Mobile Giving Foundation Canada

What Mobile Giving Foundation Canada does

Mobile Giving Foundation Canada (MGFC) is a federally registered Canadian charity and non-profit public foundation that operates the country's only carrier-billed text-to-donate platform. Founded in 2009 in partnership with the Canadian Telecommunications Association, MGFC routes SMS messages through Common Short Codes (45678, 30333, 20222, 80100, 41010) assigned to participating wireless carriers (BCE, Rogers, TELUS, Videotron, Eastlink, Freedom Mobile), enabling donors to contribute to registered charities by texting a keyword and having the donation amount added to their monthly cell phone bill — no credit card, app, or internet connection required. The platform supports preset donation tiers of $5, $10, $20, and $25 (capped at $100 per 30-day period) and includes sub-keyword routing, monthly recurring giving, custom follow-up messaging, contact submission forms, and QR code activation. Because MGFC itself holds CRA registered charity status (#849455662RR0001), it issues official charitable tax receipts to mobile donors end-to-end.

MGFC's business model is a hybrid of one-time onboarding fees ($350 application fee per new registered charity) and flat monthly subscription fees per active campaign (starting at $100/month), with zero transaction fees — a deliberate differentiator from typical fundraising platforms that take 5% per donation. Wireless carriers receive no portion of donations; 100% of funds are remitted to beneficiary charities within 30 days. Distribution runs through two channels: direct engagement (website, toll-free number, meeting booking) and a curated Application Service Provider (ASP) network currently comprising Fundraising Direct and Stratcom, which provide account management and campaign strategy services. The customer base spans 800+ Canadian registered charities across healthcare, humanitarian, sports, arts, food security, and community service verticals, with cumulative donations exceeding $10M since inception.

The company is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, operates with a lean core team (Founder Jim Manis, VP Operations Katherine Winchester, Director Caitlin O'Neill, plus campaign and finance staff), and is governed by a board including the President and CEO of the Canadian Telecommunications Association. MGFC has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and operates exclusively in the Canadian market.

Name

Mobile Giving Foundation Canada

Legal name

Mobile Giving Foundation Canada

Website

https://mobilegiving.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mobile Giving Foundation Canada (MGFC) is a Canadian registered charity that operates the country's only carrier-billed text-to-donate platform, enabling 800+ registered charities to collect mobile donations via SMS routed through all major Canadian wireless carriers, with 100% of donations passed through to beneficiary charities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Nonprofit Fundraising Technology

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Carrier Billing & Telco Mobile Money (FSAMAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

Keywords

• Mobile fundraising platform
• Carrier-billed donations
• Text-to-donate service
• Nonprofit donation technology
• SMS charitable giving

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. One-Time Charity Application Fee: New registered charities pay a $350 one-time application fee at the time of submission to undergo the MGFC certification and approval process.
2. Campaign Monthly Fee: Charities pay a monthly fee based on the number of active campaigns (keywords and donation amounts) they have in market per calendar month. MGFC charges a flat monthly fee with no per-transaction fees, differentiating from typical fundraising platforms that charge 5% transaction fees. Starting from $100/month for small-budget campaigns.
3. ASP-Mediated Service Fees: Application Service Providers (Fundraising Direct, Stratcom) set their own pricing for account management, mobile marketing, and campaign strategy services, which is negotiated directly between the ASP and the charity. MGFC may invoice the ASP for campaign charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mobile Giving Foundation Canada operates Canada's only carrier-billed text-to-donate platform that enables CRA-registered charities to collect charitable donations via SMS. Donors text a charity-assigned keyword to a Canadian Common Short Code, confirm the donation amount ($5, $10, $20, or $25, capped at $100 per 30 days), and the charge is added to their monthly cell phone bill. The platform routes 100% of donations through wireless carriers to MGFC's trust account, which remits 100% to beneficiary charities within 30 days, and issues official charitable tax receipts in its capacity as a registered charity (CRA# 849455662RR0001).

