Everyone seems to be glued to portable screens these days, whether that’s a phone, tablet, or some other newfangled device that blinks and buzzes and glows at its porters. Considering this newfound attachment to cellular devices, some schools on our Development e-List have wondered whether text-to-give programs could (or should) be integrated into their general fundraising programs. We’ve compiled a list of benefits and disadvantages to consider when looking at your constituents’ phones as a gateway to their wallets.
Advantages
- Most people have a phone—90% of all American adults, as a matter of fact—and use it for online browsing. You’d be offering them a way to give to your school, using a platform they already leverage for day-to-day business.
- Having a mobile program can encourage impulse giving, as it provides an easily accessible means of giving. You can make the ask and make it easy for people to give right then and there, as opposed to having the potential donor wait until later to give—potentially decreasing the urgency you’ve cultivated in the ask.
- Websites that are optimized for mobile donation (or “responsive,” in the tech-parlance) will encourage further exploration of your school’s online resources and information on a device’s browser.
- People who give via text are more likely to encourage their friends and family to give in the same way. A bit fewer than half of those who gave via text for the Haitian earthquake fundraiser encouraged their loved ones to participate—and 76% of these “encouragers” reported that those they nudged did, in fact, give.
Disadvantages
- Texting giving programs are better for smaller dollar amounts, rather than larger ones.
- Mobile giving via text often needs a larger, visible event that triggers the need to give, such as the Haitian earthquake in 2010. This makes texting a better “real time” donation strategy that supplements a primary campaign, rather than a foundational strategy—at least, in the near future.
- Extra fees from data carriers and third party platforms may make such a program more trouble than it’s worth financially to carry out.
- Those who give via mobile platforms, whether via responsive browser or text-to-give program, are less likely to give when phoned about the fundraiser. This means that while you might have someone’s phone number collected from the donation form, you probably won’t be able to use it effectively. (That said, text message notifications would be welcomed by 25% of those who gave via text.)
So while texting or mobile-based giving strategies might be effective for smaller, more immediate donation asks, it probably won’t be your school’s primary method of donation collection—not in the next five years, at least. How does your school accept mobile donations? We’d love to hear, either here in the comment section or on Twitter (#isminc).
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Development Directors Vol. 8 No. 5 Share Your Accomplishments and Experiences During Your Phonathon for Maximum Impact
The Source for Development Directors Vol. 9 No. 4 Online Giving: A Tool to Maximize the Relationship
The Source for Development Directors Vol. 8 No. 8 Online Giving Is Growing--How Well Does Your School Communicate?
The Source for Development Directors Vol. 13 No. 2 The Pros and Cons of Payment Methods
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 25 No. 3 Online Shopping Rebates: Balance Dollars and Drawbacks
I&P Vol. 36 No. 7 The Campaign Feasibility Study: A Map to Campaign Success
