U.S. cell phone users donated more than $8 million by 8:25 a.m. EDT Friday in a Haiti earthquake relief text message appeal. 
 
 The donations were pledged in $10 increments to the Red Cross for Haiti disaster relief, by far the largest outpouring of support via mobile devices in history. 
 
 The response to the devastating earthquake produced the highest amount of mobile donations "that we have ever seen," said Jenifer Snyder, executive director of mGive Foundation, the nonprofit group that is working with the Red Cross and wireless carriers to channel the donations. 
 
 To donate to the Red Cross, mobile users are texting the word "Haiti" to the number 90999. Snyder said the money is coming in at a rate of roughly $200,000 an hour. As of Thursday afternoon, people had donated $5.1 million. 
 
 "We could be handling more," she said. "We are not at capacity." 
 
 Red Cross spokesman Roger Lowe called the outpouring of $10 donations by hundreds of thousands of mobile users "nothing short of awe-inspiring." But he said the largest donations the organization is getting is still coming in online. 
 
 So far, the Red Cross has released $10 million for earthquake relief in Haiti. 
 
 On Thursday morning's "The Early Show" on CBS, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton asked Americans to contribute to the Red Cross via text donations. And on social networks Twitter and Facebook, users continued to urge one another to text money as well. 
 
 Other charities, such as singer Wyclef Jean's Yele, were also collecting mobile donations. To send $5, donors can text "Yele" to the number 501501. The William J. Clinton Foundation was accepting $10 per text from users sending the word "Haiti" to 20222. 
 
 Verizon Wireless said Thursday morning its users have pledged more than $1 million to the Red Cross through text donations. The outpouring easily surpassed earlier records for mobile giving. 
 
 In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Red Cross collected $400,000 from mobile users. A year earlier, following the Asian tsunami that left 230,000 people dead, the organization received $200,000 through text messages, Verizon Wireless said, citing industrywide figures. 
 
 Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless, called mobile donations a "new stream of philanthropy." 
 
 "So many folks who are texting $10 now might not have been at a place to write a check, or call a toll-free number or send mail," he said. 
 
 Wireless carriers, including AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint, said they were not charging regular text-messaging fees on top of the donations. 
 
 T-Mobile USA Inc., which is also waiving texting fees, said Thursday it is enabling international calls to Haiti free of charge through Jan. 31 and will retroactively credit accounts for such calls made since Tuesday. And T-Mobile users in Haiti will be able to make roaming calls on local networks Voila and Digicel thorough the end of the month, the company said. 
 
 The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| Update 2: Sprint has also announced that it is waiving fees, retroactive to Wednesday. (Thanks to changebumpin!) 
 
 Update: MSNBC has updated their article, and they say that AT&T; has announced it will waive fees for donations, and apply the exemption retroactively to those who have already donated. (Thanks to Mathew for the heads up.) 
 
 MSNBC asked Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T;, and Sprint whether or not they're charging for the popular "text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10" meme that's been going around online for the past two days, and that so far has raked in over three million dollars. Verizon and T-Mobile say they're not. Sprint says they are, but that if you just upgrade to an unlimited text message package then you won't have to worry about it. 
 
 What makes this even more ridiculous is that text messaging costs carriers next to nothing—it's almost pure profit. AT&T; and Sprint have apparently decided that they'd like to get in on the Haiti disaster and make a little something something off of the goodwill of their customers. My suggestion: if you're an AT&T; or a Sprint customer, donate some other way. 
 
 Update: I'd take readers who stand up for companies more seriously if I saw more evidence that they thought like companies. A business like AT&T; should have known from the start that making those messages free, and then crowing about it softly via the magic of PR, would be good for the brand, and that means good for profits. The fact that two competitors did just that shows me that some carriers were indeed thinking about long-term self interest, and how to turn public tragedy into a plus sum scenario for the greater good as well as the company. AT&T; and Sprint just weren't. 
 
 
 
 "Mobile giving to help Haiti exceeds $3 million" [MSNBC] (Thanks to Matthew!) 
 
 From ConsumerReports.org: ||||| American Red Cross officials said Saturday that their aid effort in Haiti was gaining momentum, as supplies finally started streaming into the earthquake-stricken country. 
 
 Steve McAndrews, a disaster-relief specialist currently in Haiti, estimated that between 10% and 20% of the Red Cross's initial aid package had arrived in Port-au-Prince by Saturday afternoon. That would be enough to help up to 60,000 people. The disaster is believed to have displaced millions. 
 
 "The support of the American public is reaching the people in Haiti," said David Meltzer, the group's senior vice president for international services. "The relief items are getting to the people in need." 
 
 The group's initial package, which Mr. McAndrews said would help about 300,000 people within three months time, is bolstered by a wave of donations. Gayle McGovern, president and chief executive of the American Red Cross, said $60 million in donations had come in since the earthquake, about half of which was given over the Internet. About $12 million came via text message, she said. 
 
 Still, Red Cross officials said it's unclear how much will be needed to assist the decimated country, where Haitian officials have estimated up to 50,000 are dead. Restoration, Mr. Meltzer said, will take years. 
 
 Mr. McAndrews said a number of logistical problems remain in the area, despite the fact that aid has finally reached Port-au-Prince. He said supplies were still held up because of bottleneck traffic at the airport and in the roads. Additionally, because so many relief workers are trying to access Haiti by coming through the bordering Dominican Republic, people and supplies are jammed at that junction, too. 
 
 As a result, there's heightened concern in the capital that victims — many of whom are trapped under rubble or haven't had adequate food or water since Tuesday — are losing their patience with relief workers. "There's definitely some security concerns," Mr. McAndrews said. "There are people that have been sleeping under the stars for three or four days with nothing to eat or drink. So there is tension." 
 
 He said there hadn't been any "major problems" with survivors approaching Red Cross relief workers for supplies. "Things are pretty horrible here, but there's a lot of hope," he said. "The people we've come in contact with have been good-mannered. They seem very thankful," he said. 
 
 Write to Chris Herring at chris.herring@wsj.com
– Text messaging has proven to be a wildly popular method of donating to the relief effort in Haiti. As of 8:25 this morning, the Red Cross had pulled in more than $8 million through text messages, Fox News reports. That’s the most mobile donations “that we have ever seen,” says the head of mGive, the nonprofit that set up the mobile donation service. Money is pouring in at a rate of roughly $200,000 an hour, in $10 increments. A Red Cross spokesman called the contributions “nothing short of awe-inspiring,” though he noted that the majority of donations are still coming through the organization's website, redcross.org. To donate, head there, or text the word “Haiti” to 90999, which automatically charges a $10 donation to your phone bill. The four major wireless providers have agreed to waive the charge for users whose accounts don't cover unlimited texting, the Consumerist blog reports.