How To Set Up Text Donations

Did you lot know that 88% of smartphone users primarily use their devices for texting? It'due south no surprise that nonprofits, political organizations and other businesses that rely on fundraising are turning to text-to-donate campaigns to raise coin.

Looking for a fresh way to heave donations and meet (or exceed!) your fundraising goals? In this step-past-step guide, we'll share tips and strategies for setting up a flawless text-to-donate entrada.

What Is a Text-to-Donate Campaign?

Text-to-donate campaigns utilise a combination of text messages and keywords to enable people to support their favorite causes right from their mobile devices. Text-to-donate drives are also called mobile giving or text giving. Text campaigns cut through distractions and provide a straight and mod fashion for donors to contribute to your cause.

Text donations can be stand-solitary fundraisers or an extension of a marketing strategy that includes events, emails and social media campaigns. Text-to-donate campaigns take risen in popularity considering they're easy to prepare and have proven to piece of work powerfully. These types of fundraising campaigns increase donor retention, frequently securing successful long-term donor date and boosting revenues.

Minor, medium and large companies have augmented or replaced their marketing outreach strategy with text-to-donate programs. Industries who commonly use text-to-donate campaigns include:

Nonprofits
Political Organizations and PACs
Churches

Benefits of Text-to-Donate Campaigns

Text-to-Donate Campaigns Are Easy: Setting up text-to-donate campaigns couldn't exist easier with an SMS provider like Textedly. Textedly helps get your campaigns up and running in just a few steps and streamlines the donation process.
Text-to-Donate Campaigns Are Convenient: Your donors would probably like to give more often, only may skim over or miss your marketing emails in their inboxes. Getting peoples' attention on their mobile devices enables them to donate on the wing, reducing barriers to giving and increasing participation away from their computers.
Text-to-Donate Campaigns Get Results: Mobile fundraising success rates are impressive. Since 95% of business texts are read within three minutes of beingness sent, you tin most guarantee that people will pay attention. The average donation corporeality for text-to-donate fundraisers is $107. In 2022, mobile donations increased 205% over the previous twelvemonth lonely. Plus, setting upwardly recurring contributions makes it easy for participants to continue giving their support.

How to Set Up a Text-to-Donate Entrada

You tin can gear up up your text-to-donate campaign in five elementary steps:

Choose an SMS provider

Set up an SMS phone number

Select a keyword

Create SMS templates

Promote your campaign

Pace one: Choose an SMS Provider

While yous might have access to SMS messaging on your smartphone, it isn't easy to transport multiple templates to a large group of supporters this manner. Choosing an SMS provider is the first step in setting up your text-to-donate campaign. Investing in the all-time mobile platform for your business organisation needs will secure your long-term fundraising success.

Textedly is the SMS platform of option for many nonprofits and other donation-based organizations. The convenient platform handles SMS donation requests, event reminders and calls to action apace and easily.

Larn more nigh why Textedly is the best platform for your nonprofit texting needs.

Step 2: Receive an SMS Phone Number

Once yous've selected an SMS provider, you'll receive a telephone number that you can employ to text donors.

There are two types of phone numbers used for business SMS communications: long codes and short codes.

An SMS short code is a 5 or 6-digit number used to ship your text-to-donation campaigns to a mobile device. A long code is a unique 10-digit number used for the same purpose, although long codes are more normally used for 2-way communication.

Before choosing which type of telephone number to utilise for your text-to-donate campaign, read up on the pros and cons of long codes and short codes here.

Step 3: Select a Keyword

Once you've received a phone number, you'll need to select a keyword for your donation entrada. A keyword is a dedicated discussion that your audience will text to initiate the donation process. Keywords are usually 7 characters or less, like shooting fish in a barrel to call back and hard to misspell.

Pro-tip: If you plan to fix text-to-donate campaigns for multiple causes, select unique keywords for each campaign. The Crimson Cross is a great example of this strategy. Donors can text REDCROSS to 90999 donate to the Red Cross'southward Disaster Relief initiative, or text PREVENT to 90999 to donate to the Measles & Rubella Initiative.

If yous typically fundraise for one crusade all yr round and don't track analytics, using a keyword similar "DONATE" or "Give" for all your campaigns could be sufficient.

Step 4: Create SMS Templates

Creating an SMS template is a huge time saver and keeps you from "reinventing the wheel" every time you launch a new campaign. SMS templates allow you to ship majority messages that dynamically add in personal information, like the recipient's name.

You'll need to create templates for multiple occasions before launching an SMS donation campaign. At minimum, you should have templates for:

Donation requests
Donation give thanks-you messages

Whether you're inviting donors to an upshot, announcing a new fundraiser, collecting donations or confirming volunteer opportunities, ready-fabricated SMS templates make your campaigns easier.

Step five: Promote Your Keyword on All Marketing Channels

Promoting text donations on your other marketing channels helps spread awareness among your supporters and abound your donor list. People will exist able to find your cause through the keyword(s) you choose.

Here are some simple ways to promote your text-to-donate keyword:

Add together a banner to the pinnacle of your website with a call-to-action to text to donate. For instance: "Text DONATE to 12121 to Give to the California Burn down Relief Program."
Promote your keyword and short lawmaking on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media profiles
Include a call-to-action in electronic mail newsletters

Pro Tips for a Successful Text-to-Donate Entrada

Keep Information technology Simple

Exist clear on educating people on the purpose of your fundraising, who or what it supports, and the outcome you lot desire. You might be surprised at how many people would assist your cause if they knew how their donation – no matter how small – could make a difference.

Promote Your SMS Campaign Everywhere

What proficient is a fundraising campaign if no ane knows about information technology? As stated higher up, promoting your text-to-donate campaign properly is crucial to your success.

In addition to sharing with influencers and supporters on your social media channels (and asking them to spread the word), you might consider issuing a press release announcing your campaign and communicating a sense of urgency for donations. Mail service your keyword in newsletters, your website, email blasts and all other advertising channels.

Remember to Say "Thank You"

Appreciation is everything. If you forget to say "cheers," you may lose your donor's interest and support forever. Give thanks your donors immediately – within 48 hours if possible. Being properly thanked makes donors feel valued and oftentimes increases the chances that they'll donate over again. Sending a thank-you lot text or electronic mail never goes unnoticed.

Send Successful Text-to-Donate Campaigns With the #1 SMS Platform

Ready to attempt your outset text-to-donate campaign? Textedly helps fundraising groups achieve their goals by making text donation campaigns fast and like shooting fish in a barrel.

Textedly gains support for your cause by providing a quality messaging platform for nonprofits, political parties and churches. With custom SMS fundraising campaigns, y'all'll be able to accomplish more than supporters in less fourth dimension.

Go started with a fourteen-day complimentary trial of Textedly today!

Start Texting Your Customers for Free With Textedly