How to Create an Engaging SMS Fundraising Campaign

What is SMS fundraising?

SMS fundraising (or text message fundraising) is a marketing channel that lets nonprofit organizations send text messages to prospective and existing donors.

You can use SMS marketing to make people aware of your charitable campaigns and encourage them to donate.

You can also use SMS marketing to remind donors about upcoming events, show them what you’re spending their donations on, and ask them to volunteer their time.

Types of mobile donations

There are 2 ways you can raise donations for your nonprofit through text messages—text-to-give and text-to-donate. Let’s look at the different fundraising strategies involved.

Text-to-give campaigns

Text-to-give fundraising works by asking donors to text a specific custom keyword to a designated short code number. For example, a text-to-give platform might let you send a text that says, “Text GIVE10 to 12345 to donate $10.”

This donation amount is added to the donor’s phone bill or deducted from their prepaid credit.

The advantage of text-to-give is that it’s easy for the donor. All they need to do is send a text and the donation comes out of their cell phone bill.

However, your nonprofit only receives the funds after your donor’s mobile phone bill is processed and paid. As a result, you have to wait at least 30 days for the donation to arrive.

Also, you only receive limited information about such transactions, making it harder to build long-term relationships with donors.

Text-to-donate campaigns

Text-to-donate fundraising works by providing donors with a link to a mobile-friendly fundraising page. You can supply this link in your initial message or ask donors to text a short code to receive the link.

Donors can then access the online donation page and enter their payment details. They can either submit a one-off payment or a recurring donation.

The advantage of text-to-donate is that you receive funds straightaway (minus any transaction fees). You can also collect donor information like names and email addresses, making it easier to thank donors for their support and connect with them in the future.

However, there are more steps for donors to complete, meaning they’re less likely to finish the process.

Text-to-give or text-to-donate: Which is the better option?

It depends on your fundraising goals.

Text-to-give works well for short-term campaigns where you want to encourage as many people as possible to donate quickly, like emergency relief efforts.

Text-to-donate is ideal for long-term campaigns where the aim is to focus on building relationships and gathering donor data for future fundraising efforts.

What are the benefits of mobile giving?

When you’re rallying to raise online donations, there are many marketing channels you can use, such as emails, social media, and even pay-per-click advertising.

However, mobile giving, whether it’s text-to-give or text-to-donate, can give your nonprofit organization the edge.

Here are some reasons why you should factor mobile giving into your fundraising strategy.

SMS messages have high open rates

When people get an email, there’s no guarantee that they’ll open it straightaway or even that they’ll open it at all.

Text messages are a different matter. SMS messages are usually thought of as a way to communicate with friends and family, meaning they’re regarded as more trustworthy. And as people generally receive fewer SMS messages than emails, these messages are more likely to stand out.

Also, research has shown that SMS messages have an open rate of 98%, compared to just under 36% for emails.

People check their notifications quickly

The average American checks their phone 205 times a day, which works out to once every 5 minutes.

As receiving a text message generates an immediate notification on a mobile device, this means prospective donors will see and act on your outbound message almost instantly.                                

People don’t need to be on a mobile internet or have a WiFi connection

If you’re operating a text-to-give campaign, people can read your message even if they’ve used up all their mobile data or aren’t on a WiFi connection.

This increases the chances of a positive and fast response from donors.

It's easy to track campaign performance

SMS platforms give you clear data on how your campaigns are performing. You can see who opened your message, who clicked through to donate, and who converted.

This user-friendly campaign tracking makes it easy to adjust your strategy and improve results as you go.

Mobile giving fits naturally into daily life

People already use their phones for everything from banking to shopping. Adding donations to that list feels like a natural extension of how they already interact with their devices.

This familiarity removes barriers and makes giving feel more accessible.

Is SMS marketing legal?

It’s legal to send SMS marketing messages to prospective donors as long as you have their consent. This means you need to get explicit permission that they are happy to receive promotional text messages from you.

SMS consent is separate from email consent—you can’t send SMS messages if a customer has only opted in to receive emails.

