With textPlus, Group Texting Isn't Just Popular -- It's Good

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 8, 2011

With 7.7 million monthly active users, group messaging app giant textPlus is harnessing the power of its groups for good. This March, textPlus will debut the first-ever Groups4Good campaign: for every group or textPlus Community created using textPlus, textPlus parent company GOGII will donate $1 to a good cause.

To kick things off, GOGII will donate funds for up to 10,000 groups between March 11-15. Every month thereafter, GOGII will spotlight a new charity to benefit, donating up to $1,000 every month. The app will enlist its users to get involved by nominating and voting on new charities to benefit from the Groups4Good program.

The March fundraiser, which will take place during the week of Austin's SXSW Interactive Festival, is just the beginning for Groups4Good, which has been designed as a broader catalyst for mobile activism. The far-reaching program aims to tap the power of small mobile social communities to drive big philanthropic movements, including through:

•     Fundraising campaigns to benefit a new charity every month
•     User voting to pick new charities that will benefit from textPlus funding
•     Invitations to causes and charities to leverage group messaging to rally their supporters
•     Monthly in-app spotlights on notable charities to help raise awareness
•     A Groups4Good Communities Channel in the textPlus app
•     Support for causes that educate youth audiences about smart digital behavior

textPlus, the pioneering mobile app that debuted group messaging back in June 2009, is the only app that allows people to text in topic-driven Community chat groups, as well as in one-to-one and group conversations. With its photo-sharing, people search and personalization features, textPlus has increasingly layered in social elements to traditional texting to remarkable public response and is now ready to enlist its loyal following to mobilize for good. The app is available for download on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android, and works across all carriers on any mobile device that sends and receives SMS messages.

"When you've got this many millions of people in one place -- and actively engaged in small groups -- you're talking about a unique opportunity to do good," said Drew Olanoff, GOGII's Director of Community and the guy best known for creating the #blamedrewscancer social media campaign, which drove millions of fundraising dollars. "As we've seen, social media must leverage the power of communities if it wants to make a positive difference. We're excited to be the first to bring that notion to small groups via mobile messaging."

The funds raised during the Groups4Good campaign will be split across three organizations:

• EnoughIsEnough - Enough Is Enough is a non-profit organization that emerged in 1994 as the national leader on the front lines to make the Internet safer for children and families.
• A Good Idea - A Good Idea is a vehicle for positive social change ideas that connect people in need with people who want to help to alleviate homelessness and poverty.
• LIVESTRONG - LIVESTRONG empowers the cancer community to address the unmet needs of cancer survivors.

Added Olanoff: "textPlus made group messaging a movement in mobile -- now we want to make it meaningful. We're excited to launch the first-ever group messaging campaign for a good cause."

Group4Good kicks off March 11 just at the start of Austin's SXSW Interactive Festival. For more information, visit: http://www.groups4good.com.

About GOGII
GOGII (go-jee) is a mobile communications technology company and creator of the textPlus app. GOGII is a U.S.-based startup backed by venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Matrix Partners and GRP Partners. GOGII was founded in 2007 by the three founders of JAMDAT Mobile, the leading mobile entertainment publisher that was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2006. The company is committed to the safety, security and privacy of its users.

About textPlus
textPlus brings free, ad-supported real, group and Community texting to the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and Android phones through its mobile application, permanent short code, 60611 and real phone numbers. textPlus is carrier and Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) compliant and enables seamless interaction between app users and their friends using regular text messaging (SMS).

# # #