Running a successful nonprofit requires regularly increasing awareness, soliciting donations, coordinating volunteers and logistics, and so many other moving parts. With so many people to keep in touch with, an effective marketing tool like text marketing services will make your job easier and bring you amazing results.
How Nonprofits Use the Text2VIP SMS Platform
Our SMS texting service makes sending bulk text messages simple. The Text2VIP platform is easy to use, and works entirely online. Organizations wishing to send bulk text messages to their members, donors, or other parts of their community simply sign up with Text2VIP. Once you have an account, you’re off the races with your text message campaign.
Within minutes, your organization’s followers and subscribers will start reading text messages on their phone that you created with our platform. You will receive replies through the platform, and get access to analytics like delivery and open rates which will give you valuable feedback on how to better communicate your messages in the future.
Let’s dive into how the platform works.
Keyword
The first step to a successful SMS campaign is choosing a good keyword. This should be related to your organization’s name or service. This keyword is the word or phrase you’ll have your community text to your toll-free number (provided by Text2VIP). This is how your donors and members will opt-in to receive messages from you.
Let’s say you run a non-profit for families affected by cancer called the Together Cancer Foundation. You might have your community members text ‘TOGETHER’ or “TCF” to 888-888-8888. Now, all members that subscribe are available to receive your messages. You can also create different contact lists and campaigns if you’d like to segment your groups.
You’ll want to craft messages like “Text ‘TCF’ to 888-888-8888 to receive important updates about our foundation”, and share them on your marketing materials, website, at in-person events, etc.
Auto Reply
When someone opts into your organization’s texting campaign, they will automatically receive an initial message. The purpose of this auto reply message is to confirm their subscription, and communicate any initial information you’d like to share. Without this immediate feedback, members may start to opt-out.
Types of Messages
So, you may be thinking of a useful way you can use SMS marketing for your non-profit. Maybe you’re thinking of reaching donors when it’s time to raise money. Great! But, Text2VIP’s platform can be used for so much more.
A use case you may not have thought of is using mass texting to communicate upcoming event details to increase sign ups or attendees. You can also use it internally to share administrative updates, important staff information, or news of emergencies. You’ll find Text2VIP helpful in any situation where you’ll need to send updates to a large number of people.
Benefits of Non-Profits Using Text Messaging
Text messaging as a marketing platform offers plenty of benefits. Some advantages of using SMS over other marketing channels include:
- SMS messaging doesn’t require a new app or notification setting. Your messages get sent directly to their text inbox.
- According to the MMA (Mobile Marketing Assoc), in 2020 90% of all text messages were read within the first 5 minutes of being sent.
- Texting boasts an unparalleled 98% open rate.
- This consistently results in greater than a 200% higher response rate than phone calls, social media, or email.
Non-Profit Text Messaging Case Study
Nonprofit organizations of all sizes benefit from using text message marketing. The National Kidney Foundation saw the benefits of texting and chose Text2VIP as their SMS marketing provider. They took to the platform right away, creating a number of different keywords and phone distribution lists, and crafted campaigns and unique messages for each.
Some keywords were implemented in grassroots efforts to increase awareness, while other keywords were used to improve the efficiency of communication among NKF’s national organization and volunteer staff.
Furthermore, when NKF and Good Morning America teamed up for their “Dare to Donate a Dollar” media campaign, a text marketing call to action was displayed prominently on the bottom of the television screen the entire morning for the GMA national audience to read.
Tens of thousands of viewers nationwide texted the keyword KIDNEY to one of Text2VIP’s numbers. An auto-response was immediately received by viewers who participated. The auto replies included links to critical information on education and awareness, such as 1 in 3 Americans being at risk for kidney disease, and the desperate ongoing need for living donors.
In addition, a follow-up text message provided a link to the online NKF donation portal where subscribers could easily click to make a donation to the cause. Thousands of dollars were donated from this campaign.
*Reminder from the team at Text2VIP, that while this particular SMS campaign has concluded, for now, donations can continue to be made directly on the NKF website.
Michael Strahan of Good Morning America discusses the National Kidney Foundation powered by Text2VIP.
One common element that all nonprofits share is the need to communicate immediately, effectively, and economically. All Text2VIP pricing plans are flexible, and provide the ability to upgrade or downgrade based on anticipated message usage. This means that no matter the size of your nonprofit, we will tailor a plan to you!
Have questions? Want to brainstorm with our messaging pros on how text marketing can be a useful tool for your nonprofit? Give us a call today at 888-813-8398 or chat directly by clicking the website chat icon at the bottom of this page.
Or jump right in and start your no-hassle text marketing FREE TRIAL with Text2VIP.
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If you are a nonprofit director, marketer, or affiliate, and would like to discuss your needs and how nonprofit text marketing with the Text2VIP platform can help you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 888-813-8398 or via the chat widget on this website. Or if you’re ready to start your no-hassle free trial go ahead and click here.