14th May 2010
Vir2 the UK’s leading specialist SMS service provider to charities today launched a text donation service for SANE the national mental health charity. SANE works to improve quality of life for people affected by mental illness. The agreement is to provide a text donation service and it is evidence of the growing importance of mobile phone technology in the rovision of charity and fundraising services.
The agreement means that members of the public can now donate £3 by texting SANE to 70300. A donation of £3 enables SANE to provide 10 minutes of high-quality emotional support to someone in distress.
Texts cost £3 plus your standard network text charge, usually 10p or less. Typically SANE will receive 89% of the donation and at least £2.61, depending on your mobile provider. An up-to-date and complete list of operators and their charges can be found on the Vir2 website (www.vir2.co.uk).
A link to an online Gift Aid form is automatically sent back with confirmation of your donation. By completing the Gift Aid form, you can increase the value of your donation by 28%. Alternatively, you can give a verbal declaration by phoning the SANE Fundraising team on 020 7422 5544.
Vir2 only provide services to organisations connected to the charity sector – SANE chose Vir2 because it offers the reassurance of a charity sector specialist plus the expertise of 5 years in the business.
“The announcement is further evidence that the fundraising opportunities offered by SMS and mobile channels are becoming an essential part of the marketing mix for major charities,” said Roger Craven, Managing Director of Vir2 Ltd. “Over 11 million texts are sent every hour in the UK. Charities need to take an active part in the ongoing national conversation through text and mobile devices.”
Vir2 founded in 2005 were the first SMS provider to focus exclusively on the needs of the third sector. In 2006 Vir2 took over the charity SMS service of JustGiving and started the successful campaign to introduce special charity short codes that are only used by and available to charities. Over the next 3 years Vir2 worked with their local MP, Mark Oaten, the Charities Aid Foundation, specialist market research consultancy NFP Synergy, the Institute of Fundraising and the Mobile Data Association to bring about the change.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About SANE
SANE was established in 1986 to improve the quality of life for people affected by mental illness following the overwhelming public response to a series of articles featured in The Times newspaper entitled ‘The Forgotten Illness’. Written by Marjorie Wallace, now SANE's Chief Executive, the articles exposed the neglect of people suffering from mental illness and the poverty of services and information.
The charity has three objectives:
* to raise awareness and combat stigma about mental illness, educating and campaigning to improve mental health services
* to provide care and support for people with mental health problems, their families and carers as well as information for other organisations and the public
* to initiate research into the causes and treatments of serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and depression and the psychological and social impact of mental illness.
About Vir2
Vir2 specialise in providing marketing and fundraising solutions to the charity sector. It is the only text provider in England to specialise solely in the charity sector. It has run over a thousand campaigns for over 200 charities including many well known names including ActionAid, Age Concern, RNLI, The Woodland Trust, and UNHCR Vir2 Ltd was founded in 2005, based in Wickham, Hampshire.
Vir2 is a member of the Mobile Data Association (www.themda.org).
Andy Whitaker 08450 947 958
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www.vir2.co.uk
