We all know that text messaging is a great way to stay in touch with family, friends, and colleagues. But did you know that it can also be a great tool when you need to raise money? That’s right: text messaging can help you boost your fundraising efforts and increase donations. Here are three ways text messaging can add value to your campaigns:
1) Getting people involved in your cause
The first step in a fundraising campaign is getting people to take action. Text messaging is the most effective tool for making that process easy and simple. All it takes is integrating your mobile call to action (ex: text PANDA to 12345 to learn how you can support wildlife) into your campaign materials.
Once people see your ads, all they have to do is take out their phones and send a text message to your shortcode in order to get started. After supporters make that first step, you can start building your relationship with them and send out information about how they can get involved with your cause.
2) Increasing donations
Text messaging is a also the best way to make the donation process easier for supporters. Once people have opted in to your mobile list, you can send them text messages explaining your fundraising goals. At that point, there are a variety of ways that you can encourage people to contribute to your campaign:
–Send a simple reminder to donate to your campaign and bypass all the clutter of emails and voicemails. Our friends at the Humane Society of the United States found that people who received a text message reminding them to donate to their end-of-the-year fundraising were more likely to donate by 77 percent!
-Ask people to respond with a pledge to donate an amount that they can finalize later, either in person, over the web, or at an event. The Jewish Federations of North America raised thousands of dollars in a time of crisis using text-to-pledge.
–Include a link directly in your text message that people can click on to donate through a mobile-optimized web form from their mobile device.
Whatever method you choose, however, be sure to be prudent with how many text messages you send out. The last thing you want is to annoy your donors with a flood of appeals that make them likely to opt out.
3) Continuing the relationship
Show your donors how much you appreciate them giving to your cause by sending personal follow up thank you texts. You can then continue to build your relationship with donors by sending them text message updates showing what your organization achieved with the help of their donations. Studies show that repeat donors give more money than those who simply gift once, so it definitely behooves your nonprofit to keep your mobile list strong!
Text messaging’s ubiquity, ease of use, and ability to create personal relationships makes it a very useful tool for nonprofits that rely on donor support. If you’d like to learn more about incorporating mobile in your fundraising campaigns, please contact us.