IMImobile, a global technology company providing software and services which help businesses capitalise on the growth in mobile communications, today announced its development of ‘Tweet to Donate’, an innovative new service used by the Post Office. The service has made the Post Office the first UK organisation to enable and process donations via Twitter as part of being a fundraising partner to the BBC’s Children in Need charity campaign, ‘Be A Hero’.

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

Mobile sits at the heart of the Twitter experience, and according to Nielsen, 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’s involvement in the fundraising campaign, giving Twitter users an opportunity to donate through the social media channel. The payment solution also breaks down previous social media barriers, allowing users to donate money directly within the social media environment. Furthermore, it opens the opportunity for other brands to integrate mobile payment solutions into the Twitter environment, significantly increasing the opportunity to monetise the social media channel beyond social engagement.

Peter Markey, the Post Office’s chief marketing officer, said: “As a business, the Post Office is modernising to meet the needs of customers across the UK, and we know innovation can’t stop in branch or on our website. Being the first organisation in the UK to give customers the ability to donate to a charity so close to the nation’s heart by simply tweeting to donate is a social media barrier we’re delighted to break through.”

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