Technology for sure has made it so much easier for nonprofits to carry out their fundraising efforts and reap good results. Earlier, crowdfunding seemed to be the best method for remote fundraising but now, nonprofits can adopt various tools and techniques such as mobile giving and text to give. The foremost priority when raising funds is the convenience of donors, that is where texting tools come in as the perfect solution.
What exactly is text-to-give and how does it work?
It is a modern and one of the latest fundraising methods that makes it possible for donors to give to nonprofits via their mobile devices. Mobile giving and text-to-give are mostly used as interchangeable words but for now, we will focus on the latter. By making use of the traditional texting application, donors can directly and instantly text their gifts to nonprofits of their choice. It is all about simplified giving and approaching your donors with the easiest tool available. 41% of Americans are known to not own any landline, which implies to the fact that the importance of texting as a fundraising tool has only grown. As technology develops, so should your nonprofit.
In order to make use of this method, nonprofits must first choose a good management system. GiveCentral is a donor management software that takes care of donor information while providing tools such as crowdfunding, mobile giving, text-to-give and communication materials. Using such a system, nonprofits can raise funds, get excellent management for the process and also analyze results. Texting for nonprofit fundraising starts off with donors texting a specific keyword to a given number (provided by the management) along with the amount they wish to donate. The amount then gets processed and it’s done in a couple of minutes. In this article, we are going to look at the few ways in which you can incorporate texting into your fundraising campaigns.
Virtual Fundraising Events
Amidst the pandemic, meeting in-person for fundraising events does not come across as a feasible idea. However, you can take your events online and have a virtual one. For example, if you are planning an online auction, then you will have to begin with communicating well. Let your audience know about the tool that you intend to use beforehand; a number of your donors may not be well versed with the process. Therefore, hold demonstrations for them online. Then, you can continue by giving them an option to pledge in case some donors may not be able to give immediately during the event; they can later receive reminders powered by the donor management system that you have opted for. Messages of gratitude along with details of after receiving the donations are a must.
Major donors fundraising
Also known as ambassador fundraising, this is an opportunity to up your social fundraising game. One great advantage about mobile giving is that the tool can be incorporated into another method and it just simply blends in. Texting tools can be used to collect funds from all categories of donors. When we say ambassador fundraising, it is a peer-to-peer fundraising method in which you mobilize your major givers and supporters, reach out to them to conduct their personal fundraising in the form of challenges and contests. All you have to do is let the major donors know what you would like them to do and how, along with the duration of the campaign. In the process of executing the same, your loyal supporters can promote text-to-give as the tool for donation along with tutorial videos and images.
Communication and marketing materials
Mention and promote texting tools on all communication materials such as social media posts, newsletters, emails and text messages. Provide links to tutorial videos and to articles that talk about how convenient it is for donors. Make sure that you have a call-to-action button or option wherever possible. This will help in building awareness and pave the way for easy execution for other upcoming campaigns. One more benefit of marketing your texting tool is that once you engage with maximum of your donors through a mobile device, it will start to seem like that is the new; make this upgrade work in your favour.
Ideal software
Like we have mentioned before, your texting tool will have to be powered by a management software. Therefore, your nonprofit should go for a system that gives you the maximum benefit, that includes promoting your tool for you on their social media handle. This can be in the form of one of your past success stories, translated into a well told story. Other than that, your management or service provider should be affordable with good security; customizations and a full fledged support team also add to an ideal software.
Nonprofit fundraising is more like a canvas that is open to new methods and tools, hence your text-to-give tool will have to be presented to your audience in such a way that it gets accepted and adopted. Take time to think through it, do your homework well and believe that good results await you.
Crowdfunding donor management software ideas Mobile Giving peer to peer fundraising Text to Give
Last modified: July 21, 2020
