SMS, or text messaging, has become a staple communication channelstaple communication channelstaple communication channelstaple communication channel for nonprofits and political groups alike. It offers practically limitless potential for marketing (as long as you follow opt-in laws and keep your audience’s preferences in mind), but that broad an opportunity can feel overwhelming if you don’t have a clear strategy.
Let’s determine your SMS marketing goals and whether you should focus on fundraising, advocacy, advocor both.
The Core Strengths of Nonprofit Text Messaging
Before you decide how to use SMS at your organization, make sure you know why you’re investing in this marketing channel. Understanding the unique strengths of text messages will help you leverage them effectively, no matter your goals.
Mogli’s SMS marketing strategy guideMogli’s SMS marketing strategy guide breaks down the core benefits of text messages:
- 98% open rate: Unmatched open rates and near-instant delivery make SMS ideal for time-sensitive communications. You can share urgent calls to action, important updates, and any other messages you want to be sure recipients read via text.
- 19% click-through rate (CTR): Compared to email’s average 2.6% CTR2.6% CTR, your supporters are significantly more likely to take action by clicking on a link sent through text.
- Easy to send: With a bulk SMS platform or servicebulk SMS platform or service, it’s easy to write short messages and deliver them to many audience members. You can segment supporters and personalize texts to boost engagement, too.
- Easy to read: Texts don’t ask much from donors and advocates—all they have to do is scan a few lines (typically under 160 characters) to understand your message and decide what to do.
Plus, text messages feel more personal than channels like email and social media. With SMS, you get direct access to supporters’ phones, and they can respond at any time to easily start a two-way conversation. If they have a question about your campaign, think of feedback, or just want to say hello, they can reach your organization in seconds.
All of these benefits make texting a great fit for fundraising and advocacy. But where should you put your focus?
SMS for Fundraising: Personal and Accessible
Fundraising via text, sometimes known as text-to-give, adds urgency, accessibility, and a personal touch to your campaigns. It works especially well when you have a clear, time-sensitive fundraising goal and a list of contacts who have donated at least once before.
For instance, 360MatchPro recommends360MatchPro recommends using SMS messages to promote matching gift opportunities. You can remind donors to check their eligibility for corporate matches or share deadlines for one-off matching campaigns. A quick “Your donation may be eligible for a match!” or “Donate by midnight to double your impact!” text could significantly boost your fundraising results.
However, sending too many donation appeals could overwhelm your donors and cause them to opt out of receiving texts. To avoid burning them out, use texts to support other aspects of the donor lifecycle, too.
This might mean sending quick impact updates to boost trnasparencyboost transparency, sharing a thank-you video via MMS (multimedia messaging service), or asking for feedback after a fundraising event. Use text messaging as a true relationship-building tool, rather than just another way to send appeals.
SMS for Advocacy: Fast and Actionable
When you need to mobilize volunteers or rally supporters around a cause, you can’t beat text messages. The speed, high open rates, and brief nature of SMS make it the perfect channel for getting people’s attention quickly and inspiring them to take small actions.
For example, you might send text messages asking supporters to:
- Sign petitions
- Call or email their legislators
- Volunteer for canvassingcanvassing or phone-bankingphone-banking opportunities
- Register to attend events
- Join a webinar or online event
- Share a social media post
- Comment on proposed legislation
To inspire action with advocacy texts, your asks must be clear and easy for supporters to act on. Make participating as simple as possible by including links, providing email templates, and sending graphics with step-by-step instructions.
Determining Which Goal to Prioritize
Since text messages work well for both types of campaigns, the choice is completely up to you. Here’s a quick cheat sheet about when you might want to focus on fundraising vs. advocacy texts:
- Fundraising campaigns: Send fundraising texts when you’re running disaster response campaigns, giving days, or other time-sensitive efforts. Only send fundraising texts to supporters who opt in, and optimize your donation page for mobile before you launch a text-based campaign.
- Advocacy initiatives: When you need to reach large groups of people quickly, ask supporters to take action over text. Your calls to action shouldn’t be difficult—think signing a petition or sharing a social media post. You can also use advocacy texts to communicate with and mobilize individual volunteers.
Or, maybe you want to do both with a comprehensive strategy. Some of the most successful organizations use SMS for both fundraising and advocacy.
The key is clear segmentation and message design. Group supporters based on what types of texts they should receive, and reassess your audience for each campaign. For instance, you might add especially active volunteersespecially active volunteers to your fundraising list or send an initial advocacy text to new donors in case they’re interested.
Either way, consider investing in a nonprofit SMS appnonprofit SMS app or another tool with texting capabilities to streamline these processes and boost your chances of success. Vary your messages’ tone, timing, and calls to action based on each campaign’s goal, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
Whether you’re raising funds or voices, text messages can amplify your message and drive the action you need. Start by piloting one texting campaign with a clear goal and evaluating the response. Analyze message conversion rates, click-through rates, and the number of opt-outs you receive. Then, use these results to adjust your strategy and run future campaigns with confidence.
