Text donations gear up again for Chile

When a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti in January, the country was devastated. Buildings collapsed, homes were leveled, and at least 200,000 people were killed. Haiti is already one of the poorer nations in the world, and they lack the infrastructure necessary to adequately respond to a disaster of this size and severity. Several other countries pledged and sent assistance, and many private citizens and organizations also provided help in the form of food, water, and medical supplies. Although the ability to donate to charity via text message has been around for a while, the tragedy in Haiti revealed just how powerful people can be with their cell phones. Within a week of the initial quake, the Red Cross alone had received more than $21 million in text donations, and they continue to trickle in. Less than a week ago, an even stronger earthquake—measured at 8.8— occurred off the coast of Chile, and charity organizations are once again counting on text donations for assistance.

There may be a couple of problems this time around, although not with the carriers themselves. They learned a few lessons last time around. At first, only Verizon and T-Mobile were waiving fees for donation texts, leaving a bitter taste in many customers’ and charity organizations’ mouths. After a bit of an uproar over it, AT&T and Sprint soon followed suit, and people were able to donate via text message for free, whether they had a texting plan or not.

In addition, the way text donations work is they’re basically a pledge rather than a direct donation. By sending a predetermined charity text, a wireless customer basically says, “I agree to have this amount added to my wireless bill, which I will pay at a later date.” Initially, mobile providers were going to wait until bills had been paid to send donations to the various organizations helping Haiti. But when it became apparent just how horrible conditions in the country were, and how badly help was needed, carriers put up portions of the pledged donations to provide help more quickly.

This time around with Chile, text donations can again be made for free, meaning if you don’t have a texting option on your wireless plan, you won’t be charged, and if you do have texting, any charity texts won’t count against any texting limit that may exist on your plan. Although they haven’t officially announced the intention, it stands to reason that carriers will once again send money where it needs to go with the promise of receiving it later when customers are billed.

But there’s a bigger problem. For another natural disaster to hit another country so soon, people may be tapped out. Although the economy is recovering, times are still tough, and sometimes even a $10 can be too much to ask. But humans also have short attention spans, and may not be as inclined to be as generous this time. Many people can begin to feel put upon when so much is asked of them. It’s sad, but just a part of our nature.

The good news is, Chile is not as poor a nation as Haiti. They have a better infrastructure, and are better equipped to handle a disaster like this. Also, although the initial quake in Chile was roughly 500 times stronger than the initial one in Haiti, Chile was better prepared. Having suffered several powerful earthquakes, the country has built many of its structures using technology and techniques meant to withstand tremors. For this reason, fewer of the newer building in Chile were damaged or destroyed, and it was mostly older buildings that suffered.

Still, no matter how well prepared, or how rich a country is, help is still needed when a disaster of this size occurs. The devastation that resulted from Hurricane Katrina, which continues to affect New Orleans today, is an example of this. If you’re willing and able to help the people of Chile who lost homes and loved ones, here are some text messaging options to use. All codes are supported by all four major carriers.

Text “CHILE” to 90999 to donate $10 on behalf of the Red Cross
Text “CHILE” to 25383 to donate $10 on behalf of Habitat for Humanity
Text “CHILE” to 20222 to donate $10 on behalf of World Vision
Text “CHILE” to 52000 to donate $10 on behalf of the Salvation Army
Text “CHILE” to 50555 to donate $10 on behalf of the World Program
Text “REBUILD” to 50555 to donate $10 on behalf of Operation USA
Text “4CHILE” to 50555 to donate $10 on behalf of Convoy of Hope

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