Text Marketing: Its Importance and Usefulness for Nonprofit Organizations

Text message marketing is a valuable tool for nonprofits who want to connect quickly, directly, and cost-effectively with their supporters. Texting offers a level of immediacy and visibility that email and social media marketing can struggle to match. For organizations that rely on timely engagement, text marketing, also referred to as SMS (short message service) marketing, can play a critical role in strengthening relationships and driving action.

The statistics on text marketing showcase why it has gained such popularity recently. According to a survey by Tatango, 90% of text messages are read within three minutes, and open rates for texts are often near 99%. Those numbers are tough to ignore!

The Benefits of Text Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations

One of the primary advantages of text marketing for nonprofit organizations is its ability to cut through “digital noise and clutter.” Due to crowded inboxes and ever-changing algorithms, supporters may overlook your organization’s messaging in their inbox or on their social media feeds. A text message, on the other hand, is typically read immediately. This makes it an ideal channel for urgent updates, donation appeals, volunteer coordination, and event reminders. It also creates a sense of personal connection, especially if your messaging is carefully crafted to be conversational.

In addition to immediacy, text marketing is highly accessible. Supporters often do not even need their smartphones in their pocket or to download any specific apps to receive your advertisement! Your SMS messages can be read right from their smartwatches and other mobile devices that they have connected to text messaging. This inclusivity allows nonprofits to reach a broader audience, including older donors or individuals in areas with limited internet access. For this reason, SMS advertising is a fantastic complement to your communication strategies that ensures no portion of your audience is left out.

Another key benefit is the ability to segment and personalize messages. Nonprofits can group contact recipients by interests, donation history, geographic location, or age, and tailor messages accordingly. For example, a supporter who frequently attends events might receive early access to ticket sales, while a recurring donor might receive updates on how their contributions are making an impact. Personalization like this helps build trust and encourages ongoing engagement.

Text Marketing and Community Newsletters — A Perfect Match

One particularly effective use of text marketing is for distributing your organization’s newsletter content. While email newsletters remain important, many subscribers do not consistently open them. Sending a text message with a link to your latest newsletter will dramatically increase your publication’s visibility and readership!

To do this effectively, nonprofits should use a URL shortener or a branded short link to keep messages concise and visually clean. For example, a message might read: “Our April impact report is here! See how your support is changing lives: [short link].”

Bitly and TinyURL are two easy online options for shortening the oftentimes long links online publications can have. Publishing your nonprofit’s newsletter with an organization that creates both a print and digital version of your newsletter at no extra cost to you is also essential. This way you don’t have to worry about figuring out how to host your publication online and can have both the print and digital version at your fingertips with ease.

When texting out your newsletter link, your timing and clarity are essential to the text message landing well. Texts should always be sent at appropriate times of day — typically during “business hours”—and should include a clear call to action. Also, avoid overloading the message with too much information. Instead, focus on a single point and let the linked newsletter provide the full details. It’s also helpful to mention a compelling highlight from the newsletter, such as a success story or major milestone, and a relevant photo to encourage clicks.

Another important note is that compliance and consent are critical to text message marketing. This means that nonprofits must obtain explicit opt-ins from supporters before sending messages, and provide a simple way to opt out. This not only ensures legal compliance but also helps maintain trust and credibility. Transparency about message frequency and content can further strengthen relationships with subscribers.

Choosing a Text Platform

As you navigate through selecting a text platform, keep these factors in mind:

• Budget: You’ll find platforms available at a variety of price points, including some that are free for nonprofits. Make sure you choose one that has the features you need.
• Opt-in feature: This is a necessity as you create a compliance-friendly subscriber list. Most nonprofits use keywords (e.g., “Give” or Join Us”) for opt-ins.
• Tracking: You’ll also want a partner that has a system for monitoring success and compliance. That should include click-through rates, opt-outs, open rates, and more.
  
  

Whether used for fundraising, updates, or sharing newsletter content, SMS marketing will enhance outreach efforts and help organizations stay connected with the people they serve.

Looking for more online avenues for building your brand? This helpful article covers ideas ranging from using Facebook ads to maintaining a Google Business Profile.