# Text users urged to donate to charity at Christmas

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2002/12/18/text-users-urged-donate-charity-christmas/
- Published: 2002-12-18T00:00:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Mobile operator Virgin Mobile admits that the growth in sending text messages at
Christmas could damage charity Christmas card sales, so it is encouraging mobile
phone users to make a donation to charity to counter this effect.
Virgin Mobile 
says that, with Christmas greetings sent via text are set to reach an all time high
this festive season, charity Christmas card sales are likely to be affected, resulting
in a drop in income for many charities.

Over the past three years, the use of text around Christmas has become more and 
more popular, with operators reporting an average year on year usage increase of
183%, according to the Mobile Data Association. If this increase continues this 
year, then as many as 5.6 billion messages will be spent. Virgin Mobile estimates
that, at an average cost of 10p per message, this means that consumers are set to
spend £560 million on Yuletide and New Year texts.

Virgin Mobile is therefore urging consumers to donate the monetary difference between
the cost of a text and a card to their chosen charity.

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Of course, Virgin Mobile and other mobile operators are themselves benefiting substantially
from this switch away from sending Christmas cards. Part of the company’s official
partnership with the British Red Cross, which will include multi-year sponsorship
of a number of fundraising initiatives, is therefore likely to involve donating 
a percentage of the money generated through services such as text over future Christmas
and New Year periods.

Steven Day, Corporate Affairs Director at Virgin Mobile, said: “It is becoming increasingly
obvious that texting is seen to be a more popular means of contacting people over
Christmas, however we are aware of the impact that technology is having on organisations
like the British Red Cross who generate a lot of money through the sale of charity
Christmas cards each year. As a company, we believe in being open and honest and
therefore want to make people aware of this issue and aim to put something back 
in our work with the British Red Cross”.

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 * **[MP calls for end to VAT on charity donations by SMS](https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/12/18/mp-calls-end-vat-charity-donations-sms/)**(
   18 December 2007)
 * **[BBC Children in Need raises £1.75 million via mobile donations](https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/11/25/bbc-children-need-raises-175m-mobile-donations/)**(
   25 November 2009)