The Salvation Army DFW Metroplex Command is the latest chapter of the nonprofit organization to run a Mobile Bell Ringer campaign.

The campaign, which launched on Nov. 1 and will run through Dec. 24, is designed to introduce a mobile component into The Salvation Army’s traditional Red Kettle Christmas campaign. All proceeds raised from the Mobile Bell Ringer campaign will help provide services for local families in need in Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton and Ellis counties.

“We’re utilizing our partnership with mGive to provide another channel for donor support, a channel that goes wherever our donors are and enables them to support us at any time,” said Patrick Patey, spokesman for The Salvation Army DFW Metroplex Command, Dallas, TX. “Mobile Bell Ringing is just another innovative concept to include our supporters in our Red Kettle fundraising campaign.

“Now, anyone can ring a bell for The Salvation Army wherever their life takes them,” he said. “Our goal would be that the campaign would go viral throughout the DFW Metroplex, introducing The Salvation Army to thousands of people and raising a significant amount money for our Red Kettle campaign.”

Ring my bell
To become a Mobile Bell Ringer, interested participants can text the keyword BELL to the short code 50555 to get information about registering.

A link will be sent to the participant’s phone where they can register, download a Mobile Bell Ringer “ringing bell” ring tone, collect donations, track donations collected and compare their progress against the progress of other Mobile Bell Ringers.

Once registered, each participant will be encouraged to set a donation goal and use their networks to collect $10 mobile donations to reach that goal.

To collect a donation, a participant enters a friend’s mobile number into their Mobile Bell Ringer Web page, triggering a donation request that gets sent to the friend’s mobile device via text message.

The friend will be asked to confirm the $10 donation to The Salvation Army. All proceeds raised from this campaign will help provide food, clothing, shelter and toys to local families in need.

The Mobile Bell Ringer campaign is powered by mGive, a leading service provider for mobile donations in the United States.

Mobile Commerce Daily’s Dan Butcher interviewed the Salvation Army’s Mr. Patey. Here is what he had to say:

What is Salvation Army’s strategy behind its partnership with mGive and the launch of its mobile giving initiatives?
We’re utilizing our partnership with mGive to provide another channel for donor support, a channel that goes wherever our donors are and enables them to support us at any time.

Mobile Bell Ringing is just another innovative concept to include our supporters in our Red Kettle fundraising campaign.

Now, anyone can ring a bell for The Salvation Army wherever their life takes them.

Our goal would be that the campaign would go viral throughout the DFW Metroplex, introducing The Salvation Army to thousands of people and raising a significant amount money for our Red Kettle campaign.

What challenges does mGive address for the Salvation Army?
It engages people in a fresh, innovative way. Hopefully, it will introduce The Salvation Army to a younger group of potential supporters, which is a current need in order to cultivate new donors.

For decades, The Salvation Army has been strongly supported by “The Greatest Generation” coming out of World War II.

The connection that was made with this generation has resulted in long and sustained support.

Now, we need ways to engage a new generation that is extremely tuned in to cell phone technology and online applications. This is one of the ways we’re attempting to do that.

Can mobile help the Salvation Army reach a different demographic mix or audience of potential donors? Or is it another way to reach its current donor base?
Both, as mentioned in the previous question about new donors, but also keeps our current donors plugged in to Salvation Army activities.

Being a mobile bell ringer will also opt-in our donors to receive mobile alerts four times a month. They can stay abreast of current activities. Via smartphones, the text alerts will also provide links to our Web site.

What impact do you envision mobile having on your fundraising efforts going forward?
It makes The Salvation Army more relevant and aligns our fundraising tactics with current methods of communication such as text messaging and smartphones.

We hope it will boost our donations by enabling 275 million cell phone users to give to The Salvation Army without having to go online and use a credit card. It broadens our horizons.

Final Take
Angelina Jolie