With all of the hype this week surrounding the unveiling of the Palm Pre, and the release of the new iPhone 3G S, people are walking the streets and “geeking out” everywhere. Could the Palm Pre really be the new iPhone killer? Where does Google’s Android fit into the hoopla? And for goodness sake, is there really an app that can cook dinner and do the dishes?
We’re pretty sure the answer to the last question is “no” but, one thing is for sure – smart phones are getting smarter, and they aren’t just for calls and texting anymore.
Let’s break it down real quick: an estimated 3.5 billion mobile phones are in use around the world – simply put, we’ve hit a time when more people have a mobile device than don’t. Cell phones are increasingly becoming the computer of choice – and in the next five years (or perhaps even sooner) it’s estimated that their power will exceed that of current laptops.
So, with all of the hype, we thought there was no better time to shift the conversation to what this means for nonprofits and social change. There is no question mobile phones offer an incredible opportunity to change people’s lives for the better, particularly in emerging and developing countries. This was, of course, the impetus for the most recent Net2 N2Y4 Mobile Challenge [2]last month.
As a quick recap of what went down in San Jose during the Net2 Mashup:
This year’s $25,000 cash prize went to FrontlineSMS:Medic [3] which utilizes FrontlineSMS software to empower community health workers in developing countries.
Securing $15,000 and second place was on-demand crowd-sourced volunteerism platform, our friends, the Extraordinaries [4]. This new platform allows volunteers from all over the world to dip in and volunteer spare moments in time to help solve a myriad of social problems.
$10,000 and third place went to VozMob [5] which enables those who don’t typically have access to digital technology to still take part in open source discussion and sharing, utilizing low-cost mobile devices.
For more information about these projects and to take a peek at the rest of the pool I encourage you to check out the N2Y4 list of finalists [6].
Earlier this year, the good folks at MobileActive [7] together with the UN Foundation released a report, Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use [8]. The global survey found that 86% of NGO employees use mobile technology in their work, and 25% believe it has revolutionized the way their organization or project works. And, while the most common uses of mobile technology by NGO workers are voice calls (90%) and text messaging (83%), more sophisticated uses, such as mapping (10%), data analysis (8%) and inventory management (8%) also were reported.
So, all of this focus on mobile tech has us talking internally about what phones we should be using and testing as nonprofit employees trying to stay ahead of the curve. There are location awareness apps that can enable people to connect and interact in ways that previously seemed unimaginable. There are apps to raise money and raise awareness for social causes. There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the citizen mobilization efforts that took place in the most recent Presidential election.
How are your organizations leveraging or reimagining mobile technology in ways that we might not yet be thinking about? We want to hear from you.
Also, if you're interested in Mobile tech for good, but not sure where to start -- check out some of these great sites and feel free to add to the list by commenting.
MobileActive.org [9]: A community of people and organizations which creates resources to help NGOs effectively use mobile technology to serve their communities and create social impact.
Mobile Accord [10]: Mobile application service provider dedicated to helping major non-profits, political organizations, universities, and corporate cause-marketers understand and benefit from the power of mobile technology.
Mobile Commons [11]: Creator of a web-based application that helps cause-related organizations to create mobile programs using text messaging, voice calls, and web-based interactive components to spread the word about their cause.
Appfrica [12]: A portal for new developments in African technological innovation and entrepreneurship, social media, web development, and education.
Mobile Giving Foundation [13]: A foundation which works to empower nonprofits through wireless communication by creating a "Mobile Giving Channel," allowing users to receive and respond to appeals from worthy causes.
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