by DaveA on April 9, 2014
Mobile Giving – Today’s local non-profit organizations benefit from providing potential donors the ability to contribute using their mobile phone. Today, one in three people in the U.S. use their mobile device as their primary tool to access the internet, rather than a laptop or desktop computer. Whether for shopping or paying, mobile phones have become the new wallet, replacing checks and plastics as the easier, faster and more portable way to connect and transact. And the same holds true for charitable giving. The old models of fundraising are rapidly giving way to a new paradigm for donor engagement with cell phones and other mobile devices at the core of how people connect with their favorite causes.
How Does It Work? – The potential donor texts the keyword (your code) to the phone number (shortcode) and instantly receives a Text Message response back to their phone that includes a link to the mobile website of the associated organization.
When the donor clicks on the link they are instantly directed to a secure mobile website that includes information about the non-profit organization and a form allowing the donor to enter their credit/debit card information and amount of donation.
Build a client database for future promotions!
As potential donors text in to make a contribution, their mobile phone number is also stored in a database. The non-profit organization can send reminders to donate, event information, etc. to their growing database of people at any time directly to their phones, no matter where they are at the time, for less money than conventional methods and with higher open, read, and donation rates than email or direct mail.
The organization will easily and quickly build their database of donors and potential donors during the promotion of their events, services and opportunities to give or volunteer.
Many organizations also will have their potential donors fill out a short form via a handout or mailer that is then signed by the donor authorizing the organization to send text messages to their phone. These numbers can easily be uploaded into the database for later requests for donations.
The key to the program is the ease of delivery of the mobile donation gateway. When the potential donor receives the text message response, or a text promotion is sent to the organizations donor database, no matter where they are they can easily click the link in the text message and are directed right to the donation page of the organizations mobile website