Text-to-Give: How to Set Up a Text-to-Donate Campaign

Two-thirds of the world’s population actively uses mobile devices capable of sending and receiving texts. Is it any wonder text messaging is so popular? We use text to communicate not only with friends and family, but businesses, brands, and even governmental organizations.

It’s common to send or receive messages from customers, schools, and even churches. Everyone is texting! In fact, text is even used to raise money. Nonprofits know that incorporating text into their efforts to raise money is a smart move.

The best way to incorporate text messages into your efforts is through a text-to-donate campaign. But, what is a text-to-donate campaign? What are the advantages? How do you create one? What are the best practices?

What is a text-to-donate campaign?

A text-to-donate campaign is a strategy that helps donors make donations directly from their mobile device. Donors simply text a text message keyword to a phone number and make their donation.

This type of text-to-donate campaign allows supporters to contribute to a cause they care about easily. The process is not only simple, but effective!

When people speak about a cause, there’s often signage with a text message keyword and a phone number on the podium. This visual cue motivates people to act.

Some organizations that benefit from text-to-donate campaigns include:

• Political campaigns: It’s hard not to notice the text-to-donate campaigns that take place on the national stage. However, local political campaigns benefit from text-to-donate campaigns too.

• Religious organizations and churches: Text-to-donate is a perfect way for patrons to tithe, especially for online churches. The collection plate is just a text away.

• Schools and educational institutions: Fundraising for new uniforms, improvements to technology, or books can all be done via text.

• Emergency relief: Nonprofits make it easier for people to help using a text-to-donate campaign. People are quick to respond and money reaches the organization almost instantly.

Advantages of a text-to-donate campaign

There are several advantages to using a text-to-donate campaign. This simple fundraising method makes a huge impact when implemented correctly.

1. Convenience

Text messaging is popular because it’s convenient. Potential donors donate immediately when they see the campaign. They don’t have to navigate to a page. Just send a text from their cell phone. Often donors reflect their appreciation for the convenience of text-to-donate through larger donations.

2. Speed

Donors complete text-to-donate transactions within minutes. A few taps lead them from initial message to completed donation. Additionally, most recipients read a text within five minutes of receiving it.

3. Simple

We get text messages so frequently that navigating through text-to-donate messaging is easy for just about any smart phone user.

How to create a text-to-donate campaign

Creating a text-to-donate campaign requires vision. What do you want to accomplish? Some important steps to creating a successful campaign include:

• Setting a goal

• Understanding the target audience

• Making donating easy and convenient

• Keeping an accurate count of donations

With TextSanity, conducting an effective text-to-donate campaign is easy.

Set up the payments feature on your existing TextSanity account

Each TextSanity plan comes with the payments feature built in. Our payments feature is essentially a payment processor. Donors easily donate via text without being redirected to another payment processor.

There’s several steps to setting up the payments feature.

1. Log in to your TextSanity account or create a TextSanity account

2. Navigate to the Payments feature by clicking on More Tools and scrolling to Payments

3. Connect your payout account

4. Set up your donation campaign through Payments Setup

Set up your donation campaign

When you have your donation campaign ideas planned out, implement your text messaging campaign with TextSanity.

1. Designate “Donation” as the payment type

2. Choose a name for your donation campaign

3. Choose a page URL for your campaign

4. Choose a text message keyword for your donation campaign

5. Draft an initial message for potential donors that text your keyword

6. Customize your donation page with images, a title, description, and thank you message

7. Advertise your text-to-donate text message keyword

Promote the text-to-donate keyword across various channels

Once you choose the keyword for your campaign, promote it on all your marketing channels. Make opportunities to publicize your campaign and your text-to-donate text message keyword.

Best practices of a text-to-donate campaign

A text-to-donate campaign is easy to implement. What are the best practices? How do you make it successful for your cause?

Simplify

A text-to-donate campaigns are seamless. However, you don’t want to oversaturate donors with requests. Limit the amount of text-to-donate campaigns to a few each year. Also, simplify the process for your donors. Choose easy-to-remember, simple text message keywords.

Promote, promote, promote

The key to any successful campaign is promotion. Marketing is part of fundraising. Be sure to include your text message keyword in your marketing efforts across all platforms. And don’t forget word of mouth. You can ask donors to share their donation efforts with others.

Show appreciation

A “thank you” goes a long way. With TextSanity, include your appreciation for donors as part of your text-to-donate campaign.

Takeaway

A text-to-donate campaign is quick and easy. It increases your donation traffic, gets the word out, and potentially raises some serious money. TextSanity makes it easy for donors by safely processing their payments and for your organization to receive a payout.