Changing the world one text at a time is the goal a group of ISU students have taken upon themselves with the creation of a new website, ChariText.

Their efforts originated in seeking to fill a void that often exists between a person’s desire to act charitably and the resources available to do so, a predicament many college students face.

“Students often find it hard to donate. We have tuition, we have debt, we have living expenses and we don’t work professionally,” said Ben Jacobson, a junior in industrial engineering and ChariText co-founder.

To address this dilemma, ChariText allows for users to register their cell phones on Charitext.com by supplying one’s cell phone number, cell phone provider and zip code as well as agreeing to a basic Terms and Conditions clause.

By registering, a user agrees to receive one text message per week that features an advertisement from a sponsoring company.

The company would pay ChariText for the rights to advertise; ChariText would then donate that money to charity with slight portions withheld for website maintenance.

“The donated money per text is estimated to be around five cents,” said Justin Coaldrake, junior in industrial engineering and co-founder. “That sounds like a small number, but with 52 weeks per year that we can send texts, that can do a lot.”

Given ChariText’s infancy, a site just launched on April 13, 2013, with the aid of website developer Travis Sanderson, a simplistic approach has been adopted in order for ChariText to get off the ground.

Initially, only one text message per week will be sent to users and the money donated will go to a predetermined non-profit organization.

With pending increases in user registration and company sponsorship, further aspirations for ChariText’s capabilities are in the works.

“Ideally, if we grow enough, if someone wants to receive 20 messages per week to give more money to charity, they’re getting 20 messages a week,” Coaldrake said.

Aims to make the ChariText process more compatible for each specific user is another goal, one that could be beneficial to both users and companies.

“We want to try to make it as user-friendly as possible, so we’ll have a survey at the end of the registration process where it’ll list different non-profits and ask ‘Do you want to donate to the United Way, the Red Cross, et cetera?’” Jacobson said.

Customization in regard to what advertisements users may receive is another possibility.

“For example, if people could say ‘I want sports ads’ when registering, then we get a better click rate. They’re more likely to click on the ad if it’s something meaningful to them,” said Michael Donlon, junior in construction engineering and co-founder.

When a company can be assured they are reaching their desired audience, more incentives exist to advertise.

“For a company, they’re going to pay the most when they know the ads will go to their desired audience,” Jacobson noted.

As more users register, companies are also more likely to provide sponsorship when a mass audience can be reached.

“Our biggest message is that we need people to sign up for it to work and the more people that can sign up, the more money we’ll raise,” Coaldrake said.

ChariText is on the cusp of receiving its first local sponsors, which will result in registered users receiving their first messages shortly thereafter.

“Ideally, we will send out our first messages in the next week or two. We’re working hard to finalize contracts with companies,” Coaldrake said.

As of April 21, 193 users have registered on ChariText. In order for the site to gain traction, gaining a strong local following is where ChariText looks to start.

“It starts with Ames to see if the students in Ames want to give back, even if it’s just a little bit at a time,” Jacobson said.

To then spread beyond Ames’ borders will largely depend on word-of-mouth transmission.

“Really, what we’re asking, is that students sign up, but then they tell their friends because that’s the only way it’s going to be a success,” Jacobson said.

Seeking out acquaintances at other schools to assist in promotion is another avenue ChariText will seek to exploit.

“We can start telling our friends at the University of Iowa, Northern Iowa, et cetera. I’ve got friends at colleges all over the place, so I could ask ‘Hey, will you be our ambassador to this university and help us get it going?’ and there are people that would do it,” Coaldrake said.

ChariText’s simple approach is believed to be essential in tapping a greater audience.

“Our goal is to be able to go to our website and be signed up in two minutes, maximum; that’s the beauty of it, who wouldn’t want to do it? It’s so simple,” Coaldrake said.