Giving Tuesday is just around the corner, and nonprofits everywhere are looking to current trends and new technology in order to stand out from the crowd. To help you make the cut, we’ve come up with three ideas that use the best of mobile and text messaging to help make 2015 your best fundraising year yet.
Idea #1: Announce your call to action during a live stream
Mobile apps like Periscope that allow users to live stream events are booming in popularity. A live-streamed event gives your nonprofit the perfect opportunity to share your mobile call to action and grow your list during the fundraising season. You can also text your current subscribers a reminder to tune-in right before the live stream starts to boost attendance. Don’t forget to give them a shout-out during the event to thank them for their continued support!
If you’re interested in taking video even further, Ustream is an app made specifically for nonprofits that allows them to create web-based TV stations. Ustream allows you to broadcast live from anytime, anywhere, and is a fantastic tool for nonprofits looking to tap into the growing trend of mobile streaming services.
Idea #2: Text out a mobile video to your subscribers
Whether your goal is to drive visitors to your donation page or get supporters to share a message with friends, engaging subscribers with a mobile video is an effective way to encourage a person to take further actions. Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity to create a video to send to your subscribers. Here are a few ideas:
- Create a shareable collage video using social media content: Tap into your subscribers’ personal networks by sending them a video to share with their friends. There are several tools that allow you to create videos out of recycled content from your social media accounts. We like flipagram, which converts Instagram photos into video slideshows. Viddy is another option that allows users to easily make and share videos with their phone.
- Make a personalized video that encourages supporters to donate: Custom videos that incorporate personal details, such as names, are becoming more popular. They work, for the simple reason that a personalized message attracts more attention than a generic one. These videos will cost more money to make, but if that’s the route you choose, Idomoo is a great place to start looking.
- Educate supporters about your campaign with a 30 second video: This is a great strategy for any nonprofit, since your video can both educate supporters about your cause and send them to your website so they can easily make a donation afterwards. We like Wordeo: a free service allows users to make videos by providing visual content to match your text. Wibbitz and Directr are two similar options.
Idea #3: Provide supporters with other ways to make a contribution
Not every one of your supporters will be in the financial position to donate to your nonprofit. Any given mobile list likely includes students, people in a tight spot, and first-time supporters that haven’t figured out if they want to support you yet. Given this, you should offer your subscribers other ways to make a contribution, such as volunteering their time or referring a friend or colleague.
Nonprofits can always use an extra hand during the holidays. One easy way to recruit volunteers is to ask them via text message. Here’s a sample message:
“Can’t make a donation this year but still want to contribute? Respond YES to learn more about our volunteer opportunities!”
You can segment off people that respond to your message into a “volunteers” group and send them targeted messaging on available opportunities. You should also make a note to stop sending them future donation texts so that they don’t unsubscribe.
Another great way for subscribers to help your organization is to have them refer a friend or colleague. Our Tell-a-Friend feature allows subscribers to text in the phone number of a friend to invite them to opt-in to your mobile list. Here’s a sample message:
Know of someone interested in giving to our cause? Text us their phone number, and we’ll loop them in on how to get started!
Referred friends will then receive a text message from your organization, asking if they want to subscribe to your mobile list. If they say yes, then you have one more mobile subscriber, and another opportunity to fundraise.
Text messaging doesn’t have to be the biggest driver of donations for your Giving Tuesday campaign. It can, however, be a remarkable tool for helping you reach more people. Remember, engaged users who care about your cause are the backbone of your nonprofit, and that text messaging helps keep them that way, no matter how much money they donate.
If you’d like to learn more about how text messaging can support your nonprofit’s goals, consider these resources:
- Three Ways to Increase Donations with Text Messaging
- Sample Timeline for End of the Year Fundraising Text Messages
To get started with your own text messaging campaign, contact us.