Impulse Giving is Easier Than Ever
In my neighborhood, there's a stretch of a few blocks where young men and women stand in the middle of the sidewalk and ask for money. They are not homeless but, their need is still great. They are street collectors. People standing in a street with a collecting tin, hoping that the public will donate to their charity.
But charities, like the rest of society are changing. Social media enables them to expand their reach and their influence and go beyond the physical world. If people want to give, they give... quickly and simply by dialing a few numbers on their phone.
In the last few weeks, nonprofits in the United States have started to pay attention to fundraising via text - donations delivered to charities by donors simple sending a text message.
I wonder. How this form of giving will change our sense of community?
Already, people and society expect corporations and governments and government to reflect their values. The same holds true for charities. If a charity reflects my values and I know what they do and how they do it, I'm more apt to give. And if the phone in my pocket is now a tool for giving, I can give on an impulse.
So when the TV flashes, "SMS text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief effort," I can. In an instant. Now that's an impulse I can live with.
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