Text-to-Give Fundraising: The Ultimate Guide for Nonprofits
“Quick Summary” Mobile phones are no more a luxury but a sheer necessity. With technological advancement, people have switched to smartphones from basic phones. Smartphones are not just limited to calling and messaging; they open up a new world of opportunities. People might forget their luggage and belongings, but smartphones have become second nature.
From reminders to emails, banking to investments, meetings to music, and digital payments to donations - people prefer using their smart devices to perform all these tasks.
Text-to-Give for Nonprofits is your perfect fundraising solution if you are a non-profit, social, or religious organization looking for an effective way to raise funds. By offering a Text-to-Give platform, nonprofits and charitable organizations can quickly and easily collect donations from their patrons.
This guide will provide you with the ultimate information on how to set up a Text-to-Give campaign and maximize donations for your church or other nonprofit organization.
Let’s dive into the details without further ado.
What is text-to-give fundraising?
Text-to-Give Fundraising is a superior platform for offering donations. The simplicity of this method has made it popular amongst donors.
Text-to-Give follows a mobile-based fundraising methodology through which nonprofits, educational bodies, and political entities accept their donations. The donor needs only a few basic things to make his donation using Text-to-Give. A cell phone, a basic built-in messaging app, and a mobile browser.
So, let’s understand what is “Text-to-Give fundraising?”
To start a Text-to-Give fundraising campaign, the nonprofit must first define a number and create a shortcode or keyword that will trigger the donation process. This code or keyword should be easy to remember and simple to type, so donors can easily recall it when donating. The organization can then share this code and the number with the donors through various channels, such as social media, print materials, and email campaigns.
What kind of organizations use text-to-give fundraising?
This straightforward and effective fundraising method is useful for all nonprofit organizations. Here are a few examples.
This donation method is particularly useful for NGOs involved in Emergency Relief causes that need to raise large amounts in the shortest possible time.
When the traditional fundraising methods fail, Churches And Other Religious Organizations resort to text-to-give to supplement their income and recurring expenses.
Educational Institutions like schools and colleges also benefit from text-to-give fundraising.
Political Campaigns benefit from text-to-give by reaching out to supporters at the proper time.
Related Blog: Text-to-Give VS Text-to-Donate
How does text-to-give fundraising work?
The overall process is simple for both the donor and the nonprofits.
#Step 1: In most cases, a donor receives the information and is asked to donate via text message donations for nonprofits. Nonprofit entities use word-of-mouth, digital marketing, or the platform of an event or service to update the donor.
#Step 2: In response to the message received, donors typically send a text message using a specific keyword to a short number or code the charitable organization has provided. The shortcode can be 4 digits or 6 digits.
#Step 3: Generally, the "keyword" or the "shortcode" triggers the next step. As the keyword is mapped to a specific campaign, it will usually indicate which campaign the donor wishes to contribute to.
#Step 4: There are 2 probabilities in this step:
- Either the donor can determine the donation amount to be added to his next mobile phone bill OR
- As soon as the donor selects his preferred campaign, he will receive a text message containing a link. Clicking that link directs him to a mobile-friendly donation page in his browser.
#Step 5: If the donor uses a smartphone, he will be directed to the donation page. With a few clicks, he can make his donation.
In a few instances, the donor might come across an online form where he can fill up his personal and donation details and submit it on the website.
#Step 6: Once the form is submitted, the donor will receive an email from the nonprofit organization confirming his donation.
#Step 7: Charity and nonprofit entities receive their donation amounts in two ways.
- Through the online form submitted by the donor,
- Through the mobile service providers.
It takes only a few steps to complete the whole process.
DonateMo’s Text-to-Give Fundraising platform allows beginning the fundraising campaign in easy-to-follow steps. The beauty of this donation method lies in its simplicity. This aids both the donor and the nonprofit in achieving their final purposes.
Related Blog: How to Set up a Text-to-Donate Campaign?
Text-to-give fundraising statistics
Here are a few amazing statistics Charitable Giving For Churches
- The recommended limit for tithe giving per person is 10%. Despite this, almost 77% of tithers give more than 10% of their income as a tithe.
- Faith organizations in the USA would receive an extra $139 billion each year if every Christian tithed atleast 10%.
- Every churchgoer donates an average of $17 per week.
This also means $73.67 per month.
($17 X 52 weeks = $884) ($884 ÷ 12 months =$73.666 per month)
This also means $884 yearly ($17 X 52 weeks = $884). - In the US, religious and faith-based organizations receive almost 29% of charitable gifts.
- Churchgoers aged 35-44 years say they prefer digital modes of giving
- Close to 31% of patrons aged between 45 to 54 love donating through their debit or credit cards.
- Youths in the age range of 24 to 34 years love to donate every week.
- Donors aged 35 to 54 prefer using a smartphone-based giving app, tablets, and kiosks to give their religious donations.
- It's amazing to learn that in North America alone, nearly 75% of donors are women.
- Attending services regularly at churches has a great impact on donors. Regular churchgoers contribute $1,600 more to their faith annually compared to the ones who hardly attend each month.
- The most enthusiastic 39% of digital donors contribute more than traditional givers. Likewise, 12% of digital donors are more likely to attend church conferences than their traditional peers.
- Churchgoers in the age group of 35 to 44 are more active while choosing their cause before making their donations. When a donor is convinced about the purpose and genuinity of a cause, he will put in efforts for its success.
Related Blog: Benefits of Online Giving for Churches
Benefits of text-to-give fundraising
1. Comfortable
Text-to-give fundraising platform allows donors to make their donations comfortably to their preferred nonprofits. The only app they would ever need is their text messaging app present by default on their mobile devices. This technology allows organizations to raise money anytime and anywhere.
