Social Media Helps Red Cross Raise $4 Million

The Red Cross has raised more than $4 million dollars through text message donations to help the people of Haiti. The organization has raised the bulk of the amount so quickly through a $10 text message donation initiative (text “Haiti” to 90999), which is backed by the United States State Department.

Mashable confirmed the $4 million as of Thursday afternoon and Mashable’s Jennifer Van Grove made an excellent point:

The Red Cross’s involvement in the relief effort is to be commended. Not only did it immediately set up the simplest donation method possible, but its social media presence and outreach, when combined with the State Department’s involvement, has turned this into a viral funding initiative, topping Twitter trends and inspiring action. The Red Cross is also contributing an initial $1 million from the International Response Fund.

Go to the Red Cross newsroom for more information.