how to donate by text message

by Liza Smith 9 min read

Every announcement of a campaign for text donations comes with a keyword to text and a short code number to send it to. For example, you might be asked to text the word "CHARITY" to the number 491062. The steps then would be to: Hit "Send" and you've triggered a donation.Dec 16, 2020

How to receive donations via text?

Designate “Donation” as the payment type; Choose a name for your donation campaign. Choose a page URL for your campaign. Choose a text message keyword for your donation campaign. Draft an initial message for potential donors that text your keyword. Customize your donation page with images, a title, description, and thank you message

How do you text to donate?

Aug 01, 2017 · Their platform is simple. Donors will text a keyword to a 6 digit phone number, which will then send them a link to your event donation page. Donors can select the amount they would like to give and can quickly checkout with Apple Pay or Google Wallet.

How to text donations?

How does text to donate work?

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What is text to donate?

Text to donate fundraising is a text message marketing feature that allows charities and nonprofit organizations to interact with their donors via text message. This can create increased transparency between donors and organizations, thus leading to an increase in total donations for the organization. Below are the steps you need to take ...

What is mass texting?

Mass texting is a cost-effective way to inform large groups about the issue at hand. We’ll explain how to do this in the following steps.

What is a keyword in texting?

A keyword is a word or phrase that people can text in to your number to subscribe to your messages. For example, a nonprofit dedicated to saving the bees might choose the keyword “BUZZ.”

Can you use text messages for fundraising?

However, you can still use text messages as part of your nonprofit’s fundraising strategy by leveraging them as a tool to tell your organization’s story. The rest of this article is will show you how to make it work. 1. Choose a number to send donation requests from.

1. Convenience

Text messaging is popular because it’s convenient. Potential donors donate immediately when they see the campaign. They don’t have to navigate to a page. Just send a text from their cell phone. Often donors reflect their appreciation for the convenience of text-to-donate through larger donations.

2. Speed

Donors complete text-to-donate transactions within minutes. A few taps lead them from initial message to completed donation. Additionally, most recipients read a text within five minutes of receiving it.

3. Simple

We get text messages so frequently that navigating through text-to-donate messaging is easy for just about any smart phone user.

Set up the payments feature on your existing TextSanity account

Each TextSanity plan comes with the payments feature built in. Our payments feature is essentially a payment processor. Donors easily donate via text without being redirected to another payment processor.

Set up your donation campaign

When you have your donation campaign ideas planned out, implement your text messaging campaign with TextSanity.

Promote the text-to-donate keyword across various channels

Once you choose the keyword for your campaign, promote it on all your marketing channels. Make opportunities to publicize your campaign and your text-to-donate text message keyword.

Simplify

A text-to-donate campaigns are seamless. However, you don’t want to oversaturate donors with requests. Limit the amount of text-to-donate campaigns to a few each year. Also, simplify the process for your donors. Choose easy-to-remember, simple text message keywords.

How to donate through text?

How do text-to-donate services work? 1 From your smartphone texting app, text CHOC to 51555 ( message and data rates may apply) 2 In moments, you will receive a text message with a link to the sample donation page— click on the link 3 You’ll be taken to a secure donation page where you can easily make a one-time donation or just as easily set up a recurring donation of any amount to be automatically charged to your credit or debit card

What is text to donate?

Text-to-donate is a mobile fundraising method that uses text messaging and keywords to allow supporters to give to the causes they care about from anywhere, whenever they want, right from their mobile device.

Why do we need surveys?

Surveys allow your organization to collect valuable information from your donors, volunteers, partners, and recipients . When you know who your audience is, you can better tailor your messaging, calls to action and improve the response rates of your campaigns

How many texts do Americans receive a day?

On average, Americans make or receive about 6 phone calls per day, but send and receive 32 texts per day. That’s 960 text messages each month or 11,520 every year!

When did text to give start?