Customers can give you explicit permission to send them text messages by:

• Completing an SMS marketing signup form
• Texting a custom keyword to a designated short code number

If people sign up for your SMS marketing list, make it as easy as possible to unsubscribe, either by replying with a custom keyword (e.g., STOP) or clicking a link in the texts you send.

Key rules nonprofits must follow

Before you start sending fundraising text messages, you need to understand the legal requirements that govern SMS marketing. 

The main regulations come from the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and guidelines by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA). These rules are in place to protect consumers from unwanted messages and spam.

Here's what you need to know:

• Get express written consent: You must have explicit permission from donors before sending them any marketing texts. Verbal consent or implied consent isn't enough.
• Include clear opt-out instructions: Every message needs to tell recipients how they can unsubscribe, usually by replying with a keyword like STOP.
• Honor opt-out requests immediately: When someone asks to unsubscribe, you need to remove them from your list right away and stop sending messages.
• Identify your organization: Your messages should clearly state who's sending them so donors know the texts are coming from your nonprofit.
• Send messages during appropriate hours: The TCPA restricts when you can send texts, typically between 8 am and 9 pm in the subscriber's local time zone.
• Keep records of consent: Document when and how each person agreed to receive messages from you in case you need to prove compliance later.

Best practices to maintain SMS opt-in compliance

Following the basic legal requirements is just the starting point. To build trust with donors and avoid compliance issues, you should go beyond the minimum standards. A strong opt-in process protects both your organization and your supporters.

Here are some best practices to keep in mind:

• Make the opt-in process crystal clear: When people sign up for texts, tell them exactly what they're agreeing to, including how often they'll hear from you and what type of messages to expect.
• Use double opt-in when possible: After someone signs up, send a confirmation message asking them to reply YES or confirm their subscription. This extra step proves consent and reduces complaints.
• Work with a reputable text fundraising platform: Choose a text-to-give provider that has built-in compliance features and keeps up with changing regulations so you don't have to worry about technical requirements.
• Keep a clean contact list: Regularly remove inactive numbers and people who haven't engaged with your messages in a long time to maintain a healthy list.
• Don't share or sell your SMS list: Consent is specific to your organization, so you can't pass phone numbers to other groups or use them for purposes beyond what donors agreed to.
• Document everything: Keep detailed records of opt-in forms, timestamps, and consent language so you can demonstrate compliance if questions come up.
• Train your team: Make sure everyone who handles your SMS campaigns understands the rules and knows how to stay compliant.

How can you plan your SMS fundraising campaigns?

SMS messaging can help you achieve your fundraising goals. Like any other marketing campaign, it’s vital to be organized and know what you want to achieve.

Here’s our 5-step plan for developing an SMS campaign that increases your fundraising revenue.

Step 1: Understand your goals

Knowing your fundraising goals will help you choose the right campaign type (text-to-donate or text-to-give) and optimize your messages to maximize donations.

Your fundraising goal could be:

• To raise money
• Find new volunteers
• Increase brand awareness
• Advocate for policy change

It’s also essential to know who your target audience is. For example, are you focusing on younger donors, donors in another country, or lapsed donors who haven’t given to your nonprofit for a while? This will determine your wording, the frequency of your messages, and when you send them.

Step 2: Choose your fundraising campaign platform

An SMS marketing platform (like Mailchimp) makes it easy to send and manage your text messages in bulk while staying compliant with regulations like GDPR in Europe and the United Kingdom.

You can grow your contact list, send personalized text messages, and see who is reading and responding to your campaigns.

Here’s what to consider when looking at fundraising tools:

• Cost: Some platforms are pay-as-you-go while others offer unlimited text campaigns on a monthly or annual subscription.
• Functionality: Different platforms offer different features. For example, some platforms integrate with your customer relationship management (CRM) system so you can comprehensively track a donor’s engagement history.
• Ease-of-use: Some platforms are easy to get started with, while others have a steep learning curve.
• Scalability: You’ll want a platform that can handle your current campaigns and accommodate future growth.

