Cell phone users can text more than emoticons or picture mail.
Some charities have enabled donations via text, hoping it will catch on in the U.S. as it has in Europe.
Organizations use text messaging to reach donors of all incomes, especially those who can only afford $5 or $10 gifts. The donation then appears on the person's phone bill.
Tony Rehmer, senior vice president of information technology at the Children's Miracle Network, said the technology of donations through text messaging is still in its infancy.
Rehmer said the U.S. hasn't picked up on the technology as much as Great Britain.
In Ireland, 60 percent of donations to the Children's Miracle Network came from text messaging, Rehmer said.
He said the charity launched its text messaging program in the U.S. at the end of September and has raised more than $10,000.
The Children's Miracle Network at Shands at UF has not incorporated donations through text messaging, said Margaret Friend, director of special events for Shands, in a phone interview. However, she said if the text initiative is successful, Shands might adopt the trend.
Text messaging has begun to surpass phone calls in frequency of use, according to Nielsen Mobile, which tracks the behavior, attitudes and experiences of cell phone users.
A typical U.S. cell phone user sends and receives 357 text messages a month compared to 204 phone calls, according to a Nielsen study. The study also reported that the number of text messages increased 450 percent from 2006.
For nonprofits to use this text message tool, they must register with the Mobile Giving Foundation, Rehmer explained.
According to the Web site, the foundation launched in August 2007 and has 31 registered organizations, including Amnesty International, Call + Response and the Salvation Army.