2. Quick and Simple to use
DonateMo's text-to-give platform is a quick and simple way to raise funds and make donations. Just a few clicks and your financial transaction is complete.
3. Easy to use
DonateMo's text-to-give platform is a quick and simple way to raise funds and make donations. Just a few clicks and your financial transaction is complete.
4. Instinctive donation
Donors using text-to-give facilities make rapid and impulsive decisions. The visuals or images they see on television or other media trigger their emotion, leaving no room for any background check.
Donors tend to follow the initial or very first impulse with a very meager possibility of them getting distracted as this opportunity to give is so rapid. Online donations offer more room for consideration.
5. Personal recommendation
Donors who give online are more likely than others to encourage their family and friends to give online as well. They will push their friends to support them as they value the donation cause. This indicates that text-to-give donors are excellent brand ambassadors for your charity organization.
Drawbacks of text-to-give fundraising
1. Delay in receipt of payments
The issue of delay in receipt of donation amounts arises when nonprofits partner with cellular providers to operate their text-to-give fundraising campaigns. They will receive the donated money when donors pay their phone bills, which could take around 30 to 60 days. Modern text-to-give providers, on the other hand, have resolved this problem.
2. Cost of the text-to-give platform
Your nonprofit may have to invest heavily in fundraising software. Among the costs associated with the text-to-give platform are the following:
The software,
Payment processing,
Maintenance of the system,
Setup fees,
Vendor fees,
Purchase of shortcodes, and
Purchase of additional keywords and messages.
You can handle these costs if your text-to-give vendor proves more affordable than others.
3. Limits of Donated Amount
If you choose a more traditional text-to-give vendor, all donations will usually be capped at $5-$10. By removing the donation cap, modern-day text-to-give systems have made online giving less burdensome.
4. Unable to generate engagement
Text-to-give does not automatically create engaging relationships with contributors. Hence, connecting with supporters through this giving channel is difficult.
In this donation method, donors must text a code to a number or enter minimal information on a simplistic donation page. As a result, they need help to connect with the brand. One could resolve this problem by adding more steps to enrich the process, which would conflict with the simplicity and speed of the text-to-give fundraising method of donation.
5. Low retention donor ratio
As per a study, less than 20% of first-time donors will repeat their donations through this method, which means close to 80% would never donate to the cause.
If your acquisition costs come down, your spending is within your donation receipts.
6 Special tips for text-to-give fundraising
1. Make a careful selection
Despite the temptation to use text-to-give fundraising in every campaign all year round, we recommend saving this method for specific campaigns, or else you might end up annoying your donors with excess information.
2. Keyword simplicity works best
The magic behind a successful Text-to-Give fundraising campaign is its simplicity. Preserve the same simplicity while customizing your keyword or shortcode and selecting the number. This helps the donor easily remember them and complete their donation process. Your patrons might forget longer or more complex codes and abandon the donation process. Doing so will keep the nonprofits far from achieving their campaign goals.
3. Make your website more appealing
Redesign your website and online donation forms so they load faster and are easier to navigate on mobile devices. Optimize the images and videos to help them load faster on all devices. To increase conversion rates, keep mandatory information minimum. Use readable-size fonts, and avoid cluttering your page with design elements.
4. Design your donation forms to match the cause/purpose
Add logos, forms, and gift amounts to your mobile-friendly donation landing pages. To encourage them to donate more, display a scale that displays the campaign’s proximity to achieving your fundraising goals.
5. Club several fundraising methods with your text-to-give
Combine text-to-give with other fundraising campaigns to leverage the excitement created by in-person interactions. If you send a direct mail or e-newsletter to your donors, include text-to-give information so they can donate as soon as they read it.
6. Remember to thank your donors
In text-to-give fundraising, thanking your contributors is always vital. Make your donors feel appreciated by thanking them for their generosity.
7 Best Reasons to choose DonateMo for Text-to-Give Fundraising
1. No cumbersome app, instant setup
You don’t need to download any app. Integrate DonateMo with your current messaging app and make your donation easily.
2. Enjoy Freedom without Contracts
Enjoy the awesome features of DonateMo’s Text-To-Give Fundraising platform for churches without horrifying contracts. Try the product today.
3. Multiple gateways to choose from
DonateMo offers a bouquet of 17 premium payment gateways. Switch to DonateMo if your present payment gateway doesn’t serve you well.
4. Enjoy unlimited keywords and causes
You can set up a text-to-give and online giving platform for the charity organization quickly and easily. DonateMo offers unlimited keywords and causes. Hence, you can use the platform’s flexibility to meet the needs of your church or nonprofit.
5. Option for recurring donation
If your cause needs donations at regular intervals, you must motivate your donors for recurring contributions. By integrating DonateMo with the regular messaging application, your nonprofit can offer easy monthly & bi-monthly, weekly & bi-weekly recurring giving options to the donors.
6. Dedicated phone number
Despite technological advancements, complex online giving solutions can prevent donors from donating. DonateMo offers a simple, systematic, and flawless online platform that removes the process's complexity. Your members will thank you for offering a dedicated phone number that is easy to use and remember.
7. Excellent Customer Service
You don’t need to face standard generic questions posed by chatbots or AI. DonateMo has you covered. DonateMo offers live human customer service through chat, email, and phone.
Wrap-up
Through this ultimate guide, we have attempted to explain the micro aspects of the text-to-give fundraising platform. During the discussion, we balanced the pros and cons of this fundraising platform with the core intention of helping nonprofits take informed decisions.
DonateMo’s Text-to-Give Fundraising platform is built to boost your nonprofit organizations and religious entities to raise their donations/funds beyond expectations. If you are associated with any such organization, do drop in a mail at sales@donatemo.com or call us immediately at 833-453-0697. Our product champions are eager to talk to you.