Give charity some slack

BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE

For nearly a decade, "slacktivists" have received a bad rap, dismissed as a group of lazy, Web-surfing people who mean to do good but who can't put down their BlackBerrys long enough to make an impact.

But after a major earthquake hit Haiti, slacktivism, a combination of the words "slacker" and "activism," got a new reputation.

Within a week, donations via text messages raised more than $24 million for the American Red Cross alone. The group will also share, with other top charities, proceeds from Friday night's star-studded "Hope for Haiti" telethon.

Last night, organizers said the event had raised $57 million and counting, according to The Associated Press. That includes funds raised by phone, text and the Web--but not donations by corporations or via iTunes.

Since news of the disaster first broke, Facebook status updates have urged other users to give, and Twitter feeds have given details on relief efforts.

The magnitude of the disaster and international response shone a light on a growing trend of digital charity work.

"What Haiti did was provide a moment in time where this could be seen on a widespread basis," said Geoff Livingston, who wrote the book "Now Is Gone" about social media.

Charities had slowly been discovering the benefits of social media before the disaster in Haiti. In the Fredericksburg area, several charities used technology to reach potential volunteers and donors during the holidays.

WORKING THE WEB

Just weeks before Christmas, for example, the Rappahannock United Way had 35 senior citizens who needed sponsors to provide gifts. Staff sent a message to the RUW's e-mail list. And they posted the need as the agency's Facebook status.

Within two days, every senior was adopted.

Allyson Kapin, founder of the Rad Campaign, which helps charities use technology, said people appreciate the immediacy and specificity of such methods.

And when charities use social media correctly, they have an already-assembled audience.

"We need to reach people where they are," she said. "And where are people? They spend their day online. They spend their day on their BlackBerry."

In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, and when a tsunami hit Indonesia in 2004, many people tried donating online.

For most it was their first time ever, Kapin said. Since then, they've continued to give with a mouse click.

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TEXTING FOR CHARITY

$24 million

had been raised by texting for the American Red Cross as of Tuesday. Friday's telethon will bring in more.

2.5 million

donors texted $10 pledges to the American Red Cross.

$200,000

was raised via text message for the American Red Cross during the 2008 hurricane season.

$10,000

was donated to Oxfam America's relief efforts via a Facebook cause group.

23 percent

of people giving for Haiti relief donated via e-mail.

14 percent

of donors said they donated via text.

39 percent

donated in person, at a church or local agency.

13 percent

of Americans received or gave updates about Haiti via Facebook, Twitter or other social media platform.

74 percent

of American adults use the Internet.

The text message--long derided as a teen fad or destroyer of language--came into its own after Haiti's earthquake.

Donors seemed to like the immediacy and convenience of texting money to charities.

But the newest method of doing good isn't without pitfalls. Giving via text brings immediate gratification for the donor. But it could take 90 days to reach the charity.

Some carriers have worked to get the money to agencies faster. But it's not as immediate as donors initially thought.

And, for the most part, only national charities will get a bite of the texting trend. The start-up costs can range from $3,000 to $10,000 and up. Other monthly fees, which vary by carrier, also apply.

It's neither simple nor cheap for the charity. But it is for donors.

"You get to immediately make that donation, it takes just a few seconds, because you're texting it, and it's really inexpensive," said Allyson Kapin, founder of the Rad Campaign, which helps charities use technology.

A combination of "slacker" and "activism," the word first showed up in 1995 at a music festival. It picked up steam in a 2002 New York Times story.

At first, it had a relatively good meaning: a person who wasn't leading a revolution but instead taking small steps to improve the world. Within years, the word came to represent well-meaning but lazy people who simply wore plastic armbands or forwarded e-mails about causes.

Date published: 1/24/2010

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