Text fundraising is becoming increasingly popular, and for good reason. According to M+R Benchmarks, revenue from mobile messages increased by 14% in 2023, and fundraising mobile messages generated $92 in revenue for every 1,000 messages sent.

Although this fundraising method seems simple, you must create a cohesive strategy to maximize donation revenue and provide a smooth user experience.

We’ve compiled a list of dos and don’ts to steer you in the right direction and help you launch successful text fundraising campaigns. That way, you’ll have an actionable list of steps to build your strategy and pitfalls to avoid.

Do: Select the right text-to-give platform.

Start by choosing text-to-give software that will enable your text fundraising campaigns. Qgiv’s text-to-give platforms guide recommends looking for a solution with the following features:

• Customizable campaign options to tailor your initiative to your organization and audience
• Real-time donation tracking to ensure you receive all contributed funds
• Security measures like PCI compliance, fraud detection, and data encryption to keep donors’ personal information private
• Integrations with your constituent relationship management platform (CRM) or accounting software for seamless data transfers and easy analysis

Additionally, you may seek a solution with engagement features like fundraising thermometers and activity feeds that you can display during events to maintain momentum and increase participation.

Don’t: Use complicated keywords.

After you select text-to-give software, the next step is to choose your text fundraising keyword. This keyword is what donors will text to your dedicated phone number to kickstart the donation process.

Picking a keyword that’s too long or difficult to remember may bar donors from getting involved. Prevent typos and encourage participation with short, relevant, and memorable keywords.

For example, an animal shelter raising money to fund its adoption program may use the keyword “PAWS,” while a homeless shelter collecting donations to purchase winter gear for residents may leverage “STAY WARM” as its keyword.

Do: Personalize your messages.

Build strong, individual relationships with donors and show them their contributions matter with personalized messages. Customize your texts by:

• Pulling data from your nonprofit’s CRM to address donors by name. Unlike a generic “Dear Donor,” using supporters’ first names will grab their attention and make your messages more engaging from the very beginning.
• Referencing past involvement. Recognize the contributions supporters have already made to your organization, such as previous donations or volunteer work.
• Segmenting supporters into relevant groups. Customize your messages to speak to different segments, such as new, one-time, recurring, or major donors. For example, you may include a quick sentence summarizing what your organization does for new supporters and thank major donors for their generosity.

Test these strategies and track metrics such as message open and conversion rates to determine the most effective tactics.

Don’t: Overcomplicate the donation process.

Text fundraising should be quick and easy for donors, leaving them with a positive impression of your nonprofit. Make the process seamless by:

• Giving instructions. Spell out the steps for participating in text fundraising so supporters know exactly what to do. Bloomerang’s text-to-give guide recommends including screenshots or creating a video to make your instructions even more intuitive.
• Using a clear call to action (CTA). When promoting your campaign, implement a call to action that’s simple and action-oriented. For example, you may encourage supporters to “text PAWS to 23453 to donate to help a pet in need.”
• Optimizing your donation page. Since your campaign will lead donors to your donation page, you’ll want to ensure it offers a positive user experience. Optimize the page for mobile users, making sure all visual elements resize for smaller devices, the text is large enough to read, and tap targets are appropriately sized. Additionally, make your donation page accessible by including alternative text for images, adding captions for videos, labeling form fields with descriptive text, and ensuring sufficient color contrast between background and foreground text.
• Accepting multiple payment methods. Let donors contribute via their preferred payment methods. An overwhelming 63% of donors prefer to give online with a credit or debit card, but you should also accept ACH and digital wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay.

With a smooth donation process, donors are more likely to follow through with their contributions and give again in the future.

Do: Simplify your texts.

Text messages have a 98% open rate, proving just how effective this channel is for reaching your donors. However, once supporters open your texts, you’ll want them to read these messages all the way through so they take action.

The key to driving action with these messages is to keep them concise. In one or two sentences, grab donors’ attention by getting straight to the point about the purpose of your campaign and how donors can help. Then, provide the link to your donation page so donors can easily follow through with contributions.

