Background

The Mobile Giving Foundation Canada (MGFC) was founded in 2009 by key members of the wireless industry in partnership with the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), with the support of Canadian wireless operators. The goal was to harness the power and connectivity of wireless communications to empower individuals to support their favourite causes. The concept is simple: give the almost 26 million Canadian wireless users a single “Mobile Giving Channel” where they could receive and respond to appeals from qualified Registered Charities.

The greatest attribute of mobile giving is immediacy. Alerted to a need either through a permission-based text message received on a mobile device or through an outside medium such as TV, mobile users can quickly and easily respond. No need to write a check, fill out a form or call someone, just text a reply to the prescribed short code, confirm your intent to donate and the giving cycle is complete. The time period from notification to contribution can be seconds rather than days, weeks or months. This immediacy and ease of use empowers Registered Charities to develop interactive applications that will engage a new class of donors. By providing one access point to all carriers, MGFC gives charities the power to engage with donors in a fast and simple way. We believe a cooperative effort between the Mobile Giving Foundation Canada, the CWTA, and wireless operators create a trusted, predictable and effective system for mobile giving.

MGFC Team

The MGFC was founded by the Mobile Giving Foundation and the CWTA:

  • MGFC Board of Directors
  • Jim Manis, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, MGFC
  • Bernard Lord, President and CEO, CWTA
  • Andrew D’Amico, Key Account Manager, ZipStripe Corp.
  • Andre Tremblay, Managing Partner, Treo Capital
  • Alan MacIntosh, Partner, Acta Wireless
  • Mike Buhrmann, CEO, Finsphere Corporation
  • Mike Carter, President, OLSON Mobile
  • Advisory Board
  • Doug Wayne, Canadian Red Cross Society
  • Jeff Hoffman, Tim Horton Children’s Foundation
  • Julie Marshall, UN World Food Programme
  • Lisa Clowery, Breakfast Clubs of Canada
  • Shirley Roy, Ottawa Mission Foundation
  • Shirley Weir, Leap Frog Marketing
  • Victoria Carlson, WWF
  • Foundation Management Team
  • Bernard Lord, Chairman, MGFC
  • Katherine Winchester, Administrator, MGFC
  • Ryan Finne, Director, Marketing & Compliance Oversight, MGF
  • Joe Manis, Account Manager, MGF
  • Theresa Ball, Compliance Manager, MGF
  • Becky Shanafelt, Accountant, MGF
  • Sonia Vahedian, VP Operations and Carrier Compliance, MGF


MGFC Funding

The MGF would like to thank the following organizations for their financial support: CWTA, QUALCOMM, 1024 Wireless Services, Acta Wireless, CellFish Media, VeriSign, Acision, MyThum Interactive, Hook Mobile, UN Foundation, Entertainment Industry Foundation, and individual partners of Trilogy Ventures. We welcome your financial support to help us maintain operations and programs as the MGFC becomes self-sustaining.