Breast Cancer Care launches first SMS donation service

Breast Cancer Care is taking advantage of the popularity of SMS by launching its first text donation campaign, developed by mobile marketing group MindMatics.

Mobile phone users will be given the opportunity to text to either of two short codes to donate either £1.50 or £5, with network operators charging the donor's mobile phone bill and funds being transferred to the charity.

The campaign, which is the first time that the charity has used SMS to raise funds, will run until April 1 and will be supported with national print ads.

It follows on from the launch of the charity's first television advertising, which broke earlier this month and features Cherie Blair, whose aunt died of the disease.

Other famous personalities lending their faces to the campaign include patron Geri Halliwell and Joan Bakewell, and the ad was directed by award-winning Mike Leigh, the man behind 'Vera Drake'.

Breast Cancer Care responds to 2m requests for support and advice about breast cancer and breast health concerns a year. The charity is taking advantage of the simplicity of texting with a new service  that will mean no need for form filling and setting up mandates with a bank.

MindMatics hope the campaign will attract donors to make a "spur of the moment" donation after spotting the ad.

Marcus O'Shea, head of fundraising at Breast Cancer Care, said: "As a major charity, we're always looking for ways in which we can better facilitate fundraising.

"Giving people the opportunity to donate to us using their mobile phone is an ideal way for us to do this and we are confident that our campaign will be a great success."