Do you need help finding the right fundraising channel for your non-profit organization? MGFC is here to help with the Text2Donate program, simplifying the process for charities and their valued donors. If you have a mobile phone and can send a text message, you have everything to Text2Donate.
In this article, we’ll share three powerful call-to-action strategies designed to help boost donations and take your Text2Donate campaign to the next level. Whether you are just starting your first campaign or looking to evolve an existing one, you’ll find a comprehensive roadmap that will answer all your burning questions and give you the inside scoop on what to expect from this simple yet effective fundraising tool. We’ve also included examples from charities who have already discovered the value of Text2Donate and tips and tricks from our application service providers.
- Design a Compelling Call-to-Action
- Combine Text2Donate with Other Channels
- Call-to-action: Keyword + Short Code
- Call-to-action: Emoji + Short Code
- Call-to-action: QR Codes
- MGFC’s Amazing Partners
So are you ready to engage your supporters meaningfully and optimize your Text2Donate campaign? Let’s get started!
Design a Compelling Call-to-Action
Your campaign call-to-action needs to be compelling and deliberate to drive results. It should capture the attention of your target audience and motivate them to donate in the moment.
Design Tips
- Remember that your message must be concise, clear, and have a sense of urgency.
- Use relevant keywords, imagery, or emojis to connect with your audience.
- Use QR codes to make donating even faster and more accessible.
- Ensure that the call-to-action stands out by using contrasting colours or bold text to grab your audience’s attention.
- Place your call-to-action strategically on your website, swag, or social media pages where it’s easily noticeable.
Copywriting Tips
- Use active verbs like “Donate Now” or “Give Today” to prompt your audience to act fast.
- Avoid using long sentences, jargon, or acronyms that might confuse potential donors.
- Sharing a story of how a donation has impacted you can inspire others to give and be part of a bigger change.
- Quantify the donation by explaining how the funds will be used. For example, “A $25 donation can provide X meals to a family of four.”
Crafting a compelling call-to-action will set the tone for your Text2Donate campaign. With a clear and concise message and a sense of urgency, your supporters will be more likely to donate.
Create a Sense of Urgency
To truly maximize the success of your Text2Donate campaign, it’s essential to create a sense of urgency in your call-to-action. Urgency motivates your supporters to take action and creates a fear of missing out, which drives them to act quickly.
You always want to create a sense of urgency in your message. One practical approach is to use time-sensitive wording, such as “Donate now” or “Help today.”
A more impactful strategy is setting a specific fundraising goal and publicly tracking progress towards it, updating your supporters as you reach it.
Charities can amplify their impact with ‘MGFC’s Display Screen Widget’ and
easily create a standalone web page with text and graphics, or embed the widget onto an existing page.
- The thermometer can be customized to match the charity’s preferred colour and text.
- It reflects the total amount of text donations received, in real-time.
- Great for live events or fundraisers to encourage donors to help you reach a specific goal.
This example shows the thermometer on a charity’s homepage, tracking the donations for happy pets.
Example of visually tracking donations to build an emotional connection with potential donors.
Another way to create urgency is to emphasize the importance and criticality of your cause or your specific fundraiser. For example, sharing statistics or stories highlighting the impact of donations and how they can make a real difference in the lives of those you’re serving goes a long way and encourages your supporters to act quickly.
You can quickly move your supporters to act by creating a sense of urgency and giving them an easy way to give. But speed alone is not enough. So next, we’ll explore how to share human moments and stories to connect with your supporters on a deeper, more emotional level.
Share a Human Moment
Sharing a human moment can be a powerful tool in your Text2Donate campaign. By connecting with your supporters, you can help them understand the impact of their donations. For example, consider sharing a touching story of someone your organization has helped or a heartwarming video highlighting the difference your supporters have made or could make if they act now. Appealing to their emotions can motivate potential donors to take action.
initiative that helps provide warmth during cold Ottawa
winters. The organization is a great example of effective
communication to increase donor generosity and loyalty by
showcasing their impact. They aim to convert one-time
donors into long-term supporters.
10,000 Snowsuit Challenge Call to Action
Donate online through the form below.
Every $50 donated buys ONE snowsuit.
You can choose to donate monthly for as little as $10 a
month – helping us purchase more than 2 snowsuits a
year!
Text SNOW to 45678 and a $25 donation will be added to
your cellphone bill. Text twice to buy a full snowsuit!
- Provide donors options by featuring the Text2donate call-to-action alongside the usual donation buttons.
- Clearly state that each $50 contribution provides a snowsuit, and they effectively encourage individuals to make a greater impact by purchasing a full snowsuit with a simple second text message.
- They leverage a monthly giving option for donors to donate as little as $10 a month, clearly communicating that this will help them purchase more than 2 snowsuits a year!
10,000 Snowsuit Challenge Webpage combines Text2Donate call-to-action along side clear message
Of course, connecting personally is only effective if your audience is paying attention, and this is where an effective and compelling call-to-action comes in. Using a simple keyword and 5-digit Short Code, you can make it easy for supporters to donate with just a few taps. Learn how to craft a powerful call-to-action in the next section.
Combine Text2Donate with Other Channels
Suppose you’re looking for a way to gather donations from supporters. In that case, Text2Donate is an excellent option, especially when combined with other fundraising levers like ads, social media posts, and special events. In addition, you increase donations without extra work or effort by showcasing your campaign keywords on volunteer t-shirts or having your QR code visible at your next event.
