Charities getting message across

OLDHAM Cancer Support Centre and The Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Appeal are among the first charities in the UK to sign up to a free text donation service.

JustTextGiving, launched this week by Vodafone and JustGiving, allows people to text donations of up to £10 by using a personalised six-digit text code.

The codes are OCS08 Oldham Cancer Support Centre and GENE01 for The Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Appeal, a Manchester-based charity.

The innovative scheme has no set up or running costs for charities, no network charges for those making donations and every penny donated goes straight to charity.

With funding cuts and a squeeze on disposable incomes, this free service is being welcomed by charities as a way to drive spontaneous, on-the-spot donations and reach a new generation of givers.

Nikki Hoffman, fundraising manager at Genesis, said: “Until now, the costs involved in setting up a text donation service have meant only the largest charities could afford it.

“Now, when raising money is tougher than ever, The Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Appeal and all other charities in Manchester can tap into text giving — this will completely change the way charities raise funds.”

JustTextGiving is urging all of Britain’s 184,000 charities to sign up for their own SMS code — called a VIC or Vodafone Individual Code.

As part of a £5million investment by Vodafone, charities will also be able to access support to publicise their new codes with an online pack offering free marketing materials and advice.

Anne-Marie Huby, managing director of JustGiving, said: “The future success of the charitable sector depends on making giving relevant for the next generation of donors and fundraisers.”