The Chronicle of Fundraising is doing an excellent job of monitoring giving response to the Haiti disaster. Here is their report as of January 16:

"So far, donors have contributed more than $150-million to major U.S. relief groups, a Chronicle tally finds. By comparison, such charities had raised a quarter that amount — $30-million — in the three days after the 2004 Asian tsunamis, and $108-million in the four days following Hurricane Katrina."

The American Red Cross alone had raised $87 million by last Saturday afternoon, with $12 million coming via its now-famous mobile campaign.

Given the attention the ARC and other mobile campaigns (e.g., ClintonBushHaitiFund) are getting, Agitator readers might find this excellent article from Social Citizens Blog useful (here’s another from Time). It discusses some of the issues associated with the mobile channel …

• Are there hidden costs/fees? Yes, there can be; but some vendors are waiving or reducing them for this campaign.
• What is the lag time between texting a donation and the recipient group actually receiving  funds? It can be as long as three months, given that the telecom must bill for and collect the amount, forward the funds to a middleman vendor like mGive or the Mobile Giving Foundation (talk to one of these if you’re getting into the mobile fundraising biz), who then passes the money to the charity. Again, vendors seem to be making special efforts to speed this process, in part by advancing funds.
• Do the recipient organizations receive any contact information regarding their new donors? It doesn’t appear that any names are made available; it does appear that cell phone numbers are eventually provided, but lag time can be significant.

All of these efforts will get a further boost from a multi-network television fundraising special on Friday the 22nd organized by MTV and featuring George Clooney and friends.

Without wishing to "wet blanket" the tremendous display of generosity underway, we should note that some "negative" media coverage is beginning to appear … some directed at the efficacy of specific charities, some at the inevitable difficulties of translating donations into actual aid on the ground. But for now, the surge of giving continues.

Over the weekend, Roger and I have been in touch with a variety of players "off the record" with inside perspective on the online fundraising aspects of the Haiti response. Here’s a pertinent comment:

"Another thing that seems clear is that size of organization has less to do with things as having a good plan in place. Yes, the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders are large orgs and will raise a lot. But some other large orgs were not as prepared for something like this. But many “smaller” organizations have been able to leverage email, social media, etc to get the word out and raise record amounts online. The Internet is an equalizer and reach becomes a more important factor.

Something else that I think is different – the large media outlets are now Internet-compliant and finally get it so it’s easier for them to get the word out. This is also true of lots of other parts of society. I’ve seen electronic billboards with URLs and text messaging stuff on it. Very different than even a few years ago."

Another savvy practitioner calls the Haiti fundraising experience a "game changer."

Is it? Stepping back from the immediate fundraising challenge, at The Agitator we think the big long-term issue is what becomes of the new donors who have been moved to give in response to the Haiti disaster …

• Will the Red Cross (and other mobile fundraisers) attempt to build ongoing relationships with any new donors it has acquired?
• Will have they have adequate and timely contact info to make the effort?
• How many of these disaster donors in fact will want to make any commitment to the ongong rebuilding effort?
• Are these disaster donors (especially the texters) different from more "institutional" donors?
• How best might these donors be moved from an immediate emotional response to give aid, to a more enduring commitment to an aid organization?

Watch The Agitator for more on these issues in the days ahead.

Tom