Text-to-Give first came into the spotlight in 2010 in wake of the Haiti earthquake when relief organizations were desperate for fast and easy ways to collect donations to help those in need. During the crisis, Red Cross was able to raise $22 million with $5 and $10 donations using text-to-give.

What is the shortcode for texting a donation?

Similar to the 10-digit phone number you typically use for calls, the shortcode you use to text your keyword will be a 5-digit number assigned by your fundraising platform. This will trigger the automated reply that includes a link to your text-to-donate campaign’s secure donation page.

What is a fundraising thermometer?

A fundraising thermometer can create exciting moments of giving with every donation pledge at any live event where you use text-to-donate. Donor names and messages will display onscreen in real time allowing your emcee or host to call them out and thank them for their gift. This, in turn, inspires others to give as the thermometer rises and you get closer to your goal.

What is text to donate?

In this case, donors click on an embedded link in a text message that takes them directly to a website where they can usually donate as much as they like using their credit card.

How much does a text donation cost?

A text donation is usually limited to $5 or $10, and it is automatically charged to your mobile phone bill. Your donation goes to a company such as The Mobile Fund that specializes in mobile donations. That company may charge a small fee for the transaction, which comes out of your donation to the charity.

How much did the Red Cross raise in Haiti?

But text-to-give (TTG) as it's known really took off after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, when the American Red Cross raised more than $32 million within one year through its text-to-give campaign. 1 . Text-to-give remains one of the fastest and easiest ways to make a small contribution to an urgent need.

How do charities raise money?

The primary ways charities raise money through mobile means are Text-to-Give (TTG) and Text-to-Donate. TTG involves promoting a code and number through advertising, radio announcements, or on TV that people text to donate.

Can you scan a QR code with your phone?

Or, you can scan a QR code with your phone and trigger a donation. When social distancing became the norm, for instance, the Salvation Army placed QR codes on their holiday red kettles so that donors could wave their phones over the code and perform a contactless donation.

What our members love

Help your supporters give on the go, directly from their mobile devices.

Great for your fundraising needs

Set up a fundraising page with text, images and videos for your Text-to-Donate campaign.

Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen

Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen uses social media to help propel its fundraising efforts, showcasing a Text-to-Donate code for mobile giving.

Works well with

Launch fundraising campaigns in minutes with beautiful, customizable and responsive donation pages.

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What Is Text-To-Donate Fundraising?

  • Text-to-Donate and Text-to-Give are essentially the same—both are ways to donate via mobile texting/SMS. Although both of these terms are used interchangeably, there are some technical differences between the two. Text-to-donate is a form-based method, meaning your donors text …
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How Does Text-To-Donate Work?

How to Set Up Text-To-Donate in 8 Steps

  • Text to donate fundraising is a text message marketing feature that allows charities and nonprofit organizations to interact with their donors via text message. This can create increased transparency between donors and organizations, thus leading to an increase in total donations for the organization. Below are the steps you need to take to understand text donation and how to s…
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Is Text-To-Donate Safe?

  • You can include text-to-donate links directly in your text messages if you use a dedicated short code. These are 5 or 6-digit phone numbers that are administered by the Common Short Code Administrator on behalf of a group of U.S. wireless carriers. (You can read more about them and how to qualify here.) Certain eligible non-profits also receive a 60% discount towards the cost of …
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Is Text-To-Donate The Same as Text-To-Give?

  • 1. Create awareness with SMS marketing
    Before collecting donations, you need to have an audience of people who care deeply about your cause. Mass textingis a cost-effective way to inform large groups about the issue at hand. We’ll explain how to do this in the following steps.
  • 2. Create a keyword specific to your cause
    Every SimpleTexting plan comes with unlimited keywords. Make sure to pick a keyword that relates directly to your cause and is easy to remember. For example, Eagle Brook Churchhelped raise for their mission trip efforts in Haiti using the keyword, you guessed it, HAITI. This way, eve…
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