In January more than 300 residents on the Aylesbury estate in south London, Europe's largest social housing project, found out about job opportunities through a text message.
The message was sent by Patrischia Warmington of Creation Trust, a charity that aims to transform the Aylesbury Estate into a thriving neighbourhood through delivering social and economic change. The text helped to ensure that more than 200 people turned up to the showcase, and attendance was significantly higher than previous employment events in the area. Patrischia and Charlotte Benstead, the manager of Creation Trust, had a very positive response from residents about the text. They are both certain that the message played a major part in the success of the showcase and have used texting regularly ever since.
In the middle of a long running economic downturn and austerity programme, charities are feeling the pinch, with small local charities like Creation Trust often most at risk, according to the thinktank IPPR North. In this climate, new digital technologies can help, as they have the potential to deliver ways of working more effectively for less money.
Source: https://www.guardian.co.uk/voluntary-sector-network/2013/apr/15/text-messaging-future-charities