>Smartphone users can use charity apps to do some good on the go this holiday season. Image from Wikimedia Commons.
A good deal of people make charitable donations during the holidays. There are a number of charity apps for smartphone users who want to give while on the go.
While many want to help those in need, a lot of people out there are happy to rob people blind, even under the guise of charity. Be careful when downloading charity applications. Don’t download an app and don’t donate any money before first checking out the organization. Charity Navigator, one of the top charity evaluating services in the nation, expects to have a smartphone app out next year, according to the Miami Herald. In the meantime, be sure to check up on your chosen charity before downloading an app and certainly before donating.
According to the Huffington Post, there’s an alarm clock app for the iPhone called Snooze. Snooze functions by donating a quarter to the charity of a users’ choice in exchange for hitting a snooze button. The app is by LetGive, which also makes an app called CityHarvest. CityHarvest is a restaurant finder app that points out participating restaurants that donate excess food to the hungry.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Salvation Army Santas would be taking donations in select markets using the Square payment system for smartphones. According to Daily Finance, Sprint has equipped Salvation Army personnel in Chicago, San Francisco, New York and Dallas with Android phones with the Square app and plug-in card reader. However, according to USA Today, there is a Salvation Army Angel Giving Tree app for iPad. Android users, according to Marketwatch, can also access the program through a mobile site.
Another app offers an assortment of charities to choose from, such as Give.mobi, according to Cleveland, Ohio, NBC affiliate WKYC. Give.mobi, according to its website, is available for iPhone, iPod Touch and Android. The app allows a person to select any of the nonprofits that partner with Give.mobi, which include groups such as the United Way, Catholic Charities USA and the Salvation Army Disaster Relief Fund. Donations can be made via credit or debit card or can be made through the user’s PayPal account. There is also a mobile browser site that interested parties can donate through as well.
