A top priority for all nonprofits, regardless of the campaign, is boosting donor engagement to reach their goals. One of the best ways to do this is to promote mobile giving to your supporters. Mobile giving is a convenient and powerful way for your supporters to give to your organization, whether it’s during an event, for a specific campaign, or simply because they’re inspired to give.
Using text messaging to reach your supporters can be exciting and immediate, so to help you make the most it, we’re sharing four top strategies will take your donation acquisition from mobile sources to the next level:
- Create mobile-optimized donation forms
- Start a text-to-give campaign
- Include a social media button
- Try mobile bidding.
If you’re ready to take your mobile giving to the next level, this guide will help you get started connecting with donors on their mobile devices.
1. Create mobile-optimized donation forms
An overwhelming number of donors now use different online donation platforms to submit their donations. Make sure they can continue this practice even when they don’t have access to a computer by making your donation page accessible from any device. Mobile optimization is the practice of building an online giving page so that it is easily navigable from a smartphone or tablet.
Here are a few ways your nonprofit can ensure its digital giving pages are optimized for mobile devices:
- Build your donation forms on a platform that automatically optimizes for mobile. This is the most straightforward way to ensure that your forms are always mobile-friendly.
- Make sure the images you include are properly sized and responsive. Responsive images “respond” to the screen they’re being viewed on and automatically adjust to fit the screen. This ensures that your donors won’t have to zoom or scroll to view your image.
- Keep any text to short paragraphs and bullet points. When this text is condensed onto a smaller screen, this will make it easier to read. It also just makes your content more easily skimmable, whether it’s being viewed on a smartphone or large computer screen.
- Use easy-to-read text. This means using a standard font in a readable size, with good color contrast against your background. If your text is difficult to read, donors who are visually impaired may not be able to donate.
You’ve already convinced your supporters to visit your nonprofit’s donation page, so make sure the donation page is convincing and easy to use. If not, you’ll risk losing donors after having worked so hard to bring them to the page.
2. Start a text-to-give campaign
While some people might find your donation page through your website on their mobile devices, others would prefer a more direct method to reach it. Text-to-give technology allows for this direct connection.
Text-to-give is a perfect donation method to promote during fundraising and stewardship events. It enables you to collect donations quickly, easily connect with donors, and confirm transactions through email.
Once your nonprofit has found the right text-to-give software for your needs, you can begin promoting your text-to-give campaign. You’ll receive a unique phone number for your donors to text and the process will look like this:
Step 1: Your donors will text your nonprofit’s phone number.
Donors initiate the transaction by texting the pre-selected keyword to an organization’s phone number. Intuitive software will accept the donation even if there’s a typo.
Step 2: Your donor will follow the link they receive.
Within a few seconds, they’ll receive a confirmation text with a link. Once they click it, they’ll need to select your preferred donation amount. First-time donors will also need to fill out a short donation form with their payment information. Repeat donors just click “donate.”
Step 3: Press send.
Clicking on “donate” in the text message will lead them to a pre-written email that authenticates the transaction. They simply press “send” to submit your donation. It’s as simple as that!
With the right software, all your donors have to do is follow these easy steps to donate to your cause!
3. Promote social sharing
From viral videos to campaigns with nonprofit influencers, social media is a powerful way of getting your message across. Posting about mobile giving on your own social media accounts is great for informing your followers, but it may not reach as many new potential supporters.
To work around this obstacle, your organization should add social sharing buttons to your website and donation forms. This encourages your supporters to share their contributions with their personal network. By posting about their contribution, they’re promoting your organization’s brand and inviting others to also give to your organization.
Because many donors will be donating from their phones and view social media posts on their phones, this form of free marketing allows supporters to directly click back to your donation page from their friend or family member’s post. Harness the power of social media as part of your digital campaign and see how it can boost your mobile giving rates!
4. Try mobile bidding.
Whether you’re hosting a traditional in-person, silent auction, a hybrid auction, or a fully virtual event, mobile bidding can help you streamline and expedite your bidding process.
With mobile bidding, supporters can view your digital catalog and bid from anywhere. Not only that, but monitoring competitor bids and checking out if they win will be quick and easy for your winners. The process works just like text-to-give, with supporters texting in their bids for items and checking out directly from their phones.
Adding mobile bidding software to your tech stack can help you increase competition, widen your bidder pool, and make it easy for everyone to participate. For ease of use, it’s best to find a mobile bidding tool that is built into or integrates directly with your auction software.
If you’re looking for a way to modernize and up your donations, mobile giving is a great avenue to explore. So many organizations could boost their donation amounts heavily through the implementation of simple mobile giving methods. Reach your organization’s full potential by implementing these four strategies today!
