Do you feel like your investment in direct mail and traditional fundraising tools is not yielding the results you need?
It is time for you to reimagine your fundraising strategy with Text-to-Donate.
Text-to-Donate is a transformative platform that allows donors to seamlessly give to their favourite charities by adding a donation to their monthly cellphone bill – eliminating the need for credit cards and making charitable giving more accessible.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits, success stories, and cost-effectiveness of using Text-to-Donate, providing you with the tools to raise funds and convert a single micro-donation into a long-term donor. Whether you’re a seasoned fundraiser or just starting, this article will cover the top five things about how text-to-donate can help you reimagine your fundraising strategy.
5 Things You Need to Know about Text-to-Donate
- What is Text-to-Donate?
- Convert 9% of one-time Donors to recurring, monthly donors.
- Calls-to-action with emojis are fun and engaging for donors.
- You start your own Text-to-Donate campaign for $350 a month.
- Over 800+ Charities have used MGFC’s Text-to-Donate Platform.
What is Text-to-Donate?
Text-to-Donate is a one-of-a-kind mobile giving platform in Canada that has revolutionized charitable giving. It allows Canadians to make donations through carrier billing, meaning they don’t need a credit card to contribute to a cause – a set donation amount of $5-$25 is simply added to the donor’s monthly cell phone bill. By partnering with Canada’s wireless service providers and the Canadian Telecommunications Association, the Mobile Giving Foundation Canada (MGFC) has streamlined the process of giving for donors and reduced operational costs and efforts for valued Charitable Partners.
One of the benefits of Text-to-Donate is its accessibility. With just a few clicks on their phones, donors can contribute to a charity, no matter where they are. This simplicity has made charitable giving more convenient, private, and straightforward, translating into more donations, even from first-time donors. Donors can give what they can without the added pressures of providing personal information, pesky app downloads, or feeling pressured to “sign on the dotted line” at a fundraiser event. Instead, Text-to-Donate enables donors to connect with the charities they support and give what they can when they can.
You might be surprised to hear Text-to-Donate is cost-effective for charities, but this is no myth. Because the platform is mobile-based and fully operationalized by MGFC, it doesn’t require hardware or software installation, which can save charities money. Additionally, it can be integrated with other fundraising tools to create a comprehensive strategy.
Text-to-Donate has also successfully created long-term sustainable giving, with a recurring donation feature that enables donors to sign up to give monthly. Here’s how it works: charities using the Text-to-Donate tool can send a custom “thank you” message to one-time donors and invite them to opt-in to give monthly. A simple response with “YES” signs them up for monthly giving.
Converting a one-time donor into a lifetime giver is the foundation of a well-executed fundraising strategy. Our next section will explain how Mobile Giving Foundation Canada enables simple Monthly Giving.
Convert 9% of one-time donors to recurring, monthly donors.
Recurring monthly giving is becoming more critical to all non-profit fundraising strategies. It allows charities to plan and invest in programs that create long-term, sustainable change. It can be a good indicator or gauge for future planning or forecasting. Donors can easily subscribe to recurring gifts through Text-to-Donate, an excellent solution for those who want to donate regularly with ease.
Usually, charities accomplish their monthly giving goals through costly multi-channel outreach strategies, including direct mail, email, outbound calls, and more. Unfortunately, fundraising engagement tools like these require vast capital investment and extensive existing donor profiles. For most charities, this makes the goal of monthly giving unreachable.
MGFC’s Monthly Giving Campaign Tools
By partnering with MGFC, nonprofits can convert an average of 9% of one-time donors to monthly donors. On average, a monthly donor will remain opted-in to donate for 55 months before opting out, donating approximately $1,100 to the charity.
$1,100 Donor Lifetime Value
“On average, a charity partner can expect to receive 4-5 years of consistent income from a single donor with our monthly giving feature. Some of our donors have been subscribed to give monthly since 2012.” – Caitlin O’Neill, Senior Manager at MGFC
Calculating Potential Donor Lifetime Value:
Donor Retention Rate X Monthly Donation Value = Donor Lifetime Value
– Monthly Donation Value: $20
– Donor Lifetime Value = $1,100
Calls-to-action with emojis are fun and engaging for donors
Pairing calls-to-action (CTAs) with emojis can add a fun and engaging element to your Text-to-Donate campaign. Using emojis in your CTAs can help make your message stand out and grab the attention of potential donors. Using emojis has become almost a standard in text messaging, so adding emojis to your campaign will make your messages more human and sincere. In addition, Emojis can convey a call-to-action more emotionally and effectively than words alone.
Adding emojis to your CTAs is a creative way to make your Text-to-Donate campaigns more engaging by making your branding more recognizable and memorable. For example, you can use a food-related emoji in your CTA if you’re a food bank or, use a heart emoji if you’re a health-related cause. With so many emojis to choose from, the possibilities are endless!
