John Graham Named Chair of BBB Mobile Giving Foundation's Board of Directors

SEATTLE, Aug. 8, 2012   /PRNewswire/ -- BBB Mobile Giving Foundation, the pioneer of mobile giving dedicated to helping charitable organizations by creating and enabling a trusted mobile-giving channel, today announced that John H. Graham IV, CAE, has been named chair of its Board of Directors, effective immediately. In related moves, Brian Ashby from Verizon Wireless has joined the board as a director, and Fabrice Sergent, CEO of Cellfish, has been appointed as the chair of the Foundation's Advisory Board.

Recently appointed to the Board of Directors, Graham is president and CEO of ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, which is comprised of more than 22,000 association executives and industry partners representing nearly 11,000 organizations, including leading trade associations, individual membership societies and voluntary organizations around the globe. He also recently served as the chair of board of directors of BBB Wise Giving Alliance and is the former CEO of the American Diabetes Association.

"Mobile giving offers so much potential to empower charities to raise transformational amounts of money to help them fulfill their respective missions," said Graham. "Growing the Foundation in scope and capabilities is key to better enabling the nonprofit community to tap into this wonderful resource and building a trusted consumer experience in the medium."

"John, Brian and Fabrice all possess deep nonprofit expertise and industry relationships that will be tremendous assets in leading the Foundation in its next phase of growth," said Jim Manis, founder and CEO of BBB Mobile Giving Foundation. "These board developments further advance the Foundation's strong momentum this year, and we are very excited to have all three gentlemen in their respective new roles."

As a technology industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience, Ashby serves as associate general counsel at Verizon Wireless, where he has played an integral role in the company's mobile advertising, commerce and marketing initiatives, including Verizon Wireless' support for mobile giving.

"The Foundation and North American service provider community continue to work cooperatively on mobile-giving issues," said Ashby. "I am pleased to join the Foundation's board of directors to help ensure there is a safe, simple and trustworthy marketplace for donors to support charities of their choice."

Founder and chief executive officer of Cellfish, and ex officio member of the Foundation Board of Directors, Fabrice Sergent will assume the role of chair of the Foundation's Advisory Board. Cellfish is a technology provider for the Foundation. Prior to founding Cellfish in 2004, Sergent served as Chairman and CEO of Club-Internet, one of the first and largest French ISPs, and CEO of Lagardere Active Broadband, a French-based media publisher.

"Having worked with the Foundation to develop its carrier-grade mobile-giving technology platform, we have seen firsthand the power that mobile giving has to mobilize the public to help a worthy cause," said Sergent. "Some of the leading minds in the nonprofit and mobile industries sit on the Foundation's Advisory Board, and I look forward to working with them to advance the organization's mission and reach."

About BBB Mobile Giving Foundation
The Mobile Giving Foundation was founded in 2007 to create a "mobile-giving channel" that empowers non-profit organizations and donors. Working with North America's top mobile carriers, the Foundation enables the mobile channel for charitable giving by providing the organizational layer, operational guidelines and technical infrastructure for non‑profit organizations and donors to use the incredible power and convenience of mobile technology. The Foundation is merging with the Council of Better Business Bureaus and adopting BBB Wise Giving Alliance standards to grow the mobile-giving channel, strengthen mobile-giving industry standards and accountability, assure donor confidence, and reinforce nonprofit acceptance of the mobile-giving medium. For more information, visit to the Foundation website at www.mobilegiving.org and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance website at www.give.org.

SOURCE BBB Mobile Giving Foundation