Step 3: Plan your text messages

When planning an SMS fundraising campaign, you’ll need to send multiple messages. People may not see your first message, or they may read it but be too busy to act on it, so it’s worth sending reminders.

Consider the urgency of your campaign when planning your messages. If your campaign isn’t time sensitive, you may choose to spread all your fundraising messages over 2 weeks. But, if it’s urgent, you may want to send all your messages in a few days.

Here’s how a simple text-to-donate campaign timeline may look:

Day 1: “Give hope to someone tonight—support our work and make a difference. [CHARITY NAME] [LINK TO DONATION PAGE]”

Day 4: “Every donation, big or small, helps. Support our work and make a difference in someone’s life. [CHARITY NAME] [LINK TO DONATION PAGE]”

Day 8: “See how your donation can change lives. Visit our mobile donation page and read inspiring stories of hope. [CHARITY NAME] [LINK TO DONATION PAGE]”

Day 14: “Join our community of givers—visit our fundraising page and help us reach our goal today. [CHARITY NAME] [LINK TO DONATION PAGE]”

Step 4: Send your SMS messages at the right time

While people are more likely to open and read text messages than emails, it’s still essential to send them at the right time. You want people to take action and donate as soon as possible.

Think about your target audience and when they’re most likely to respond. For example, if you’re targeting people of working age, sending messages between 12 pm and 2 pm means they’re likely to be on their lunch break and in a better position to engage.

Some countries have rules in place meaning organizations can’t send SMS messages at certain times of the day, or even on specific days—these are known as quiet hours. In the United States, quiet hours are between 9 pm and 11 am.

Step 5: Check your fundraising statistics

Reviewing your metrics throughout your campaign means you can optimize your messages and identify areas for improvement.

Here are some statistics to look out for:

• Open rate: How many people have opened your message. A low open rate may indicate delivery issues or that you’re targeting the wrong customers.
• Click-through rate (CTR): On a text-to-donate campaign, how many people have clicked on the link to your donation form. A high click-through rate shows that your message is compelling people to act.
• Response rate: On a text-to-give campaign, how many people are responding to your message. A high response rate shows many are engaging.
• Unsubscribe rate: How many people are opting out of your messages. A high unsubscribe rate shows that your messages may be annoying prospective donors.
• Return on investment (ROI): How much your campaign has earned compared to the total cost of your campaign. An ROI above 5% is good.

Remember that your campaign isn’t set in stone. It’s OK to make changes as you go along to increase mobile donations.

How do you engage donors with SMS fundraising?

Any text campaigns you send need to be well written, considerate, and created with your target customers in mind. Otherwise they may choose not to donate, or even worse, unsubscribe from all future campaigns.

Here are some tips to consider when developing your own strategy.

Take advantage of personalization

Personalization is when you customize your marketing strategy to suit individual preferences and needs. By doing this, you increase the chances of appealing to each person you send a message to, meaning they’re more likely to respond positively.

You can use personalization in 2 different ways in your mobile donation campaigns:

• By using merge tags (or personalization tags). These insert customer information into your messages, like a first name or a location.
• By using segmentation. Segmentation allows you to split your donor database into smaller groups, which you can personalize more efficiently. For example, you can send one message to customers who donate regularly, and another to customers who have never donated before.

Add images and videos to your campaigns

Including images and videos in your donation campaigns makes them more eye-catching. You can also showcase your brand identity more easily, increasing trust in your campaigns.

You need to use Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages rather than SMS messages to do this. While MMS messages are more flexible, they are more expensive than SMS messages and not every mobile device can handle them.

Keep your messages short

SMS messages are limited to 160 characters—about 30 to 35 words. If you go over this amount, you send multiple text messages to customers, which can increase the cost of your campaign.

One of the key features of text messages is how brief they are. People can read and understand them quickly, meaning a higher chance of conversion.

You can make your messages more concise by:

• Removing unnecessary information: For example, as people have signed up to receive messages, you don’t have to spend time explaining who you are.
• Focusing on one single request per email: Don’t ask for multiple things in a message.
• Using numerals and symbols: For example, “Text GIVING to donate $5” rather than “Text GIVING to donate five dollars.”

