4 Keys to Raising Money From Year-End Text Messaging

Whether you're a nonprofit that recently started using text messaging or a seasoned organization with years of experience, year-end giving is an important fundraising opportunity. Text messaging’s 99% open rate allows nonprofits to cut through busy, cluttered channels during the holiday season to reach donors at critical moments.

Here are four keys to raising more money from your GivingTuesday and year-end text message campaigns based on insights and feedback from nonprofits.

1. Mix Your Message Types

Text messaging is a very immediate and personal channel. If you’re only sending fundraising texts, like any channel, the engagement is likely going to decrease over time. I’ve seen that typically about half of the texts nonprofits send are fundraising-related, while the other half focus on cultivation and engagement.

It's important to treat text messaging as an ongoing communication channel. As you ramp up fundraising texts from GivingTuesday to Dec. 31, remember to include non-fundraising messages that steward donor relationships and add value. Engage your audience with messages that invite them to take surveys, participate in petitions or learn about the progress made in 2024. Cultivate with donor impact reports and stories. This helps warm up donors and ensures texting is a two-way street where you’re not only asking for support, but also providing value.

2. Send the Right Volume on the Right Dates

Timing can make a big difference to optimize text campaigns. I’ve seen many nonprofits send a few texts each month from January to October, but this often increases to about five messages per month in November and December.

A common question I often receive is what are the best days to send texts around GivingTuesday and late December. While text conversion rates are higher on GivingTuesday and Dec. 31, the day after GivingTuesday also can have strong conversion rates. Conversely, asking for donations too far in advance of a Giving Day or deadline may lower conversion rates.

Consider backloading your fundraising texts by scheduling them toward the end of your key campaigns and close to deadlines. For example, you might send multiple texts on GivingTuesday and then another the day after GivingTuesday to extend a match deadline or thank supporters and nudge those who have not given yet. In late December, you might backload your fundraising messages on Dec. 30 and 31.

3. Send at the Best Time

Ninety percent of texts are opened within minutes of receipt, so timing is crucial. If you could reach your donors at any time on GivingTuesday or Dec. 31, what time would it be? I’ve seen engagement and conversion rates for nonprofit texts tend to rise in the evening, likely because supporters have more free time then. Supporters are often busy with work during the day, but in the evenings, they typically have more free time and keep their phones close by.

As you’ve probably noticed, overall online giving often spikes in the evening on GivingTuesday and Dec. 31 as it gets closer to the midnight deadline. Similarly nonprofit text conversion rates are often highest in the evenings — especially between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. — on the last day of deadline-focused campaigns.

4. Use MMS & SMS to Increase ROI

SMS messages are limited to 160 characters, while MMS messages allow for images, videos, GIFs and up to 5,000 characters with formatting options. I see many nonprofits effectively use MMS for about half of their fundraising messages and around two-thirds of their cultivation texts. While MMS typically has a slightly higher cost, a balanced mix of SMS and MMS can increase your ROI during year-end campaigns.

Using MMS and SMS will also help vary the content your supporters are receiving so there’s a nice mix of longer and shorter content. I encourage nonprofits to start a campaign with an engaging MMS text and then follow up with quick SMS reminders. For instance, on GivingTuesday, send a late morning MMS fundraising message, followed by SMS reminders in the evening and the next day.

Focusing on these four strategies — mixing message types, optimizing timing, sending at the right moments, and using a mix of MMS and SMS — can help boost your year-end text messaging giving. Take advantage of the immediacy and personal nature of text messaging to cut through the clutter, reach supporters and drive fundraising results as the year comes to a close.

The preceding post was provided by an individual unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.