We live in a world where your life can change in a moment’s notice. We are reminded of this by the catastrophic earthquake that has hit Haiti. If you have been watching the news feeds on and offline, the devastation that the country has suffered is heartbreaking at best. There has been an outpouring of support and calls for help across all media from television, radio and social networks.
But how can you help a country that is almost 700 miles from Miami when you live in Charlotte, North Carolina? I read an article about sending goods, though well intentioned, actually hurt more than help. It isn’t realistic to fly to Haiti to lend a hand, because the airport is damaged and unable to keep up with the amount of flights that are coming in with aid.
So I hopped onto Twitter to see how my tweeps are looking to help the people of Haiti. This is where I love the power of social networks. I quickly saw multiple tweets and retweets saying “You can text ‘HAITI’ to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts in #haiti” from the Twitter account of the American Red Cross: @redcross.
And that is all it took. I grabbed my iPhone and texted 90999 and donated $10 on the spot to the Red Cross. It was a simple two–step process of sending the text message and replying to a confirmation text message. So when I completed my donation, I opened up Tweetdeck and posted my status update saying that I donated to the Red Cross, and so should you. This is the beauty of the pass-along nature of social networks.
And as of this morning, two days after the earthquake, the Red Cross has raised over eight million dollars. Though this isn’t the first time cell phone donations have been used, I think it is the tipping point for use of this technology in any national or local fund raising effort. It is moments like this that open people up to the possibility of giving using your cell phone.
So please be sure to help give to the American Red Cross or any other foundations that need your help. And make sure you avoid the scams and scammers looking to take advantage of folks’ generosity.
"Loved this. On a day filled with gut wrenching tasks and a very heavy heart, your encouragement to donate to those in need was relief for me. It was the easiest and best thing I did today. I hope many more will do the same."
January 15th, 2010 at 4:57 pm