BBC

Text-to-donate raises over £6.8m in mobile donations for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal

Posted on by Andrea Putnam-Moorcroft

Fonix logo in blue

 

Fonix has been the mobile donation partner for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

More than £6.8m has been raised by the UK public via text-to-donate so far, to support the aid effort in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries.

Since the beginning of March text-to-donate has been promoted across the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky, Radiocentre, BT Sport and Co-op to name a few.

Concert for Ukraine, which took place in the UK on 29 March, raised more than £4.9m in mobile donations, helping contribute to the £13.4m raised on the night of the Appeal.

The two-hour show brought together names from the world of music for a unique event spreading a message of hope and support, and most importantly, raising funds for the ongoing DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. The live show was broadcast across ITV, STV, ITV Hub and STV Player.

The show promoted text-to-donate, allowing donors to donate via text at one of four price points: £10, £20, £30 and £40. Donations were charged to a donor’s mobile phone bill.

Rob Weisz, CEO of Fonix, said: “We are so very proud to be able to work with the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to help the humanitarian effort to support those affected by the crisis in Ukraine.”

Simon Beresford, Director of Fundraising and Marketing of DEC, added: “We’re thankful to Fonix for enabling mobile donations so quickly and to the generous UK public whose donations will go on to make such a difference. As humanitarian needs continue to grow, the money raised will help to provide vital support to families caught up in this devastating conflict.”

Fonix to power mobile donations for The Big Night In Appeal

Posted on by Andrea Putnam-Moorcroft

23 April 2020, London – Fonix has announced that it will be providing the mobile payment mechanic for tonight’s Big Night In Appeal on BBC One.

Two of the BBC’s biggest charitable partners, Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need are coming together for the first time, for a night of live entertainment. The Big Night In will raise funds to help support vulnerable people across the UK who may be significantly affected by the current Covid-19 crisis.

Fonix will be working with Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need to provide a text-to-donate platform, enabling donors to send a text message to donate either £5, £10, £20 or £30 which will be charged to their mobile phone bills.

Clare Charles, Director for Media and Charity at Fonix, comments: “We’re so very proud to be working with Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need during these troubled times. We’re looking forward to seeing the results and the difference that it makes to people all across the UK.”

Jules Thorne, Campaign Co-director at Comic Relief, said:“The Big Night In is an amazing way for us as charities to join forces and show how much of an impact we can make on the lives of those who need our support. Fonix’s experience within the charity sector has been invaluable to helping us get up and running quickly with mobile donations for the campaign.”

Kerry Howard, Head of Operations Appeal for BBC Children in Need, said:“It’s in unprecedented times like these that it’s more important than ever to collaborate and look to support this situation in the best way we can; coming together with Comic Relief will help us achieve just that. Through the power of TV, mobile technology and the public’s generosity, it’s going to be a brilliant night for a great cause.”

The Big Night In will air tonight on BBC One on at 7pm.

Fonix powers mobile donations for Comic Relief for the 5th year running

Posted on by Andrea Putnam-Moorcroft

Mobile payments company Fonix has announced that this year it processed mobile donations for Comic Relief for the 5th year running, raising more than £10.6m via text-to-donate. Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day campaign is a biennial campaign hosted by the BBC, raising money to help people in the UK and across the world to live happier, healthier, safer lives.

This year’s campaign featured the live show, held on Friday 15th March, as well as a series of driver programmes. Each of these shows promoted text-to-donate, which allowed donors to donate via text at a range of price points: £5, £10, £20 and, for the first time for Comic Relief, £30 amounts for both the live show and the Kilimanjaro challenge during which 9 celebrities climbed Africa’s highest mountain. Donations were added to entrants’ mobile phone bills, allowing for a seamless, easy payment.

During the live show and the Kilimanjaro climb, the money raised from the £30 price point alone accounted for over 30% of the total raised via SMS.

Another new initiative for the 2019 campaign was the introduction of a competition which enabled viewers to donate or to opt-out of a donation whilst entering the competition. This was featured on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and was the first time that the charity launched a competition to drive donations.

