7 things to test before launching a text to donate campaign
There’s an anonymous saying liked by the Cymba team, which is Just because you’ve counted all the trees doesn’t mean you’ve seen the forest.
Testing text donation ask strategies is a bit like that. You might think that you have everything in place for a new campaign, but if it doesn’t support the bigger picture – or, worse, if it doesn’t work at all – then it really doesn’t matter that you’ve followed the blueprint for a successful fundraising campaign if the donations aren’t coming in.
Of course, there is a way in which to make sure a campaign is as effective as it can be before it gets a wider launch – and it’s relatively straightforward, too.
You simply test.
But in a campaign made up of countless components and a multitude of variables, what exactly do you test? As a longstanding fundraising platform provider that has carried out thousands of text-to-donate campaigns on behalf of its clients, here are Cymba’s top seven areas to test.
1. Perfect timing
Whether you’re testing the time of the day, week, or year, timing plays a large role in the effectiveness of text-to-donate campaigns. One member of our team used to work at a charity focused on an elderly demographic, which had notable campaign success in the colder months. Why? Because the donors were busy looking after grandchildren in the summer months. As a result, campaigns were restricted to autumn and winter.
2. Good value
Maybe you’ve spent the last decade asking for £5 per campaign, but lately you’ve been wondering what would happen if you asked for £10 or even £15. Or maybe you’re considering whether or not an open-ended ask might yield even higher donations? With testing, you can find out by issuing varying sizes of asks to a small group of donors.
3. The right message
Not that long ago, text-to-donate asks were limited to 160 characters. With the emergence – and now the exponential rise – of Rich Communications Services, there are no limits. Not only that, but charities can now incorporate images, video, and even interactive buttons into an ask. However, irrespective or whether it’s long or short, copy- or visual-driven, or even one-way or two-way, is it effective? The only way to know for sure is to test
4. Pre-broadcast messages
A successful campaign shouldn’t hinge on the effectiveness of one broadcast alone. We often run campaigns whereby a warmup message is sent, advising prospective donors that they’re going to shortly receive a message outlining how they can help. Is it effective? Well, it can be, depending on the message and the audience, both of which can easily be … you guessed it, tested.
5. To follow-up, or not follow-up
Sometimes, all it takes is a nudge to get that donation over the line. But there’s often a fine line between reminding someone to donate and being perceived as chasing someone to donate. As to how your audience will perceive a follow-up text remains to be seen via testing. But if this tactic is the difference between getting a donation and not getting a donation, then it’s certainly worth exploring.
6. A personal approach
A quick poll of the Cymba team revealed that they like being referred to by name when being sent marketing communications or asked to donate; the general consensus is that the personal touch goes a long way. But not everybody likes it. Whether your audience does or not might depend on the nature of the charity and the age of its members (remember, Generation Z expects personalisation when being communicated to).
7. Environmental impact
No, we’re not referring to the environment in a climate or sustainability sense, but rather what’s going on in the world at the particular time of your campaign. For example, escalating energy prices and a long-running cost-of-living crisis tend to make people think twice about spending or donating on the basis that they no longer have as much disposable income as they might have done, say, 12 months ago. In our view, how well a charity can counter these external challenges comes down to the messaging - so getting it right via testing is imperative.
Given the impermanent nature of life and the fact that everything changes all the time, testing should really be a permanent fixture in your text-to-donate campaign outreach. For advice, guidance, or to simply find out how your text-to-donate campaigns could be improved, contact the Cymba team to speak with a fundraising technology specialist.
