Today’s supporters are just a text away – and a text is the easiest way to give to the organizations they love. Texting to give is a fast and simple way to donate or show support, plus it’s the preferred form of communication – 90% of text messages are read within three minutes (Forbes). Organizations seeking those financial reinforcements from supporters can implement the tool even easier than they think.

Texting to give, or texting to donate, is a safe way to accept funds from supporters. Organizations are increasingly depending on touchless technology so they can collect donations quickly. Simple SMS communication solutions allow donors to give at any time without needing a checkbook or cash, plus they can set up one-time or recurring donations, meaning higher fundraising to reach long-term goals.

A non-profit organization you can see in action using the Text to Give solution is Friends of the Katy Trail.  Supported by the community, the iconic and historic Katy Trail is a 3.5-mile walking and biking trail in the heart of Dallas, Texas that relies solely upon community donations. Reaching its supporters and visitors is priority #1. When they thought about where those potential donors were, the answer was simple – they’re on the trail! By creating a Text to Give option they were able to put signage right along the trail for fans to send a quick text message to give back while they were out enjoying the beautiful, natural greenspace. It is an easy and convenient way to keep your donation top of mind.

The beauty of using SMS to connect with supporters is that it’s more than just a way to appeal for donations, it’s an opportunity to connect with them and build lasting relationships through personalized two-way text messaging.

Here are a few simple steps organizations can follow when considering their own text to give program:

1.             Reach your audience

The audience an organization needs to reach can vary based on their goals at the time. It may be lifetime donors who give on a recurring basis or annually, one-time donors, or even those that gave in the past and haven’t engaged in some time. This is an opportunity to promote your SMS messaging number at events, build up newsletter or subscriber databases, and even partner with organizations or other advocates to cross-promote.

Use texting as an opportunity to share organization updates or fundraising goals met, send personal thank you messages, and more. As more Gen Z members enter the workforce, engaging them will become especially important to sustaining nonprofit causes in 2021. 59% of Gen Zs are inspired to donate to charity by a message/image they saw on social media (Nonprofits Source).

Generation Z says they mostly use smartphones to engage with causes and charities. This means charities need to have a mobile friendly platform for donors to engage with them because other generations also see mobile giving as an appropriate giving channel.

2.             Welcome donors to your SMS - Connect to Collect

A genuine connection starts with a genuine introduction. Sending unwanted text messages can lead to trouble as well as ensuring not receiving a donation and reducing your audience. SMS Opt-In is required by local laws as well as phone carrier industry guidelines. An inaugural message to supporters can be something like “For your convenience, we now offer the option to donate and communicate with us via text message. Reply STOP if you would like to decline this convenient option.”

3.             Thank your donors

Once the audience is defined and they’ve agreed to communicate via text message it’s time to start the conversation. There are easy solutions that enable someone to simply text the word ‘Give’ for a touchless donation in the amount of their choice. Sending a ‘Thank You’ reply and continuing to engage with them results in long-term relationships and a growing supporter base that can exceed fundraising goals.

In today’s contactless world, text to give is an easy solution to integrate that will take an organization’s fundraising to the next level. You're only as strong as your connection to today’s donors.