Premium SMS Donations Pilot Program
What is the Premium SMS donations pilot program?

Telstra is participating in a 12 month industry pilot program that enables selected Australian charities to raise funds via Premium SMS.

From October 2015 to September 2016 you’ll see selected charities call for SMS donations in their advertising that reads something like “Text GIVE to 19xx xxxx to donate $5” (keywords and 19 numbers will vary by charity). Once you text, provided you haven’t barred premium services on your plan, $5 will be donated and appear as a third party charge on your mobile account or deducted from your Pre-Paid main credit. You’ll then receive a free reply SMS as a valid tax receipt for your donation.

Which charities are participating in the pilot program?

An industry working group – which includes Telstra, Optus and Vodafone as well as the Telco Together Foundation – selected up to 15 charities to participate in the pilot program. Visit www.textgiving.org.au for details on the charities and their campaigns.

Who can donate via Premium SMS?

Premium SMS donations are available to Telstra mobile customers unless barring of Premium SMS services has been activated. If you’ve barred Premium SMS services and wish to donate via Premium SMS, please contact us on 13 22 00 to enable Premium SMS services. This may not be available on all plans.

How much will you be charged?

Each SMS under the pilot is worth $5, which means you’ll be charged $5 for each donation. There are no additional charges, and every donation is a one-off charge, not a subscription. To donate more, you'd need to send another message to the charity’s 19 number.

Does Telstra make money from SMS donations?

No. For this 12 month pilot, Telstra does not charge any fees.

How much of your donation reaches the charity you’ve donated to?

For each $5 donation made, $4.95 reaches the charity. Charities incur a small charge of 1% of donated revenue, which is an administration fee charged by OpenMarket or Ansible, the companies that helps the charities run their campaigns. Telstra does not charge any fees on your donation.

Are Premium SMS donations tax deductible?

Yes. Once you’ve donated, you’ll receive a free reply text which contains tax receipt information. Depending on your phone’s features, you may be able to make a further permanent record of this information, for example, by emailing it to yourself and/ or making a printed copy. If you have any issues or have accidentally deleted the text, please contact the charity you’ve donated to directly. They will need the phone number you donated from to provide you with a replacement receipt.

Will the charity contact you once you’ve donated?

By donating via Premium SMS, you consent to future contact from that charity. This is in accordance with Australian law. However, we want you to have a great experience when you donate, so every charity participating in the pilot program has to sign up to a Code of Conduct (PDF 77KB) which sets out how, when and how often they can contact you after you’ve donated, as well as requirements to allow you to opt out of further communications. Charities are required to give you the chance to opt out every time they get in touch with you. Alternatively, you can contact the charity directly at any time and ask to be removed from their contact list.

If you have any issues or believe a charity is in contravention of the Code of Conduct, please contact Ansible on 1300 783 035 or OpenMarket on 1300 760 083.

Who should you contact if you have any problems?

If you have any issues with regard to your donation, please contact Ansible on 1300 783 035 or OpenMarket on 1300 760 083. Ansible and OpenMarket help the charities run these campaigns.

If you’ve accidentally deleted or simply can’t find the reply text that constitutes the tax receipt for your donation, please contact the charity you’ve donated to directly. They’ll be able to issue a replacement receipt if you provide the phone number you donated from.

I have a Post-Paid contract. How can I donate via Premium SMS?

Donating via Premium SMS is simple. Just text your chosen charity’s keyword to the 19 number provided in the charity’s campaign (e.g. “Text GIVE to 19xx xxxx”). If your donation is successful (i.e. if Premium SMS services aren’t barred on your service), you’ll immediately receive a free reply SMS containing tax receipt information and a contact number for the charity, should you have any questions. 

How will the donation show up on your Post-Paid bill?

Your donation will be listed under ‘Third Party/Separate Purchases’, as a $5 charge with the service provider name OpenMarket or Ansible (who provide the technical connections between us and the charities) and the 19 number you donated to. You will not see the name of the charity you donated to, but you can identify the charity by locating the 19 number on your itemised bill and doing a search to find the charity on the 19 SMS portal.

If you receive a summary bill, you’ll need to check the online bill account to identify the individual Premium SMS donation charges.

How can you donate if you’re on a Pre-Paid service?

You can donate by simply texting your chosen charity’s keyword to the 19 number provided in the charity’s campaign. Every time you donate, $5 will be deducted from your main credit balance. You can check your charity top up balance by dialling #100# or visiting m.telstra.com in your Pre-Paid phone’s browser.