Mass Texting For Nonprofits: How To Get Started On A Budget
5 min to read ✭ In this post, you'll learn how to get started with mass texting for nonprofits and ways to use mass texting effectively on a budget.
For nonprofit marketers and fundraisers trying to cut through all the noise out there, it can be tough to secure attention from donors. Enter automated mass texting for nonprofits. You’ve probably already seen examples on your own phone; messages from political campaigns, banks, or shopping brands. The good news? Nonprofits like yours have started leveraging mass texting to great effect over the past few years.
For those not quite in the know (yet), mass texting for nonprofits is an increasingly popular way to connect with your donor base. With Community Boost, you can leverage mass texting to your advantage, setting up automated surveys, executing donation campaigns, and managing volunteers.
Not only does mass texting produce strong open rates (hello, 95%!), but it allows you to automate a large portion of the donor journey. Texting’s reach is unprecedented compared to other channels, and many nonprofits are seeing stunning successes from their SMS campaigns. Read on to learn more about how to get started with mass texting for your nonprofit.
Learn How To Become a Better Nonprofit Marketer
What Is Mass Texting For Nonprofits?
Mass texting is the use of automated SMS text messaging to reach a large group of people at once. Increasingly marketers in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors are harnessing this communication method to reach larger groups of people with improved open and click-through rates.
Why Nonprofits Should Be Using Mass Texting
Mass texting is one of the most powerful and effective communication methods nonprofits can employ today. With 97% of Americans owning a cell phone (and checking those phones constantly throughout the day) text messaging is the quickest way to get someone’s attention and engage with your organization.
Text messaging leaves email in the dust, with an open rate of 98% compared to email’s 20% and click-through rates of 19.3% versus 4.2%. Plus, texting provides a wide swath of additional benefits, allowing nonprofits to reach their audience sooner than more traditional communication methods. SMS creates a two-way street where you can build relationships and have conversations with your donors that you can’t have anywhere else. Ask donors for important feedback, send out monthly updates on the work they’re supporting, or use the platform for coordinated donation asks—all in one place.
4 Ways Nonprofits Can Use Mass Texting
Think outside the box with your communications! Mass texting has the benefit of immediate engagement (the majority of people read texts within five minutes of receiving them), so look at your entire communication calendar and consider where a text campaign might fit in.
1. Fundraising
Fundraising is a no-brainer for mass text campaigns. Create a text-to-give campaign, where you invite donors to reply or text a five-digit number in response. Consider how you frame your message to encourage recurring donations.
Consider making texting a part of your peer-to-peer fundraising, as well. Invite your donors to fundraise on your behalf and give them the tools they need to generate more gifts for your nonprofit.
2. Organize Volunteers
Mass texting is a great way to organize and motivate your volunteer base. As soon as a user opts in, you can send information on volunteer opportunities. Plus, texting is a great way to remind people to attend! You can quickly send details before the event, improving your turnout.
3. Communicate Announcements
Many nonprofits are using mass texting to convey important announcements. Got a big event coming up? Send that out via text message and make sure more people learn about it. Almost to your fundraising goal for your end-of-year campaign? Send a message out immediately to create urgency and increase gifts.
Mass texting is also a useful tool for sharing any changes or updates to an event or relaying information related to COVID-19.
4. Donor Stewardship
Show your donors you’re grateful for them by sending thank you messages immediately via text. Take the opportunity to craft your message and make it more personal; they’ll love receiving a note that feels more special than a mass email.
Our Favorite Mass Texting Service Providers
Looking for a provider to help you navigate the world of mass texting? We love Rally Corp, a human-centered text messaging platform to help you rally support, raise funds, and change the world. Rally Corp can work with your current fundraising platform, CRM, & data to build out your text campaigns and start raising more funds.
Starting at $99 a month, Rally Corp can help you increase engagement by 300%.
Low-cost Or Free Mass Texting Services For Nonprofits
If your nonprofit doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room in the budget this year, there are still several low-cost or free mass texting options that can help you that extra fundraising boost.
- GiveLively.org: Free for nonprofits, Give Lively offers an easy text-to-donate feature.
- Twilio.org: Offering pay-as-you-go pricing with volume discounts, Twilio is a scalable, secure mass texting option.
- EZTexting: Start with a free trial. From there, plans start at $19 a month.
- SlickText: Start with a free trial (50 text messages). From there, plans start at $29 a month.
- TextMagic: A good option for a quick setup, TextMagic offers a free trial, then charges four cents per text.
- SimpleTexting: Start with a free trial (50 text messages). From there, plans start at $25 a month.
- BulkSMS: BulkSMS allows you to purchase packages of text messages, starting at 3.2 cents per text. Visit their pricing slider for more information.
How To Get Started
The first thing you’ll need to do is ask yourself (or your team) if mass texting is the right fit for your organization right now. Review your budget, consider multiple options, price points, and user experiences, and think about the benefits that this form of communication could have for your bottom line.
If you move forward with mass texting for your nonprofit, remember to exercise caution with your contact list data. Legally, users must opt-in to receive text messages, so make sure you are in compliance with texting laws.