Check out our latest blog: The Power of Text to Donate: How to Reach More Donors and Make a Difference.
Call-to-action: Keyword + Short Code
You know the importance of connecting with your supporters to fuel your Text2Donate campaign. However, even the most compelling story or heartwarming video will only be effective if your audience is compelled to take action. Your call-to-action strategy comes with a simple and memorable word or phrase. See the example below from TELUS, a Canadian wireless carrier.
“Launching a TELUS Friendly Future Foundation® text-to-donate campaign: Simply text DONATE to 41010 to give $20 to TELUS Friendly Future Foundation to help support earthquake relief in Türkiye and Syria.” – TELUS Friendly Future Foundation®
and clarity.
Your keyword should be short and memorable while also conveying the purpose of your campaign. The Short Code (aka the number to which you send the text) should be easy to remember – MGFC specifically chose 5 easy-to-remember Short Codes for charities to choose from: 20222, 30333, 41010, 45678, and 80100. Accuracy is critical, so remember that your call-to-action will be the driving force behind the success of your Text2Donate campaign, so it’s essential to get it right.
Contact an expert today!
In the next section, we’ll explore how to take your call-to-action strategy to the next level by incorporating emojis. This powerful tool can help you stand out in a crowded digital landscape and make your campaign memorable.
Call-to-action: Emoji + Short Code
Incorporating emojis into your call-to-action is a clever way to grab your audience’s attention and make your campaign more visually appealing. By adding a relevant emoji instead of a traditional keyword, you can communicate your message in a fun, memorable, and easily recognizable way. For example, if running a Text2Donate campaign to support animal welfare, you could use the 🐱 emoji to represent your cause. The example below shows how the Vancouver Food Bank used a carrot, banana, and heart emoji as “keywords” to make it easy AND fun for their donors to give.
Food Bank Friday is happening TOMORROW from 6am – 6pm! Text a ($5) ($10) or ($25) to 30333 and help us help the @VanFoodBank this holiday season.
More info can be found at https://t.co/x7R1Rf6InT along with the secure link to donate. pic.twitter.com/jLyZaBqGek
— SONiC (@sonicradio) December 15, 2022
Pro Tip: When selecting an emoji, ensure it’s universal and can easily be understood and interpreted by your target audience. Additionally, keep it simple with the emojis. Stick to one or two relevant emojis to avoid overwhelming your audience.
Call-to-action: QR Codes
QR codes can be scanned using a smartphone camera, instantly directing potential donors to your Text2Donate campaign. This section explores seamlessly integrating a QR code option into your call-to-action.
We recognized the resurgence of QR codes since the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, they’re used more frequently than ever as an easy mechanism to: be redirected to a webpage, download a menu, or in our case, make a text donation!
Adding a QR code to your call-to-action can simplify the process for donors to access your Text2Donate campaign, especially if they’re on the go. Here are the steps to donate, the donor will:
- Scan an MGFC QR code and tap the onscreen prompt.
- The text messaging application on the cell phone will open. The chosen keyword and the associated 5-digit Short Code number will be pre-populated.
- The donor just needs to hit “send” & confirm by replying with “YES.”
The overall Text2Donate experience is similar to using a keyword for the donor. Still, QR codes allow charities to promote their call-to-action using a more visual and recognizable feature.
Give it a try!
- To create a compelling call-to-action using a QR code, ensure it’s prominent and easy to scan.
- The quality of the QR code image should be high resolution
- Consider placing the QR code next to your call-to-action on marketing materials such as flyers, posters, ads, volunteer shirts, or wherever your donors will see.
- MGFC can also customize your QR code with your charity’s logo to align with your branding and establish trust with your donor.
Pro Tip: It’s essential to test your QR code to ensure that it works properly on different devices and platforms, so scan it from multiple types of smartphones and ensure that it’s redirecting appropriately.
Incorporating a QR code into your call-to-action gives potential donors an efficient and convenient way to access your Text2Donate campaign. It’s another way to make it as easy as possible for donors to give to your cause.
In Conclusion
Text2Donate offers non-profit organizations a simple and effective way to collect donations. By creating a compelling call-to-action, creating a sense of urgency, and sharing human moments, you can supercharge your Text2Donate campaign. Remember to incorporate the powerful keyword, emoji, and QR code strategies we shared above. With these tools at your disposal, you’ll be well on your way to reaching your fundraising goals.
Our upcoming feature will delve into more innovative strategies that charities are employing to craft compelling and impactful campaigns that are making a difference across Canada.
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MGFC’s Amazing Partners
MGFC can only provide Canada’s only carrier-billed Text-to-donate platform due to its incredible partner network—a special thanks to all our delivery, technology, and strategic partners that make what we do possible.
Carrier Partners: BCE Inc. (Bell Mobility, Bell MTS, PC Mobile, Virgin Plus, Lucky Mobile), Eastlink, Shaw Communications (Freedom Mobile, Shaw Mobile), Rogers (Chatr, Fido), Tbaytel, TELUS (Koodo), Videotron (Fizz).
Technology Partners: ICF Next, Bandsintown, AWS, and Dirox.
Strategy Partners: designACE This blog was written in partnership with Andrew Edwards and Christine Reynolds, designACE.