Every now and then I hear a story that renews my faith in humanity. Certainly the donations that poured into the American Red Cross’ SMS donation appeal for Haiti are a heart-warming example.

In the days immediately following the devastating 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti the American Red Cross launched its $10 SMS donation programme. Those wanting to give were asked to text the word “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10. They then received a confirmation text which asks them to confirm their $10 donation. Once they’ve agreed, a $10 donation was added to their monthly cell phone bill. 

Next the Red Cross sends them a ‘thank you’ text and, crucially, asks if they want to opt-in to get further SMS messages. So in addition to raising money for Haiti, the Red Cross has also been able to gather valuable contact details for thousands of supporters of the charity who they can retarget sometime down the line.

Following some high profile media coverage (including Michelle Obama no less) the Red Cross’ SMS $10 donation campaign has been an amazing success. It managed to raise $8 million within two days and a staggering $24 million within a week. 

The network carriers can also hold their head high having been able to handle up to 10,000 SMS donations every second. Plus, some carriers have temporarily changed their billing methods so that the funds go to devastated Haiti as quickly as possible.

Certainly the American Red Cross’ SMS donation initiative shows the effectiveness of a well executed mobile marketing campaign which makes it easy to donate and get involved. A simple text to donate and another to confirm and it’s done in a matter of seconds – much easier than sending a cheque or donating online. 

Of course the US hasn’t been the only country to respond to the disaster in Haiti with a generous outpouring of donations. From all corners of the globe, people and nations have responded to Haiti’s plight. And several other charities have followed in the Red Cross’ footstep and are using SMS to collect donation for Haitian earthquake relief.

Given that we are emerging from a world-wide recession and that times are hard, it is gratifying to see that we, as humans, can rally round and help those facing a dire emergency.