‘Tis the season when our thoughts turn to giving—not only holiday gift-giving, but also donating to those nonprofit and charitable organizations that serve the communities, populations, and causes that are closest to our hearts.
For nonprofits that want to end the year on a high note, asking for donations has never been easier. SMS marketing makes it possible for even small nonprofit organizations to engage donors right from the technology most people use every day—their cell phones. And with a proven track record of results, SMS fundraising can be the key to hitting those year-end fundraising goals without a huge outlay of limited resources.
A brief history of text-to-give campaigns
SMS messaging has been around since the turn of the century, but it started to gain widespread adoption by around 2010. The Red Cross pioneered mobile giving as early as 2008 with text-to-give campaigns after natural disasters, including Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike. When a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on January 1, 2010, the Red Cross text-to-donate campaign helped the organization raise a whopping $32 million in just one month.
Since those early days of SMS fundraising, and with the increased use and expansion of messaging technology, nonprofit organizations have realized some of the same benefits as successful for-profit organizations. According to an annual benchmark report from advertising and communication firm M+R, nonprofit mobile messaging volume increased by 40% in 2023. For every 1,000 messages sent, nonprofits generated $92, an increase of 14% over the previous year.
Mobile messaging continues to be a key communication platform for nonprofits to connect with donors and supporters. Open rates for text messaging remain at approximately 98% compared with 25% for email, and text messaging has a response rate of 48% compared with 2-4% for email.
Up your SMS fundraising game this year
It’s not too late to make a successful final push for donations and end 2024 on a positive note—and set your organization up for an even better 2025! Here are a few ideas and best practices for successful SMS fundraising.
Take advantage of giving season
The holiday season typically generates the biggest returns of the year for most retailers, and it’s likely that many of your best donors and supporters are already using their mobile phones for online shopping. Now is the time to up your SMS messaging game—especially around Giving Tuesday.
If you know of retailers or businesses who have pledged portions of their proceeds to your organization during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Giving Tuesday shopping weekend, consider sharing those promotions with your subscriber list.
Use the right partner
Not every nonprofit has the resources of a large organization like the Red Cross. If your staff is busy doing the work of your nonprofit, you might need to find an SMS marketing platform, such as Wonder Cave, that can help you learn the ins and outs of SMS fundraising. Or, if you have the staff and infrastructure to manage your SMS development efforts, partner with a carrier that has the right options to meet your specific needs.
Familiarize yourself with SMS marketing best practices
Everyone in the SMS ecosystem—users, carriers, platforms, and organizations—should be committed to keeping that ecosystem healthy. For organizations, that means ensuring proper opt-in and opt-out procedures, using the right type of messaging for the right purpose, and preventing campaign drift. End users need to know they are donating to legitimate causes, and carriers and platforms need to be sure they aren’t enabling fraud or scams.
Grow your subscriber list for future success
Remember that donation requests and advocacy messages don’t have to be the only goals for your nonprofit. Use your existing subscriber base to ask for referrals. Share campaigns and events via social media, e-mail, and other avenues to drive opt-ins to your text messages. Start now to set your nonprofit up for SMS success in 2025.
The year may be winding down, but there’s still time to make a final SMS fundraising push and end your fundraising year on a high note. Start today, and make a real difference in your bottom line—and in the communities and causes you serve.
Remember, if you need help navigating all the details around SMS fundraising and setting up a text-to-donate campaign, Bandwidth can help! Contact us today to learn more.
