Insights

Okay , you’ve decided to boost your fundraising efforts. Your fundraising strategy has been signed off, your team is invigorated and you’re ready to go. Except there’s one thing missing: a text donation partner. Or, to be more precise, a text to give platform. Like any investment in a platform – whether it’s membership CRM or a legacy management system – it’s important that you get it right before signing on that dotted line. So, in a bid to arm you with the information you need when choosing a text donation supplier, here are Cymba’s top eight things to consider. 1. Age and experience There’s nothing technical about this point - but it’s not to be overlooked. Age and experience go a long way, so do your due diligence and make sure that the company you’ve shortlisted has evidence to prove that it can deliver what it says it can. Cymba , for example, has been helping charities get more from their fundraising campaigns since 2009 and has built a client portfolio that includes UNICEF, RSPCA, Marie Curie and Shelter. With large brands often comes large campaigns and large successes. Make sure the provider you’re considering is capable of delivering both. 2. Messages and money Is your prospective text to give platform capable of running different types of campaigns including standard rate SMS and PSMS? Will they let you have access to the mobile numbers of those who texted in? If the answer’s ‘no’, then continue your search. 3. Information and tax When choosing a text to give platform, it’s crucial that you ensure the provider can offer you a mobile responsive Gift Aid form . Not only is there an obvious benefit to being able to claim gift aid, but you can also use the information inputted to create a bigger, better and more rounded picture of the donor. It’s also possible to use the form to request communications preferences and permissions, effectively making it the gateway to more channels - all of which can be used to further your fundraising efforts. 4. Responders and donors As a charity, you’ll know that you can only send additional communications with appropriate data protection consent. And the only way of obtaining that is if there’s an effective opt-out option built into the platform. In doing this, you can better cultivate future donor opportunities. Remember, someone who donates once is a responder, whereas someone who repeatedly donates is a donor. As you want the latter, you’ll need to make sure your platform has an opt-out facility. 5. SMS and stewardship The primary objective of a text to give platform is to get donations via SMS. However, SMS is useful from a stewardship perspective, too. So, make sure you check if your potential provider offers SMS as a channel to send further appeals or stewardship messages to donors. 6. Regular giving and lottery Single gifts are great. Regular donations are better. Can your prospective fundraising platform take monthly donations from a donor’s phone bill? If the answer is ‘no’, move on to the next provider. A recent development, and something that we offer our clients, is the option of an SMS lottery . By working with the charity and their external lottery manager (ELM), our solution enables the prospective player to sign up and be charged £5 every 5 weeks to play in the lottery. Contact and payment details are then sent to the clients’ ELM, which handles the rest. 7. Automation and alternatives Sometimes, SMS donations fail. It may be that a donor’s parents, who also happen to pay their child’s phone bill, have blocked charity payments. Or maybe a company has blocked charity payments on employees’ work phones. Regardless of the reason, the important bit is how you avoid a missed opportunity if someone is willing to give. We’ve launched CymbaPay, for example, which automatically recognises when a donation has failed and sends the donor links to alternative ways of making payments. 8. Innovation and creativity Cymba is continually looking for ways in which to drive engagement, build loyalty and generate more donations. For example, we’re tapping into Rich Communications Services, using WhatsApp to deliver fundraising campaigns that go above and beyond 160 characters by incorporating images, video and interactive buttons. Is your prospective provider capable of pushing the boundaries of what’s possible? If not, keep searching. Or simply call the Cymba team. Want to supercharge your campaigns and improve your return on investment? Click here to find out more. ClearAccept Ltd t/a CymbaPay is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Service Regulations 2017 (FRN 926372) for the provision of payment services.

Firstly, it’s much more engaging than SMS. Using imagery, video and one-tap replies not only make messages from charities much more dynamic and interesting, but also easier to respond to.

Now more than ever, it's crucial for NGOs to adopt mobile messaging practices to effectively communicate with their supporters and donors.

Lotteries and prize draws offer an excellent opportunity to foster engagement and raise additional funds from your current supporters. With seasonal draws and regular lotteries, your existing supporters are typically eager to participate, and these initiatives can generate extra revenue for your cause.

Fuelled by ambition and drive, Nevil Coleman and Steve Hanna founded Cymba in 2004 with one clear aim: to enter the mobile messaging sector.

Over the past few decades, regular giving has become increasingly important for charities, which is why so many have adopted Direct Debits. Let's look at ways you can encourage and secure regular giving platform SMS (RGPSMS) donations.

Whilst RCS as a tool for fundraising is still in its infancy, my charity was an early adopter and I worked with Cymba to test RCS across several campaigns. By James Briggs, Account Executive at Cymba.

Fortune favours the bold according to Cymba, the mobile payments and messaging solutions specialist, following the launch its latest eBook entitled Fundraising in 2024 and beyond.