If you want to send longer messages, consider email marketing or MMS messages, which have a limit of 1,600 characters.

Make the process as simple as possible

The aim of your campaign is to enable donors to make a payment as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Any stumbling blocks, like a hard-to-find custom code in a text-to-donate message, or a lengthy donation form in a text-to-donate campaign, may cause people to give up.

Review the entire donation process through the eyes of a customer before you launch. Ideally, you should be able to donate with just a few clicks.

Ensure consistency across your messaging channels

If you use text-to-donate, you need to ensure your SMS messages and mobile donation form have common elements, for example, using the same color scheme, imagery, and wording.

People may be reluctant to enter their credit card details, especially if they’ve never donated to your nonprofit before. Consistency inspires trust, which can give people the push they need to donate to your cause.

If you use other marketing channels to encourage donations, like Google Display ads, email marketing, or social media posts, make sure they’re all consistent with each other too.

Combine SMS and email fundraising

You don’t have to choose between SMS and email fundraising when encouraging donations. You can use both together to create a comprehensive user experience.

SMS marketing works best for concise messages that encourage people to donate immediately, while email marketing is ideal for nurturing donors and telling them more about who their donations are helping.

For example, let’s say you’re launching a long-term initiative to build a new animal welfare center.

You can send an email campaign to prospective donors telling them about the project and who will benefit. A week before the campaign ends, you can text people who haven’t donated yet to encourage them to do so.

That being said, make sure you’ve received explicit consent from your customers to receive both text and email messages.

Say thank you

Your work isn’t over when your customers donate. You need to continue to build relationships to foster trust and credibility. This increases the likelihood of them donating again in the future.

One of the easiest ways to encourage repeat giving is to send a personalized thank-you text message after a donation. This shows that you value a donor’s contribution and that their support will make a difference.

A thank-you message also confirms that a donation was processed successfully, providing peace of mind to the donor.

Use SMS fundraising sparingly

While text campaigns are a powerful tool for encouraging donations, it’s easy to misuse them.

People’s phones are their personal spaces, and too many SMS messages can be intrusive and frustrating, even if the recipient initially opted to receive them. This can lead to prospective donors ignoring your text messages, complaining about you to others, and unsubscribing.

It’s crucial to find a balance—while you want to avoid overwhelming customers, you don’t want to lose momentum.

Sending messages 1-2 times a week is generally a good starting point but look at your metrics. If donations start to drop and unsubscribes start to increase, you may need to rethink your strategy.

Bringing your SMS fundraising strategy together

SMS fundraising gives nonprofits a direct line to supporters, letting you reach people where they already spend most of their time — on their phones.

With high open rates, instant delivery, and the ability to track performance in real time, text messages can help you connect with donors more effectively than traditional channels.

Whether you're running an urgent campaign or building long-term relationships, mobile giving donations fit naturally into how people interact with their devices every day.

Mailchimp makes it easy to manage your SMS campaigns alongside your other marketing efforts. You can build your contact list, send personalized messages, and track results all in one place.

Plus, you can combine SMS with email marketing to create a complete fundraising strategy.

When supporters text to give or donate through your mobile campaigns, you'll have everything you need to nurture those relationships and turn one-time donors into long-term advocates for your cause.

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Key Takeaways

• SMS fundraising lets nonprofits collect donations through text messages sent to mobile devices.
• People frequently check their phones for notifications and see SMS messages as more trustworthy and personal than emails.
• Text-to-give campaigns work by asking donors to text a keyword to donate, with funds taken from the donor’s mobile phone bill. Text-to-donate campaigns work by providing a link to an online donation form, with funds taken from the donor’s bank account.
• You must get explicit permission from people advising that they are happy to receive SMS marketing messages. You must also make it easy to unsubscribe from your campaigns.
• Make your texts concise, remove any stumbling blocks from the donation process, and use SMS campaigns sparingly. Customers may ignore them if you rely on them too much.

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