Maximize Donations with Mobile

Every nonprofit constantly analyzes how to raise more contributions. If you have not yet investigated using mobile fundraising platforms you may be leaving money on the table.

It’s easy to fuel your fundraising efforts using systems like text to donate. Consider the following: Nine in every 10 Americans own a smartphone. One-quarter of donors complete donations on a mobile device in 2023. If a potential donor visits your site, there’s a 51-percent chance he or she is visiting on a smartphone.

In other words, mobile giving works. It allows you to meet your donors where they are, using technology they prefer. Don’t force a potential donor to find her checkbook and mail you a check, or even open her computer, find your donation page and enter donation information. Let donors make the donation on their phones, when they are most inspired.

Here are a few strategies to help you get started:

1. When users text to donate and are redirected to a website where they complete the donation, make sure that website is mobile-friendly. You know they’re on their phones. If the site doesn’t scale correctly, they won’t find the all-important donation prompts and will leave disappointed.

2. Make sure the donation site is branded with your logo and colors. People are more likely to see your organization as illegitimate if the donation page is branded with a crowdfunding provider’s logo instead. In fact, custom websites raise funds, on average, more than five times than others without.

3. Give donors multiple giving options. Text to donate features allow them to pick an amount, or include suggestions and explain how those amounts will tangibly help your organization. Or, give them the ability to sign up for recurring donations. Recurring donors give about 42 percent more annually than those who give once.

4. Promote text to donate at your next live fundraising event with a personal appeal. Whether you are running an auction or asking for donations, nothing is more engaging and immediate than a live ask. Explain why your cause matters. Tell guests to text a keyword to a designated short code. They will be able to make a donation right on the spot. It’s extremely effective because people are more likely to give to your cause within the first few seconds of engagement, when they are most inspired.

5. At live events, set clear fundraising goals and allow your guests to view incoming donations in real-time via fundraising thermometers. Create a sense of camaraderie or competition to meet your goal, motivating guests to give more than they otherwise might.

Engage by Cell offers all of the tools your organization needs to successfully fundraise via mobile, with our industry-leading SMS communication system and text to donate platform. Find out how we can help you with a free 20-minute demo.