Rite Aid kicked off its 18th annual Miracle Balloon campaign on April 1 benefitting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and, for the first time, is giving customers a way to make a donation via their handsets.

EBay has introduced two new interactive store windows with the aim of making it easy for holiday shoppers to donate toys by scanning a QR code.

As the crises surrounding the recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan unfold, mobile giving has not been quite as prevalent as it was just a year ago for Haiti.

Nonprofit organizations such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, wireless carriers and a range of celebrities have stepped up to issue mobile calls-to-action to raise funds to support victims of the tragedy in Japan.

WASHINGTON – Having already launched text-to-give initiatives and two applications for Apple’s iPhone, the American Cancer Society is ramping up its mobile efforts to engage potential donors and drive donations.

WASHINGTON – The American Red Cross drove 7 percent of all funds benefiting Haiti earthquake victims via mobile – more than $32 million – and an executive discussed the organization’s increasing focus on mobile at Nonprofit Mobile Day.

WASHINTON – Phase one of World Childhood Foundation USA’s mobile strategy focused on donations, while phase two expanded that focus to include engagement, relations and interactivity with the goal of stirring up emotions with the target audience.

Nonprofits today have the chance to take advantage of the emerging mobile medium before consumers start to get bombarded by text messages asking for donations.

Sporting goods retailer Sports Authority is targeting extreme sports fans attending the X Games with a mobile-social call-to-action to support the fight against breast cancer.

The American Red Cross is upping the ante on its mobile giving initiatives this holiday season, letting donors text to donate $25 at a time to support the nonprofit organization.