HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

Immediately after the earthquake in Haiti, First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as a host of celebrities appeared on television and various other media urging us to text to donate to charities for Haiti. It was simple and easy. However, for some folks, its a little too simple and too easy.

Over at the Freaky Frugalite, the tragic story of a young girl with a cell phone bill approaching $2,000 was told. Click here to read the sordid tale. Of course,”sordid” is not the proper vocabulary word, but I do think that the parents in control of said cell phone bill won’t have a warmed heart.

Please stress to your children that it is not a case of a company donating per the amount of texts, but that the money actually is charged onto the cell phone bill.

A January 10th episode of the PBS Newshour revealed that the donation process isn’t as instantaneous as people think.

TOM BEARDEN: Unfortunately, the whole payment process isn’t quite as quick as punching a few buttons on a cell phone. Charities don’t usually receive any money until people pay their cell phone bills. Sometimes, that can be as long as three months.

TONY AIELLO: In this case, we’re facing a disaster of epic proportions. And I think everybody within the mobile giving ecosystem, including the carriers, recognizes the need to get dollars down there as quickly as possible.

TOM BEARDEN: Some of the carriers have said they will now advance the money before the bills are paid. As for questions of accountability, mGive says it only handles reputable charities, which must also be approved by the phone companies that process the transactions. Plus, texting doesn’t involve giving out credit card information.

TONY AIELLO: Think about it. You’re sending the word “Haiti” to 90999. That’s much different than communicating critical financial information over the digital network.

I recommend that if anyone wants to make the biggest impact with their donation, contact your local church to find missions groups that regularly work in Haiti. These folks already have a network in most cases to reaching people in neighborhoods and on the streets. I know of one church that raised money to send tents and other needed equipment. The American Red Cross is another legitimate charity on the ground. Be wary of charities that suddenly pop up out of nowhere until you do proper research.

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