Nonprofit Communications: Writing For A Better World

By James V. D’Ambrosio

A study recently commissioned by the mGive Foundation — an organization making it make easier for nonprofits to execute effective mobile-giving campaigns — and researched and written by CCS Fund-Raising, an agency providing fund-raising consulting and management services to nonprofits worldwide, concluded that mobile giving is a growing, viable fund-raising strategy, especially among the 16-33 age group.

The Text Giving Donor Survey Report surveyed 23,500 donors by text messaging donor mailing lists from 200+ nonprofits with ‘opt-in’ mobile number records. Over a two-week period — December 16-29, 2010 — 235 responses were generated, a one (1) percent response rate. Some key findings were:

♦ 56 percent of respondents described their text-giving experience as ‘excellent’ or ‘good.’

♦ 62 percent of respondents donate to two or more organizations via text; 12 percent contributed to four or more organizations.

♦ 79 percent of survey respondents giving to an organization via text also contributed by e-mail, Web site, or direct mail.

♦ 86 percent of survey respondents donating to an agency via text would consider giving larger amounts through other channels.

♦ Text donors would like to have the option of a $25 text-gift minimum. In terms of a maximum text gift, 73 percent indicated a $25 limit; 15 percent said $50; and 9 percent indicated a top gift of $100.

♦ The top three calls to action were: a) e-mail; b) public event; and c) television.

CONTEXT AND PERSPECTIVE

These numbers are impressive, but they should be considered contextually. The majority of respondents were Millenials (ages 16-33) followed by Generation X (34-44) and Boomers2 (45-55) — early adopters more connected with mobile communication. Since technology is evolving rapidly, the authors note uncertainty over whether such trends will continue. The study also emphasizes that text-giving represents just one facet of a comprehensive fund-raising strategy, not a substitute for other giving venues.

Still, given the economic challenges facing nonprofits for the foreseeable future, this growing channel of giving should not be ignored; in fact, some agencies can greatly benefit.

Request a copy of the full report here: http://bit.ly/gTejDO.

QUESTION TO READERS: What has been your agency’s experience with text-giving?

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: mGive Report, Nonprofit Mobile Donations, Nonprofit Mobile Giving, Text Giving, Text Giving Donor Survey Report, Text Giving Statistics |