Insights

How often do you question the legitimacy of a text or email asking you to do something from someone – or an organisation – you know nothing about? Navigating what’s real and relevant becomes a job in itself.

Why personalised communication is so effective when it comes to retaining donors. Everyone prefers to be treated as a person rather than a data point, of course. But Gen Z is a particularly personal generation.

Six key areas that will help you deliver maximum return on your text-to-donate campaigns.

To shine a light on October’s Free Wills Month , an initiative designed to offer those aged 55 and over the chance to have straightforward wills written or updated free of charge, FirstClass and sister company Cymba have joined forces, in partnership with the Institute of Legacy Management (ILM) to launch a project that illustrates the impact mobile messaging has on legacy giving. Whilst mobile messaging is typically associated with text-to-donate campaigns, the partnership between two companies that sit within ClearCourse’s stable of brands will showcase how this technology can be used to inspire people to leave legacies in their wills. The webinar, entitled “ How to Boost traffic to your Free Wills and Legacy pages ”, will be jointly hosted by the FirstClass and Cymba teams, and explore how emerging Rich Communications Services (RCS) technology, the evolution of SMS, can be used to drive engagement when it comes to legacy giving. The event will also provide charities with insights into how they can build trust when it comes to increasing donations and gifts by revealing tried and tested messaging formats that drive action. Charities will also learn how to highlight their free wills and legacy pages by harnessing RCS’s ability to implement branded quick-action buttons, and understand the difference in outcomes between SMS and RCS messaging via a dedicated split testing session. In the lead up to the webinar , which takes place on 11 September at 10:30 am , Cymba and FirstClass will be running test campaigns with several of the UK’s prominent charities, the results of which will be revealed during the session. On the event, Rich Mullens, Director at Cymba and FirstClass, comments: “ Regular givers are often among the most open to leaving a legacy. In this webinar, we’ll demonstrate how mobile messaging can help charities engage these supporters more effectively and drive meaningful traffic, not only for donations but also to inspire gifts in wills. We’re delighted to unite these two brands, both of which are founded on helping charities boost donations via mobile messaging and increase their legacy giving. We're confident that attendees will leave feeling inspired to use new approaches. " The new Data (Use and Access) Bill, which gives charities greater freedom to use the soft opt-in by enabling them to contact past supporters with relevant legacy messages without needing fresh consent, removes barriers to utilising RCS. This means that the benefits of RCS, such as the ability to use logos, images, video, and tap-to-act buttons, can be quickly and efficiently embraced by charities looking to incorporate this emerging technology. For more information on Cymba, FirstClass, and Free Wills Month, visit https://www.cymba.co.uk , https://www.firstclass-software.com , and https://freewillsmonth.org.uk , respectively.

As a company that’s carved a reputation for helping charities of all sizes maximise their return on fundraising campaigns using a whole suite of tools and technologies, it’s fair to say that we know a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to donor engagement. And one tool that we’ve enjoyed HUGE success with is SMS fundraising campaigns. In fact, SMS fundraising has become the one tool that we’ve become synonymous with over the years. Don’t just take our word for it, though. After all, the numbers speak for themselves. Since 2004, we’ve processed a total of £70m using SMS. And we currently process 150,000 SMS-based donations every month. But why exactly is SMS fundraising so effective? And how does it outperform email fundraising campaigns? Let’s take a look. SMS vs. email It’s worth pointing out that email fundraising isn’t a thing of the past; it’s still very much alive and one of our top 10 tools to use when it comes to donor engagement. It’s just that SMS is… well, better. We asked our team of fundraising specialists why, and here’s what they said. 1. High open rates A fundamental point to make here is that everybody has a phone. And they tend to have it on them at all times . With that in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that SMS text open rates are a staggering 98 per cent. This compares to a relatively modest open rate of between 20 – 22 per cent with email. 2. The 90/90 rule SMS response times aren’t just quicker than email response times … they’re MUCH quicker. UK Fundraising magazine supports this by revealing that whilst respondents tend to respond to SMS messages in 90 seconds, it can take as long as 90 minutes to respond to an email broadcast. When you’re launching an urgent appeal, you want something to be read – and hopefully acted on ­– immediately. SMS is the perfect tool for immediacy. 3. Click-through conquests Generally speaking, CYMBA’s SMS campaign click-through rates far exceed when compared to email click-through rates of around 2–5 per cent. SMS certainly outperforms email here. 4. Captive audience According to datareportal.com , there are a whopping 5.81 billion unique mobile phone subscribers across the world. This represents just over 70 per cent of the global population. Porch Group Media , however, claims that there were 4.25 billion active email users in 2022. Of course, this is still a large number of people, but when it comes to audience size, SMS provides the greatest potential in terms of getting your fundraising campaign seen by the highest number of people. 5. More personal SMS is a much more personal, not to mention accessible, form of communication. People tend to have alerts set for incoming text messages, which means that it’s generally seen and acted on much quicker than email. It’s also a much more informal channel for communication, typically reserved for friends and family. Of course, with this comes a greater need to send messages that respect personal boundaries – although that’s an area that CYMBA specialises in. And the winner is … In our view, it’s very clearly SMS. It’s quick, it comes with a degree of urgency that email simply doesn’t, and it’s cost-effective, too. For example, through SMS campaigns, we’ve helped reduce ActionAid UK’s cost per acquisition and helped Cats Protection implement an SMS lottery service , which boosted sign-up rates. However, there is still a place for email fundraising campaigns, and this channel is far from over. The secret is to harness the benefits of both to maximise engagement, build relationships, and boost revenue. Interested in using SMS campaigns to enhance engagement and increase revenues? Contact the Cymba team on 0845 0829622.

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.