A partnership with wireless carriers can help nonprofit organizations maintain and even increase their donation levels in these tough times - charities and nonprofits can alert their donor base to this new channel and get mobile opt-in consent for its supporters to donate via their handsets.
“The Text 2Help program born out of a desire reach a broader base and get new supporters using SMS as a tool for donor acquisition,” said Jana Waterworth-McAndrew, manager of direct-response online fundraising and analytics at the American Red Cross, Washington. “We wanted to give people a channel for their compassion. “In response to the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, we wanted to create a quick and easy way for people to make donations, which we’ve implemented during large-scale disasters,” she said.
“Mobile donors are a much younger support base, and they’re typically looking for a quick, easy, noncommittal way to support a nonprofit organization.... Sending a text message takes two seconds, and younger supporters usually are not going to respond to email or direct mail solicitation.”
Mobile giving — getting people to respond to a call-to-action using text messaging to encourage them to donate, exploded last year. “We found that the mobile channel outpaced the funds they were able to raise online, and we think that’s only going to grow,” she said. “Donors don’t have to be tethered to a computer or fill out a form, and it’s very easy for them to donate whenever they see your call-to-action, no matter where they are.”
The most important factor is the marketing and advertising to promote these programs. “People won’t participate if they don’t know how,” Ms. Fine said. “The mobile channel is an interesting channel because it’s so intimate …. You have to make sure it’s something very meaningful, reaching people with something they want to participate in and take action,” she said. “You want people to pay attention every time you send someone a message, so it’s important not to flood their inbox.” "SMS is a fantastic direct-response mechanism. When you incorporate a mobile call-to-action in the right way, you can get 10, 20, even 30 percent response rates and higher, which is unheard of in direct-response programs, so make sure you’re integrating it with your traditional marketing activities.” From Mobile Marketer at http://bit.ly/rLtiV
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