Update 2: $3 million has now been raised.
Update 3: The total is now more than $4 million as of Thursday afternoon.
Update 4: The new total is now $5 million, as confirmed by the Red Cross at 5:30 p.m. EST on Thursday.
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We've just confirmed that the Red Cross has already raised more than $800,000 for Haiti through their $10 text message donation initiative (text "Haiti" to 90999), which is backed by the United States State Department.
Susan Watson, director of marketing and visibility for the Red Cross, tells us that they're getting reports every half hour with the latest donation numbers, and the current total — as of 4:30 p.m. EST — is greater than $800,000 for text message donations alone. Watson says, "The needs are so tremendous in Haiti, and we are honored that people continue to give to the American Red Cross. Raising this amount of money, $10 at time, is a true testament to the American spirit."
The Red Cross's involvement in the relief effort is to be commended. Not only did it immediately set up the simplest donation method possible, but its social media presence and outreach, when combined with the State Department's involvement, has turned this into a viral funding initiative, topping Twitter trends and inspiring action. The Red Cross is also contributing an initial $1 million from the International Response Fund.
If you want to help the cause you can text "Haiti" to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross. There's also this collection of organizations that are accepting donations online.