Mumbai:IMImobile, a global technology companyproviding software and services which help businesses capitalise on thegrowth in mobile communications, today announced its development of ‘Tweetto Donate’, an innovative new service used by the Post Office. The servicehas made the Post Office the first UK organisation to enable and processdonations via Twitter as part of being a fundraising partner to the BBC’sChildren in Need charity campaign, ‘Be A Hero’.

IMImobile has worked in partnership with the Post Office and their mediaagency Mindshare to create and deliver the ‘Tweet to Donate’ mobile paymentsolution. Users who would like to make a donation to BBC Children in Needsimply follow the Post Office (@PostOffice) on Twitter and tweet the hashtag#MakeMeAHero. Users then receive a direct message with a URL to a landingpage (served within Twitter) through which they can donate £1, £3 or £5. Thedonation will be debited from the user’s phone bill or the pay as you gobalance. The solution, accessible across mobile, tablet and desktop PC, usesthe mobile payment service Payforit, with the full amount going to BBCChildren in Need.

Mobile sits at the heart of the Twitter experience, and according toNielsen, 80% of Twitter users access the service through a mobile device,and 3 in 5 of Twitter mobile users access Twitter whilst watching TV. The’Tweet to Donate’ service fully unlocks the potential of the Post Office’sinvolvement in the fundraising campaign, giving Twitter users an opportunity to donate through the social media channel. The payment solution also breaksdown previous social media barriers, allowing users to donate money directlywithin the social media environment. Furthermore, it opens the opportunityfor other brands to integrate mobile payment solutions into the Twitterenvironment, significantly increasing the opportunity to monetise the social

media channel beyond social engagement.

Peter Markey, the Post Office’s chief marketing officer, said: “As abusiness, the Post Office is modernising to meet the needs of customersacross the UK, and we know innovation can’t stop in branch or on ourwebsite. Being the first organisation in the UK to give customers theability to donate to a charity so close to the nation’s heart by simplytweeting to donate is a social media barrier we’re delighted to breakthrough.”

Alex Klose, Head of Marketing at IMImobile said: “We are excited to haveworked with the Post Office on the ‘Be a Hero’ BBC Children in Need campaignand to once again deliver innovation on Twitter. It was important for us todevelop a seamless user experience that utilises our mobile paymentcapabilities to make it easy for any user to support and donate without theneed of credit or debit card payments. Any barriers, whether access orpayment based, for users to donate are significantly reduced, allowing thePost Office to incorporate Tweet to Donate into its fundraising activities.”