The massive earthquake that devastated Haiti two years ago prompted an outpouring of charitable donations and propelled a new way of giving — through text messages — into the public eye.

A new Pew study – the first in-depth study on mobile donors - reveals that people who donated after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti via text are more apt to give today. Researchers cited the ease and effectiveness of digital fundraising campaigns has changed the spectrum of charitable giving. More than two-thirds of American adults now use text messaging, while 9 percent say they have texted a charitable donation from their mobile phone in recent years.

Key findings:

·      The ability to send small donations using mobile phones facilitates “impulse giving” in response to moving images or events

·      While social networking plays a large part in charitable giving, the donors surveyed were more likely to spread the word about their contribution through face-to-face conversations than through digital means.
 

·      Digital givers are younger and more racially and ethnically diverse when compared with those who contribute through more traditional means.
 

Read the full study.