Product overview

Mobile Giving Foundation Canada operates a single, unified text-to-donate platform—the Mobile Giving text-to-donate solution—as its core product offering. The platform enables registered charities across Canada to collect mobile donations via SMS by routing text messages through designated short codes. The core platform integrates several feature modules: a Monthly Giving feature for recurring donations, Custom Follow-Up Messages for donor stewardship, a Contact Submission Form for donor relationship building, Sub-Keywords for campaign segmentation, and QR Code Donations for physical-to-digital donation activation. Together these tools form a complete mobile fundraising ecosystem where 100% of donations pass through wireless carriers to MGFC to beneficiary charities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Text-to-Donate Platform A mobile giving platform that enables Canadian CRA-registered charities to collect donations via SMS. Donors text a charity-assigned keyword to a Canadian Common Short Code (45678, 30333, 20222, 80100, 41010), confirm a preset donation amount ($5, $10, $20, or $25; $100 max per 30 days), and the charge is added to their monthly cell phone bill. The platform routes 100% of donations through wireless carriers to MGFC's trust account, which remits 100% to beneficiary charities within 30 days and issues official charitable tax receipts in its capacity as a registered charity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 800 registered charities served across Canada
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Canadian Telecommunications AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009The Canadian Telecommunications Association (CTA) co-founded MGFC in 2009 alongside key members of the Canadian wireless industry. CTA administers the Canadian Common Short Code program and provides industry-wide governance for mobile messaging standards. CTA supports MGFC's standards and promotes the mobile giving channel across its carrier membership.
• IC MobilecoreTechnology or IntegrationIC Mobile (IC Group Inc.) is a third-party technology provider for MGFC, handling mobile messaging infrastructure and technology delivery. Listed as a Supporting Partner on MGFC's homepage and as a third-party technology provider in the privacy policy.
• BCE Inc. (Bell Mobility, PC Mobile, Virgin Plus, Lucky Mobile)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBCE Inc. is a Participating Wireless Service Provider for MGFC's text-to-donate platform. Bell Mobility, PC Mobile, Virgin Plus, and Lucky Mobile subscribers can all make text-to-donate contributions. BCE routes donations through its billing system and remits 100% of collected funds to MGFC.
• Rogers (Chatr, Fido)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRogers Communications is a Participating Wireless Service Provider, enabling Chatr and Fido subscribers to donate via text. Rogers routes donations through its billing system, remitting 100% of collected funds to MGFC.
• TELUS (Koodo, Public Mobile)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTELUS is a Participating Wireless Service Provider, enabling Koodo and Public Mobile subscribers to donate via text. TELUS remits 100% of collected donations to MGFC for distribution to beneficiary charities.
• Videotron (Fizz)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVideotron is a Participating Wireless Service Provider, enabling Fizz subscribers to donate via text. Videotron routes donations through its billing system and remits 100% of collected funds to MGFC.
• EastlinkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEastlink is a Participating Wireless Service Provider for MGFC, enabling Eastlink mobile subscribers to participate in text-to-donate campaigns and route their donations through the platform.
• Freedom MobilecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFreedom Mobile is a Participating Wireless Service Provider for MGFC's text-to-donate platform, enabling Freedom subscribers to make charitable donations via SMS.
• Fundraising DirectcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFundraising Direct is an approved Application Service Provider (ASP) for MGFC. They provide account management, mobile marketing services, and campaign strategy directly to registered charities running mobile giving programs. Contact: Nathan Morrison ([email protected]).
• StratcomcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStratcom is an approved Application Service Provider (ASP) for MGFC, providing mobile marketing services and campaign account management to registered charities. Contact: Jerome Cheung ([email protected]).

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Givebutter: Modern nonprofit fundraising platform offering online donations, events, and peer-to-peer campaigns with a focus on zero-fee and CRM integrations. Comparable as a digital fundraising platform targeting Canadian and US nonprofits, though without carrier-billing capability.
• Funraise: Nonprofit fundraising platform providing donation forms, CRM, and peer-to-peer tools to mid-market and enterprise charities. Comparable in serving registered charities with donation infrastructure, but a software suite rather than a carrier-billed rail.

Direct peers

• PayPal Giving Fund: Operates a donation platform integrated with PayPal's payment rails, enabling charities to receive donations and benefit from PayPal's fee coverage. Comparable as a charitable-giving payment intermediary, though digital-wallet based rather than carrier-billed.
• CanadaHelps: Canada's largest online donation platform for charities, enabling credit-card and bank-debit donations with tax receipt issuance. Directly competes for Canadian charity fundraising budgets, though via web rather than carrier billing.
• Mobile Giving Foundation (US): US sister organization running the exact same carrier-billed mobile donation model for American charities via short codes. Most directly comparable peer, differing only by US geography and carrier partnerships.

Others

• Twilio: Cloud communications provider enabling SMS short-code messaging infrastructure. MGFC relies on similar messaging plumbing (via IC Mobile and others) for its short-code routing; Twilio is an enabling infrastructure provider in the same ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• JustGiving: UK-based online fundraising platform for charities and individuals, owned by Blackbaud. Comparable as a charity donation platform with tax receipt infrastructure, though broader in scope (crowdfunding + traditional giving) and not carrier-billed.
• Network for Good: US nonprofit fundraising software platform offering donation processing, CRM, and donor stewardship tools to charities. Comparable in serving charities with donation infrastructure, though broader and software-led rather than carrier-billed SMS.

Regional players

• Donate.ca: Canadian charity donation portal aggregating giving options for donors across registered Canadian charities. Comparable as a Canadian charitable-giving intermediary, but primarily a directory/portal rather than a payment rail.
• Chimp (by Public Inc.): Canadian charitable giving platform operated by Public Inc., enabling workplace giving, payroll deductions, and corporate donation matching. Comparable as a Canadian donation infrastructure provider serving registered charities, though focused on workplace giving rather than mobile SMS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/mgfc
• Facebookfacebook.com/MGFCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mobile-giving-foundation-canada-mgfc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mobile Giving Foundation Canada