Frequently Asked Questions About the Mobile Giving Foundation

• What is the purpose of the Mobile Giving Foundation?

  The Foundation was created to combine the incredible scope and capabilities of the US wireless industry with a need for charitable organizations to find a new class of donors and newer, more intuitive methods of facilitating contributions. Specifically, MGF is working with US wireless carriers to create a "Mobile Giving Channel," a single channel available to wireless subscribers of all US wireless carriers by which users can instantaneously respond to charitable solicitations by a text message.

• What is its status at present (March 2008)?

  The MGF is up and running, and on the brink of its public launch with announcement of founding partners and a wide-ranging fundraising and public awareness campaign.

  To date, MGF has achieved 501 (C) (3) tax status, registered in states across the country to undertake charitable solicitations, enlisted numerous wireless industry participants, established relationships with major non-profit organizations (NPOs), and won the support of wireless industry associations.

  To prove the viability of mobile giving in the US, the MGF and United Way combined to create a campaign to fight childhood obesity. Launched with a 10-second advertisement during the recent Super Bowl in Arizona, the campaign was pronounced "profoundly successful" by United Way, which plans to greatly expand its use of mobile giving.

• Who is behind MGF?

  The Foundation was launched in August, 2007 by Jim Manis, a founder of mobile content aggregator M-Qube, since sold to Verisign, who was instrumental in launching some of the wireless industry's first "text to give" campaigns following Hurricane Katrina and the Indonesian tsunami. Jim has been working with a core group of wireless industry veterans and foundation experts on a voluntary basis, and plans to implement professional staffing upon completing a fund-raising campaign.

• How is the MGF funded?

  The MGF has initiated a Founders Capital Campaign planned to raise $1 million each year for the next two years to cover initial start-up expenses including technology acquisition and hiring permanent staff. QUALCOMM has led this campaign with founding sponsorship along with the participation of other companies including Acta Wireless, Mobile Accord, Hook Mobile, 1024 Wireless Services and VeriSign. Plans call for the MGF to be self-sustainable once it achieves scale. The existing founding management team, all volunteers, will remain on-board until sufficient staff is retained.

• How is the MGF Governed?

  The MGF is governed according to accepted non-profit foundation standards. In addition to Mr. Manis and a Board of Directors (currently undergoing expansion), an Advisory Board of wireless industry and foundation executives is in place and operating.

• How does the Mobile Giving Channel work?

  MGF serves as the link between a charitable giving campaign, the wireless industry and the 250 million wireless users in the US. We help NPOs market their campaigns, offer our messaging platform to interested wireless carriers, collect 100% of funds generated over the Mobile Giving Channel, deduct messaging and other costs and distribute 90-95% of funds collected to recipient NPOs within 90 days of campaign closure.

• Isn't charitable giving in the US already well established?

  In a way, yes. Some $300 billion a year is raised by charitable organizations, the great percentage of that from individual donors. But contributing by text messaging constitutes a tremendous advancement over current means. The immediacy and ubiquity of wireless communications provides a huge advancement in speed and ease of use. Contributors don't need to write a check, fill out forms or call someone they just text a reply and the giving cycle is complete. The time lapse from notification to contribution can be seconds rather than days, weeks or months.

• What's next for the MGF?

  We plan to officially launch during the Spring of 2008 , with announcement of our Founding Capital Campaign and an ongoing fundraising campaign that will permanently establish the MGF. Further down the road are campaigns planned by leading charitable organizations which have aligned with the MGF, including UNICEF, ASPCA, St. Jude's Hospital, Keep a Child Alive, PBS and others.

• How do I get started?

  Contact Jen Snyder of the Mobile Giving Foundation (jsnyder@mobilegiving.org) to request an NPO application packet.

  If in need of technical or creative interactive assistance contact an application service provider that has been approved by the Mobile Giving Foundation. Currently, that list includes:
     i. Mobile Accord, Tony Aiello, SVP. TAiello@mobileaccord.com
     ii. Mobile Cause, George Morales, George@mobilecause.com
     iii. Mobile Commons, Jed Alpert, jed@mcommons.com
     iv. Wireless Factory, Stefan Latt, sl@wirelessfactory.com
     v. Distributive Networks, Jeff Lee, jeff@distributivenetworks.com