SVdP CARES Now Has “Text-to-Donate”

PRESS RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Clearwater, Florida – SmartConnect, powered by Smartwerks®, and Century Business Solutions®, a payment processing company located in Irvine, Calif., have teamed up to support SVdP CARES of St. Petersburg by offering SmartConnect’s SMS marketing software at no cost. People living in the Tampa Bay area can now donate to St. Vincent de Paul CARES by texting “CARES” to 1-844-212-1440. This new platform will reach more people and make it easier for everyone to donate through keywords, text messaging, and QR codes.

“SVdP CARES is using SmartConnect as an additional medium to gain donations from those who may feel mailings and social media are not as convenient of a platform,” said Mary Burns, SVdP CARES Communications and Donor Relations Manager. “Eventually, we would like to build out the program for community engagement and outreach.”

St. Vincent de Paul CARES has kept its doors open during these times of uncertainty, and continues to provide rapid rehousing and homeless services throughout sixteen Florida counties. “SVdP CARES has received an outpouring of generosity from the community throughout the pandemic, and since mid-March, has ended homelessness for 265 households,” said Burns. “We have also seen an increase in caseloads. In fact, as of August 24, SVdP CARES is serving 931 households seeking an end to homelessness.”

In 2019, Smartwerks, located in Clearwater, Florida, reached out to SVdP CARES and asked how they could support area families and veterans in need of shelter and a good meal. Over the past year, Smartwerks has donated portable mattresses to replace the CARE Center’s aging and damaged ones that are used every evening. They recently teamed up with Century Business Solutions to help SVdP CARES implement a complete marketing tool that will increase engagement within it’s 16-county service area. SmartConnect’s powerful SMS marketing tool will support SVdP CARES fundraising initiatives and allow them to grow their online community.

About St. Vincent de Paul CARES

SVdP CARES is a non-profit organization committed to ending homelessness: making it rare, brief, and one-time. All SVdP CARES programs are built on the belief that everyone has the right to live in dignified and affordable housing. With “Housing First” principles at the core, we have a healthy disregard for all community perceived barriers to housing including employment history, criminal/credit background, mental health, addiction, or religious practices. SVdP CARES serves 16 counties across 7,678 square miles of Florida, working to rapidly house those experiencing homelessness within 30 days and concurrently connecting them to stabilization support services to assist their needs.

Contact:
Mary Burns
Communications & Donor Relations Manager
O: 727-954-7251
mary@svdp.com
http://www.svdp.care

About Century Business Solutions

Century Business Solutions is an all-in-one payment solution that provides payment processing technology to over 30,000 merchants in the U.S. and Canada. Century develops fully integrated payment processing solutions for over 100 major ERP, CRM, and accounting systems. From 2017 to 2020, Century was ranked on the annual Inc. 5000 list honoring the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. And, over the last three years, Century was awarded the Silver Stevie Award for Payment Product and Service of the Year by the American Business Awards, the world’s largest premier business award.

For more information, visit https://www.centurybizsolutions.net.

About Smartwerks

Smartwerks is a managed service provider (MSP) featuring an all-in-one point of sale system and SmartConnect, a complete SMS marketing tool. The recent addition of SmartConnect provides retailers with a complete retail management solution. Headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, Smartwerks sets itself apart by providing cost-effective software for small-to-midsized businesses. For over ten years, Smartwerks continues to innovate its products and services to meet the challenging demands of an ever-evolving economy, receiving multiple recommendations from SoftwareAdvice.com and a near-perfect rating from their customers.
https://smartwerksusa.com/

Contact:
Patrick Kunish, Director of Sales
Smartwerks, Inc.
1-888-882-1530 x107
pkunish@sc.cwhite41.com