A couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with a colleague at work about using mobile fundraising for the library. It is an easy way for patrons to support the library. Send a text message donate $5 or $10 whatever. No need to go home and get the checkbook or get online and enter your credit card information. Even better its instant, no worry that they’ll forget before they get a chance to make that donation. Last week I came across How Text is Changing Philanthropy and it seemed like a good time to revisit the issue. Of course the best and most recent example of text fund-raising is the situation in Haiti. The Red Cross raised over 30 million from texts alone. Why can’t libraries use this? Hang a sign in the library, put a message on the home page, but a link on the OPACs, its fast, its easy its simple. It might reach a whole different demographic than our tradition fundraising methods, people who might never have donated otherwise. Text-based fundraising is all about immediacy. You don’t need to wait until you get home and turn on the computer. Simply enter a five or six-digit code