Entrants paid £5 to enter and be in with a chance of winning a unique dining experience, cooked for them by celebrity chefs. Using Fonix’s delayed donation technology, entrants had the opportunity to opt-out without being charged within 60 minutes of entering the competition.

Clare Charles, Account Director for Media and Charity at Fonix commented:

“We’re proud to have supported Comic Relief in powering mobile donations for the fifth year in a row.  We’ve come so far since 2014, as we now work with the charity to provide a total of four price points and we’re also constantly innovating to allow the charity to roll out new features. The delayed donation, for example, raised a tremendous £576,250 across four prize draws via text.”

Catherine Cottrell, Executive Director of Fundraising & Partnerships at Comic Relief added:

“It’s been exciting working with Fonix to offer new experiences and donation mechanisms to supporters and we are delighted that year’s campaign was such a success.”

Fonix’s innovation processes £12.9m for BBC Children in Need’s 2018 Appeal via text donations

Posted on by Andrea Putnam-Moorcroft

12th December 2018, London – Fonix, the mobile payments and messaging specialist, has announced today that it processed £12.9 million in mobile donations for BBC Children in Need.

BBC Children in Need is the BBC’s UK charity, raising money for disadvantaged children and young people around the country. Fonix has worked with the charity since 2014, providing a mobile payment mechanic which allows the public to donate via SMS, seamlessly charging the costs to their mobile phone bills.

This year, Fonix and BBC Children in Need collaborated to introduce the first ever £30 price point (alongside the traditional price points of £20, £10 and £5). This was introduced for the Children in Need Rocks concert with great success, and implemented on the live annual Appeal Show which aired on 16th November.

BBC Children in Need also ran multiple text-to-donate competitions for the first time, including the chance to see Bruce Springsteen on Broadway which featured on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show. A one-off voluntary donation of £10 was made to BBC Children in Need, but the public were able to opt out by replying CANCEL to their entry confirmation text within 60 minutes.

Clare Charles, Director of Media and Charity for Fonix, commented “We’re proud to have worked with BBC Children in Need this year. Since 2014 we’ve worked with the charity to refine and improve the mobile donation process.

“It’s clear that the public are willing to donate larger amounts via text-to-donate, and allowing them to do this by introducing the £30 price point has been great for raising money for such a good cause.”

Karen Bass, Chief Operating Officer at BBC Children in Need said “Mobile is such an important channel for maximising donations, helping us to raise as much money as possible to support disadvantaged children and young people around the UK. Donating by text is a quick and simple way for people to help change young lives. We’re grateful to Fonix for enabling this and to all of our generous supporters whose donations will go on to make such a difference.”

Spring Networking Event – 9th May

Posted on by Andrea Putnam-Moorcroft

 We invite you to join us  at Blackfriars for an evening of networking with new and old business contacts in beautiful surroundings by the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AIME understands the importance of business networking, so look to provide these opportunities whenever possible for our members. Our networking evening is open to members and non members in a relaxed environment of mutually beneficial collaboration, to encourage business growth and working relationships within the interactive media and payments industries.

Our Spring Social evening is in the beautiful Voltaire Bar at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blackfriars, conveniently close to public transport links for easy access. The evening starts from 18.00 and will follow on from our AIME General Meeting in London, for those who will be attending during the day.

Tickets start from just £19 + VAT and include a welcome drink and nibbles, as well as the use of our exclusive AIME only area within the Champagne Library of the Voltaire Bar.

The bar is fully stocked for further drinks during the evening. The drinks menu includes wine, beers, cocktails and champagne.

Crowne Plaza City

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous networking events have been very popular with attendees from companies including:

BBC, Cellcast, EE, Fonix, IMImobile, ITV, Harvest Media, Oxygen8, mGage, Phone-paid Services Authority, Telemedia News and Vodafone amongst others.

Tickets:

Member Tickets               £19.00 + VAT

Non Member Tickets     £24.00 + VAT

AIME Members can get their tickets by either requesting them directly from AIME and you will then be invoiced  for these, or from our tickets page below.

Non Members can get their tickets directly from our tickets page below.

Spring Social Tickets: http://buytickets.at/associationforinteractivemediaentertainment/94299

Booking fees apply when ordering online.

We hope to see you there