Catholic Social Services (CSS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia introduces a new way to support CSS via text message donation through mobile payment provider XIPWIRE. CSS launched the convenient text-to-donate service November 9, 2010, to encourage easy donations to its Annual Cardinal's Christmas Party, marking the official start of Catholic Social Services' first-ever mobile giving initiative. The affordable text-to-pledge service, called XIP2GIVE, enables its users to securely send or pledge donations to help the more than 16,000 needy children in the five-county area that it serves.

Assisting more than 162,000 people last year through its 75 programs, CSS greatly depends on donations from members of the Archdiocese. For this reason, CSS saw the potential to use mobile giving via XIPWIRE to facilitate donations for the Cardinal's Christmas Party for Children along with other donation options.

Joseph J. Sweeney, Jr., Secretary, Catholic Human Services, said, "The face of charity has changed. From teenage girls residing in CSS' St. Vincent's Home and men studying at De La Salle Vocational School to elementary students getting extra attention through Out-of-School Time programs, we recognize the faces of those we support have changed and the face of giving must change with it. Offering XIPWIRE as a donation method affords us a quick and easy alternative to the traditional annual gift. We believe its convenience factor will enable us to expand our giving efforts and will encourage smaller, more frequent donations throughout the year."

Held on December 20 and hosted by Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Cardinal's Christmas Party for Children was selected to launch the mobile giving campaign because donations raised for this event are critical to the success of CSS' many youth and adolescent programs and family service centers. The event is an afternoon of joyous gift-giving for local children, presenting the perfect platform to introduce the text-to-give campaign.

"Christmas reminds us of our responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members in the community: our children," said Sweeney. "But with this mobile giving campaign, it is our hope to remind people throughout the year that Philadelphia's children need the support of CSS. XIPWIRE should allow us to easily do that."

To text a pledge, a user should first fund a XIPWIRE account by connecting it to a bank account, credit or debit card. Then it is as easy as texting the campaign's code and the amount of the gift to 56624. A text of "CSS 100," for example, would result in an instant $100 gift to the Archdiocese. Users who do not have a XIPWIRE account at the time of the text will receive reminders to complete their registration so that current and future gifts can be processed.

XIPWIRE makes donations to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia a simple and secure one-step process that can be completed in less than 10 seconds. Sibyl Lindsay, co-founder of XIPWIRE, said, "Sharing our technology with CSS means that its programs can continue serving our neighbors - the people of Philadelphia and the suburbs. From our vantage point, this is by far the best use of mobile payment technology to date."

About XIPWIRE
Founded in 2009, XIPWIRE is a mobile payment service that enables people to securely send and receive money using a simple text message. XIPWIRE leads the mobile payment technology industry with a strong focus on simplicity and security. Its robust platform caters to individual users as well as merchants and non-profits. XIPWIRE enables businesses to offer their customers a convenient cash alternative without the need to pay high credit card fees. XIPWIRE complies with all state regulations, operating with SMS short code (56624) and certification from all major mobile carriers. www.xipwire.com

About Catholic Social Services
Catholic Social Services traces its roots to colonial Philadelphia. The ten agencies of CSS administer programs dedicated to serving men, women, and children in need. They are an expression of the charitable works of the local church. Services include residential treatment programs for at-risk children, family preservation services, foster care, adoption, immigration services, counseling, senior citizen centers, programming for the elderly, transitional housing, homeless services, and care for medically fragile men and women. CSS provides residential and community-based education programs to court-adjudicated youth, and sponsors residential and community-based care for persons who are developmentally delayed.

Contact
Jim Senior
Catholic Human Services
610-326-1000