Text poppy to 80848 to donate £1.50 to the Poppy 2008 appeal
As reported on Brand Republic, this year you can use your mobile to donate to the Poppy Appeal run by the Royal British Legion for the 2008 appeal. The Legion is a UK charity providing support to the serving and ex-Service community and their families.
Traditionally, volunteers on the street sell poppies to passers by, and you can chose to wear this on your jacket to show your support.
It is great to hear that this year, you will also be able to donate by mobile by simply sending the word poppy to 80848 (note this is UK only). The text message will cost you just £1.50 and you get a free poppy wallpaper back to show your (mobile) support.
This is a fantastic idea, and I hope all of the carriers are coming to the party and ensuring their “cut” from the £1.50 SMS is absolutely minimal. The return message I received when I donated however indicated that at least 90 pence goes to the charity. In my opinion, 60p of costs is still too high and operators should work together to minimise this.
When I was heavily involved in Rotary International back in Sydney, we made sure that as much as possible went to fundraising and not overheads. The industry standard in Australia was closer to 85% of revenue going to fundraising.
The issue of how charities use mobile to fundraise was discussed at the recent netimpertive roundtable, and Rory from Vodafone indicated that the operators were coming to the party to support charities in this way with reduced premium SMS charges and a better revenue split.
For the first time, the Royal British Legion is including a short-code number on its national poster campaign, inviting people to show their support by texting “poppy” to 80848 to make a £1.50 donation.
Alternatively, donations of up to £10 using Payforit (Wap) billing can be made by visiting the internet portals 3 and Vodafone, which are supporting the campaign, via the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal website.
The Poppy Appeal aims to raise funds to support the Legion’s work in providing financial, social and emotional support to people who have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces, and their dependants.
So if you are in the UK right now, pick up your mobile and send poppy to 80848. It is simple, and you will feel good you are helping the British Legion look after thousands of families who need your support.
If you want to donate more, have a look at www.poppy.org you can of course always slip a tenner to the volunteers on the street during the poppy appeal.