Boost engagement with SMS fundraising campaigns
As a business that has its origins firmly in SMS campaign execution, we’ve become the go-to company for charities wishing to boost engagement and revenues via SMS. In fact, we proudly regard ourselves as SMS fundraising experts.
The benefits of SMS fundraising are clear and well-documented, and an inexpensive way in which to get in front of potential donors.
It’s also extremely empowering for its ability to enable regular donors to control when they wish to donate (if they wish to skip a month, they simply send a text). And it’s this level of flexibility that continues to see this channel play a key role in fundraising campaigns by charities of all sizes.
And let’s not forget that by modern standards, this isn’t new technology; it’s been around since the early 1990s.
Yet, despite its longevity, we still see charities missing opportunities to maximise engagement when it comes to SMS fundraising by not considering a few basics.
So, to address this, here are five simple ways to boost engagement across SMS fundraising campaigns.
1. Get personal
Personalisation goes a very long way – particularly amongst a Gen Z audience. In fact, 84 per cent of this cohort say that their favourite brands treat them as an individual.
Generation group aside, people in general are more receptive to a personal approach, so why not get personal? At the very least, address your recipients by name. And, if you can, go an extra layer deeper by recognising their previous support. These days, you can tailor personal messages that specifically refer to their previous donations – and how those donations were used. Generic messages don’t win hearts and minds. Personal messages do. So, make sure you take a personal approach in all your SMS broadcasts.
2. Galvanize
Okay, so you’ve made your SMS broadcasts personal. You’ve referred to recipients by name and highlighted that time back in 2022 when they donated £30. Not only that, but you’ve clearly spelt out what you did with their donation. Now what?
Well, if you’re asking for more money, there needs to be a sense of urgency. Without a clear call-to-action (CTA) or a line that’s going to jolt them into action, then it may well be a wasted effort. SMS is immediate. It’s also very personal. So, leverage that by including something in the message that drives action. If you’re a dog-focused charity, then it could be ‘With your support, we can rescue 100 Dogs this week. DONATE NOW.’ Whatever your charity’s focus is, a line that hits the recipient straight in the heart and clearly asks them to do something will go some way to ensure that you maximise ROI on each and every SMS appeal you make.
3. Tell tales
Who doesn’t love using statistics? In fact, we’ll use a couple here by saying that we’ve processed over £70m in donations via our SMS fundraising campaigns, and continue to process 150,000 SMS regular SMS donations each month. However, whilst stats sell, stories have an even more powerful effect.
The beauty of SMS is that it provides the space to tell a powerful, emotive, and compelling story which, when combined with a strong CTA, is likely to inspire people to donate. The ability to tell stories is only going to grow, too, as Rich Communications Services – and channels such as WhatsApp, allow charities to incorporate video and interactive buttons – become more widely used in fundraising campaigns.
4. Two-way
Using SMS to send requests for donations is, without doubt, an integral part of any fundraising campaign. However, one-way requests for donations remove any sense of interaction from the ask. It also makes the recipient feel like they don’t have a choice.
By incorporating choice in an SMS ask, you’re empowering the recipient by giving them options. You’re also opening up a door to engagement – and engagement is a two-way street, after all. The good news is that this is easily achieved. The simplest way to address it is to include a question, such as ‘Would you like to help fund water for local communities in India?’ followed by ‘REPLY Yes to donate £5’. Given how it takes no more than a couple of lines, why wouldn’t you include it?
By leveraging these features, charities can effectively engage with their supporters, raise funds, and spread awareness about their cause all in a simple, convenient, and low-cost way.
5. Be grateful (and evidence success)
It can be easy to think of recipients as just numbers – both in terms of them being a small part of a large audience, and quite literally a series of telephone numbers that you are broadcasting to. However, the reality is that they are people who face daily financial pressures like anyone else, and who have to make decisions about where and how they spend their money (particularly in a challenging economic climate).
With that in mind, a simple follow-up message of thanks to those who have donated goes a long way. It incurs a cost, of course, but for the sake of the cost of a text, it could well turn out to be a worthy investment if that person continues to donate. Likewise, quantifying their donation in terms of its impact by outlining what it will be used to buy brings the donation to life. It also provides a feel-good factor, and there’s nothing more engaging than that.
