In the not-too-distant past, charitable organizations large and small were limited in their available resources to unite the masses behind a worthwhile cause or movement. But amidst the advent of mobile technology, the horizons of contemporary fundraising have been dramatically broadened.

Today, like never before witnessed, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizations are tapping into the mobile realm to assist in fundraising efforts far and wide. From small town fund drives in support of local causes, to global efforts aimed at curbing the fallout from natural disasters, SMS and mobile marketing have quickly become the modern fundraiser’s greatest asset in the arsenal of fundraising weapons.

In recent days, the world has observed with great hope that the SMS efforts taken by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) will yield the same successful results experienced in the wake of January\’s devastating earthquake in Haiti. Following the quake, text donations costing between $5 to $10 per message helped the American Red Cross promptly generate tens of millions of dollars in relief aid. Similarly, the 8.8 earthquake shortly after the Haiti disaster was also aided greatly by SMS.

As millions of Americans eagerly await the end of the BP oil spill disaster, the NWF has embarked on a new fundraising effort with help from the Mobile Giving Foundation. Mobile phone users can now donate $10 to the NWF\’s Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund by simply texting WILDLIFE to 20222.

In recent years, some industry analysts were tentative about committing to the idea that the mobile platform wielded the power to serve as a juggernaut force in fundraising and global humanitarian efforts. But if the lessons of 2010 so far are any indication, the mobile technologies that presently dominate our lives may also be responsible for saving many of them.