Texting for Nonprofits

A text-to-donate campaign is a simple fundraising campaign that both large and small nonprofits can execute with the help of a mass texting service for nonprofits like EZ Texting. From civic and social organizations to homeless shelters and charitable foundations, SMS marketing can assist fundraising efforts through various methods. For example, a prospective donor texts a relevant Keyword to a textable number or dedicated short code (think: Text “GIVE” to 858585). Then the donor receives a preset autoreply text which includes a link to a mobile donation page. Or, a charity or emergency relief org may have a corporate partner, as in the case of Bonneville Environmental Foundation, that donates a set amount for every text received. The autoreply SMS would then offer further information about the campaign. On the other hand, a text-to-give campaign triggers a set donation amount to be added to the donor’s phone bill, and the phone carrier later transfers that money to the nonprofit. However this type of fundraising requires specific software that is not considered cost-effective for most nonprofit organizations.

Yes, mass texting is legal for nonprofits yet, like email, requires the recipient to subscribe to receive bulk SMS. Email marketing for nonprofits, which has an open rate between 15 to 18%, is also an opt-in-only activity. Meanwhile, text messaging for most nonprofits has a 98% open rate and an average mobile donation of $107. There are several ways for nonprofits to acquire text message marketing subscribers — an SMS Keyword campaign, a Sign-Up Form added to web pages, and/or a sign-up link emailed to newsletter subscribers. Nonprofits can also grow subscribers by including an opt-in in any online registration or point-of-sale processes or within any lead generation forms.

Nonprofits across the country are recognizing the incredible opportunities that SMS services offer. Consider a human rights organization coordinating its volunteer intake and dispatch through text messaging or a youth mentoring foundation that activates its community donation program via SMS alerts and notifications. In many cases, nonprofits will use a texting platform like EZ Texting to both manage text message donations and streamline employee and volunteer communications. A nonprofit that depends on fundraising events like galas can leverage SMS services to boost attendance through reminders, enhance attendees’ experience with informative texts like speaker profiles, and then nurture would-be donors after the event through automated text message marketing campaigns.

Nonprofits are getting impressive community engagement results with mass text messaging. Using bulk SMS, nonprofit organizations can stay in touch with donors and volunteers by sharing relevant content via text like a trackable link to a blog post, a newsletter, or a gallery of photos from a recent event or project. An MMS (aka a text message with a media file like a photo, animated GIF, or illustration) provides a dynamic way to share valuable or educational content that, because of the high open rate of SMS marketing, is sure to get seen.