More than GBP1 million in SMS donations enabled by OpenMarket for Disasters Emergency Committee's East Africa Drought Appeal

LONDON, ENGLAND, August 06, 2011 (Press-News.org) OpenMarket, a leading global mobile transaction hub, today announced that more than GBP1 million has been raised for the Disasters Emergency Committee's (DEC) East Africa drought appeal through SMS donations alone via its mobile payments and campaign management platform. The fund has been boosted by a further GBP250,000 through a Gift Aid response mechanism to the SMS donations enabled by OpenMarket's CMX2 platform. More than 60 percent of donors have responded to the request for Gift Aid details.

The DEC campaign which launched across the UK on July 8th is to raise funds to help more than 10 million people now in desperate need of humanitarian aid because of what in some parts of East Africa has been the worst drought for 60 years.

The DEC is an umbrella organisation of 14 UK and International charity agencies which deliver effective and timely help to people affected by major disasters such as floods, earthquakes or drought. Anyone can donate GBP5 directly to the appeal by texting 'HELP', 'CRISIS', 'AID', 'DONATE', 'HELP', 'SUPPORT' or 'AFRICA' to 70000.

The special 70000 shortcode, which ensures that 100% of the donation goes to the appeal, has appeared in newspapers, posters, TV, online and across the London Underground.

Alex Moir, General Manager for Europe, OpenMarket, said today: "Given that this campaign has been running for less than a month, the UK public's response to the appeal via SMS has been incredible. OpenMarket's CMX2 platform is designed for donations to be made in an instant and we have also seen a very positive response to the Gift Aid option."

"To raise more than GBP1.25 million through SMS donations is an indication of how mobile payment mechanisms are powerful tools for charities to achieve high impact donation responses."
Polly Gilchrist, Fundraising Manager, DEC, said today: "We have raised GBP1,063,000 by this method, which with Gift Aid comes to more than GBP1,250,000. This is over 500 per cent more than we have raised from texting in the past. It is also encouraging that more than 60 per cent of SMS donors have responded to the request for Gift Aid details, which means nearly 25 per cent can be added to the value of their donations."
Donations via text message are proving an immediate and effective way for the public to respond to appeals. The 70000 shortcode has been developed specifically for the DEC charity appeals and can be rapidly launched across all networks in less than 24 hours, allowing charities to reach the 50 million mobile users in the UK.

On September 15, OpenMarket will speak at the Interactive Tech for Charities seminar, organised by AIME (Association for Interactive Media and Entertainment). David Sheridan, Director of Market Development for OpenMarket, will share best practices for charities to drive higher donations and increase awareness of SMS donation channels. (http://www.aimelink.org/events/next_seminar.aspx)

About OpenMarket

OpenMarket, a division of Amdocs, is a leading global mobile transaction hub. OpenMarket provides a comprehensive set of payments, messaging and emerging services to enterprises, merchants and developers. From the largest consumer brands to the smallest business ventures, OpenMarket empowers companies to monetize their services, expand their marketing initiatives and strengthen customer relationships by leveraging the mobile channel. OpenMarket provides the most reliable cross-channel, cross-network platform with extensive mobile operator connections globally. For more information, please visit http://www.openmarket.com.

For further information, interviews or photography please contact:

Sandhya Shyam
Peppermobi for OpenMarket
Tel: +44 207 70332 660
sandhya@peppermobi.com