to launch a new fundraising channel for Australian charities utilising text messages.  Premium SMS (PSMS) donations will launch today, as part of a pilot program with up to 15 charities launching ‘text to donate’ campaigns over the next 12 months.

The pilot program, coordinated by Telco Together Foundation and involving Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and mobile engagement provider OpenMarket, is great news for Australian charities, with PSMS donations an increasingly important way to raise much needed funds and engage supporters in countries such as the UK, Canada and the USA.

With texting firmly embedded in Australian culture, this new fundraising channel provides the opportunity for charities to include an SMS ‘call to action’, (e.g. “Text GIVE to 19 xx xxxx to donate $5”), in their campaign materials. Each charity will use their own unique short code, and each PSMS sent under the pilot will cost $5 (GST free).

Once the donor sees a call to action from a participating charity, and decides to donate, they text the keyword to the number shown. Provided that PSMS are available on their service, the $5 donation will be charged to their mobile phone bill or show up in their usage history.
  The donor will then receive a free ‘thank you’ SMS, which also constitutes a valid tax receipt.  There will be no charges to the donor in addition to the $5 donation.

Renee Bowker, CEO of the Telco Together Foundation says; “Text giving is such a fantastic way to leverage telco technology and reach to help Australian charities raise funds.  In addition to giving existing supporters a new way to give, our research suggests that this channel can unlock donations from new and younger supporters, which is a great outcome for charities.”

Tim O’Leary, Chief Sustainability Officer at Telstra, says; “We have an ongoing commitment to making a difference in the community, and we’re very proud to be part of an initiative that harnesses technology to make giving easier. This is a project that helps customers, charities and communities and we look forward to supporting the trial.”

Helen Maisano, Associate Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Optus says; “Supporting the broader community through inclusive and far-reaching initiatives is something that we genuinely care about. Optus is delighted to be part of this new and rewarding program that helps local charities to continue making a real difference.”

Michael Stanley, Chair of the Vodafone Foundation Australia says; “It’s great to see mobile technology be used in such a positive way. We are proud to support the important work that’s being done by Australian charities to help tackle a range of critical issues facing our local and global communities.”

The first charities to trial the new fundraising channel will be UNICEF and World Vision - with the UNICEF campaign launching today.

Michael Newsome, Director of Fundraising and Communications at UNICEF Australia says; “Every five dollars that people donate through UNICEF can help make the difference between life and death for a child in a major emergency. UNICEF Australia acknowledge the support of the Fundraising Institute of Australia, who helped to galvanise charities behind the value of PSMS - and are enormously grateful to the telcos and Telco Together Foundation for making it possible for Australians to give in this incredibly simple and immediate way.”

Tim Costello, Chief Executive of World Vision Australia says; “We know this model has worked well in the UK, so I’m excited to see that Australia’s leading telcos are listening to the needs of charity supporters and investing in this initiative. This platform also presents World Vision with a unique opportunity to communicate to Australians about the very real needs of the communities we work with, but perhaps even more importantly, it gives our supporters a simple and immediate way to respond to urgent needs around the world.”

Other charities taking part in the pilot include Australian Red Cross, Cancer Council, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Oxfam, Salvation Army, Smith Family, St Vincent De Paul, Surf Life Saving, The Song Room, Vision Australia and World Wildlife Fund.

Text giving will also be trialled for emergency relief campaigns, with mobile users able to text to donate to emergency relief appeals for the Red Cross, UNICEF and World Vision.

The pilot program will run through to October 2016, after which all parties will review the pilot to determine the future of the program in Australia.

·       Text SAVE to 1995 8888 to donate $5 to UNICEF and help provide life saving medicine to a child

·       For more information, please visit www.textgiving.org.au


About Telco Together

Launched in July 2012, Telco Together Foundation is a registered charity that brings together the telecommunications industry in support of Australian communities in need. The core focus of the Foundation’s work is the development of community projects that build on the technology, reach and capabilities of the telecommunications industry to support the not for profit sector of Australia, as well as promoting fundraising, volunteering and workplace giving across member organisations. 

Telco Together raises funds for disadvantaged communities in Australia, with a focus on homelessness, refugees, Indigenous and mental health.
Members of the Foundation include Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, NBN Co, M2, iiNet, Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent and 16 other ICT organisations. The Foundation is governed by an Advisory Board that has Executive Officer level representation from members.

For more information, please visit our website http://www.telcotogether.org.auor follow us on Facebook and Twitter @TelcoTogether.

About OpenMarket
OpenMarket, a division of Amdocs, helps organisations use mobile to transform their business. OpenMarket provides mobile engagement solutions for organisations to optimise their operations and enhance relationships with their customers and employees. Major enterprises choose OpenMarket for our domain expertise, service flexibility, demonstrated performance and reliability, global scale, and corporate maturity. We provide smart, interactive connectivity to more than 200 countries, enabling organisations to engage with nearly every mobile user around the world. Our clients trust us to power their mobile business. For more information, visit 
www.openmarket.com