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB) successfully ran a text-to-donate campaign in December 2020 with radio promotion, a ‘drive thru’ event, and a 2-kilometer light show. Donors who tuned into the radio and drove through the light show could donate $25 by texting a red heart emoji, ultimately collecting over $16,000 for the GVFB.
Key takeaways:
- Combining different promotional methods can lead to successful fundraising campaigns.
- Radio promotion is a valuable and cost-effective way to target many donors by broadcasting your CTA. Text-to-donate campaigns can generate donations from donors without physically meeting them.
“We have found it to be a convenient and easy way to collect donations when closer contact is difficult.” – Terra Paredes of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank
Canadians can Text-to-Donate and support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank by texting ❤️ to 30333 to donate $25 or visit: https://foodbank.bc.ca/.
You can run your own Text-to-Donate campaign for as little as $100/month
If you’re new to Text-to-Donate, you can get started for a one-time fee of $350. Once your charity has been certified to run a campaign, your monthly fees can be as low as $100/month. This modest investment is a game-changer for charities who want to maximize their fundraising potential but have limited funds or resources. By combining cutting-edge technology with innovative fundraising strategies, charities can attract more donors, retain them for extended periods, and pay less out of pocket.
Contact [email protected] to learn more.
No Credit Card Fees or Transaction Fees: 100% of the Funds are Remit to Charities.
That’s right – where most fundraising platforms charge high transaction fees and have monthly operating costs, MGFC charges a flat monthly fee and remits 100% of the funds back to the beneficiary charities! This lack of transaction fees makes it the most cost-effective fundraising tool in the Canadian market.
One of the most significant advantages of Mobile Giving Foundation Canada’s Text-to-Donate platform is that there is no transaction fee – for the donor or charity.
Partnering with a reputable Text-to-Donate provider like MGFC can help ensure your campaigns are optimized for maximum effectiveness. With no fees taken from donations or charged on top of the donation, charities receive every dollar donated, making it the most efficient and cost-effective way to fundraise.
MGFC’s product has comparable set-up fees to other event-based fundraising tools. However, MGFC does NOT charge charities a 5% transaction fee. Transaction fees divert precious funds and add up quickly!
Text-to-Donate VS Tap2Donate: Transaction Fee Comparison
| Money raised | MGFC 0% Transaction fee |
Tap2Donate 5% Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | $0 | $5 |
| $1,000 | $0 | $50 |
| $10,000 | $0 | $500 |
| $100,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $0 | $50,000 |
| *$1,113,000 | $0 | $55,650 |
*Current MGFC campaign record for most funds raised in a single day.
With no transaction fees, Text-to-Donate campaigns give charities a fantastic ROI.
For example, MGFC has a campaign record for the most significant amount raised in 24 hours. Canadian singer Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey Baldwin Bieber, were part of the Stronger Together | Tous Ensemble broadcast raising money for Food Banks Canada, and MGFC helped process over 200,000 individual donations. As a result, the charity, Food Banks Canada, raised an incredible $1.1 million in just one day, significantly impacting the lives of many Canadians affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
You don’t need to know a celebrity or have access to global media outlets to run a successful Text-to-Donate campaign. Learn how over 800+ Canadian Charities over the last 14 years used Text-to-Donate to accomplish their goals. We’ll tell you all about our partners in the next section.
Over 800+ Charities have used MGFC’s Text-to-Donate Platform.
MGFC’s Text-to-Donate platform has proven to be a game-changer for charities looking to raise funds using mobile technology. Through its user-friendly interface and seamless payment process, charities can engage donors more effectively than ever. Unsurprisingly, more and more charities have partnered with MGFC and used its Text-to-Donate platform to make a meaningful impact.
This is one of many incredible examples of charities finding success with MGFC. Check out the complete list of active Canadian Charities and how you can support them by simply sending a text.
If your organization wants to increase donations and create a more significant impact, booking a a consultation with the MGFC team is the next logical step. With their expertise and experience, they can help you identify the best ways to leverage mobile giving and create a campaign that resonates with your donors. Don’t wait – book your consultation today and start transforming how you fundraise!
Mobile Giving Foundation Canada’s Amazing Partners
MGFC can provide only 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.
Executive Partner: The Canadian Telecommunications Association.
U.S. Partner: The Mobile Giving Foundation is the sister organization to MGFC and shares technology resources.
Strategy Partners: designACE, this blog was written in partnership with Andrew Edwards and Christine Reynolds, designACE.
www.mobilegiving.ca | [email protected] | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
Final Thoughts
In today’s age of technology, mobile giving has become a game-changer for charities in Canada.
Text-to-Donate is a revolutionary platform transforming how charitable organizations raise funds and awareness.
Donors can contribute without the need for credit cards, and 100% of the donations go to the intended charities. With over 800 organizations that have used the platform, Text-to-Donate has proven highly successful. Implementing this fundraising channel can help your non-profit engage donors more effectively and raise money without spending more.