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Billing Revolution gets charitable with mobile

Billing Revolution, a mobile payments and billing company, has partnered with nonprofit organization Call2Give Network Inc. to drive the public to donate and volunteer.

Per the agreement, Billing Revolution is providing a mobile payments platform for Call2Give where donors can give and volunteer via their mobile phones at http://www.Call2Give.mobi. The partnership begins in central Maryland with the American Red Cross.

"We saw how mobile phones were being used by politicians and businesses, and we saw the non-profit sector behind the curve," said Brian Meshkin, co-founder and president of Call2Give Network Inc., Fulton, MD. "With each of our experiences in mobile technology and philanthropy, we knew we could invest in and build a solution.

"We partnered with Billing Revolution because they had the backend payment processing figured out and were a trusted partner," he said. "So, our goal became to mobilize good people to donate and volunteer over their mobile phones."

With this partnership, Call2Give gives donor-driven organizations a simple way to make an impact by being an adjunct to their Web site and through direct mail and email, phone and traditional advertising for donations.

Individuals and organizations can sign up through their phone or computer and begin using the platform immediately.

The first practice of the Call2Give mobile payments platform was on Friday, May 15, at the First Inaugural Sounds of Service event

"Organizations that depend on donors and volunteers struggle to recruit both," said Ryan DellaCrosse, cofounder/vice president at Call2Give Network Inc.

"Oftentimes, the point in time when a prospective donor is motivated to give or volunteer is not when they are able to actually write a check or schedule a volunteer activity on their calendar, so there is a gap between the emotional peak or feeling the call to give and the ability to do so," he said.

"Call2Give Network bridges that gap by putting the power to donate your time and money in the palm of your hand on a mobile device."

At the American Red Cross event, hundreds of individuals heard inspirational music and first-hand stories of service. Instead of going home, thinking about it and maybe making a donation, attendees took out their mobile phones, joined the Call2Give Network and donated or signed up to volunteer.

Billing Revolution claims that mobile fundraising enabled with single-click technology and viral elements is highly effective, especially when paired with economics that ensure safe delivery of the donations.

The single-click technology platform from Billing Revolution manages all payment processing using credit or debit cards.

Donors can make donations between $5 and $2,000 dollars to any organization they would like through a secure interface that is available on a mobile phone or the Web.

In the meantime, Call2Give takes care of all the necessary legal and tax documentation for the donor and the organization.

Users can opt-in by texting keyword GIVE to short code 51684 or by visiting the Call2Give wired or mobile Web site.

Call2Give charges a 10 percent fee for donation processing and a $0.50 transaction fee per donation.

"We believe that each of us has a desire to do good, and we all have opportunities every day when we feel the call to give," Mr. Meshkin said. "We hope the Call2Give Network bridges that gap and mobilizes good.

"In so doing, we envision a future where the Call2Give Network helps charities raise the funds they need to help others, provides volunteers for organizations in need to support, and inspires all of us with a mobile army of people seeking to help and serve our common good," he said.