Don’t: Rely on text fundraising alone.

While text fundraising is effective, you can maximize donations using a multi-channel approach. Combine text fundraising with these strategies for the best results:

• Email fundraising. Older donors who aren’t as technologically savvy may be more inclined to respond to fundraising emails than texts. Additionally, you can use emails to promote your text fundraising initiatives so supporters can choose how they’d like to give.
• Events. Text fundraising can add an exciting element to events and boost donation revenue. For example, you may pair your silent auction with a text fundraising campaign, allowing donors without winning bids to still contribute in a meaningful way.
• Direct mail. Include a QR code on direct mail fundraising materials that leads donors to a text fundraising landing page or automatically creates a message to your text fundraising number that includes the keyword.

At the end of your campaign, survey donors to find out how they discovered your text fundraising initiative. That way, you can analyze which strategies most effectively promote your text fundraising efforts.

Do: Follow up with donors.

Don’t leave donors hanging once they contribute. Immediately after they donate, automate a text message that thanks them for their support.

Then, ask donors if they’d like to opt into campaign updates. If they agree, send them messages about your fundraising goal progress on a regular basis.

Once your campaign wraps up, thank donors again for their generosity, report on your final fundraising results, and let them know how they can stay involved in your organization.

Don’t: Forget to emphasize impact.

Throughout the campaign, keep impact at the forefront. By focusing on impact, you can motivate donors to participate and show exactly how their contributions will make a difference.

Let donors know what certain donation amounts will allow you to achieve. For example, a soup kitchen may indicate that $75 will allow them to feed a family of four for a week, while $250 will allow them to buy new kitchen supplies.

You should also include impact statements based on your final fundraising total in your follow-up. Explain how many beneficiaries you’ll be able to help and what donors’ funds will allow your organization to provide.

Whether you’re running a year-end appeal, supplementing fundraising event revenue, or just implementing a new donation avenue, text fundraising can help you raise more in an efficient and engaging way. Promote this option widely across various channels to encourage involvement.

Picture this—you’re brainstorming ideas for next year’s fundraising event. Some team members think you should try online or virtual fundraising while others hold fast to in-person events. You’re at a decision-making crossroads and aren’t sure which way to go.

This is a common occurrence for many organizations as more new and innovative ideas spring up each year. With all of these options, it’s difficult to know which one makes the most sense for your organization.

That’s why we’ve created this quick guide to help you take a step back and narrow your fundraising event choices. Together, we’ll review these questions you can use to inform your event decisions:

1. What are your event goals?

Every fundraising event should be a vehicle for helping you meet clearly defined goals. First, it must help you meet your revenue goals. Your team should conduct research on both your fundraising history and current fundraising event trends to find a profitable solution.

In addition to raising revenue, your organization should consider what additional engagement or awareness goals you’d like to target with your new fundraising event. These could include:

• Acquiring new donors. Large-scale community events are a great opportunity to expand your existing supporter network and tap into new donors. Ask your volunteers and existing donors to invite their friends and family.
• Cultivating relationships with existing donors. Fundraising events offer another chance to engage regular supporters and invite them to delve deeper into your cause. For instance, if you host an event to fund a new project, you’ll be able to educate existing donors on your organization’s growth.
• Encouraging community or school spirit. Fundraising events bring communities together to support worthwhile causes. You can use yours as an opportunity to enhance these community bonds or boost school spirit.
• Promoting your cause. If your nonprofit is new to the area, or you’ve just revamped your elementary school, fundraising events can act as an impactful promotional tool. Just be sure to thoroughly explain your mission and how you’ll use the funds raised.

Ideally, your fundraising event will help you accomplish multiple goals at once. And, if you’d like to take your event one step further, you can partner with sponsors or other like-minded organizations to increase your resources and reach.

2. What is your budget?

Look at your budget holistically to determine which fundraising event combination will offer the best return on investment (ROI). For instance, live events require more upfront costs and planning but tend to bring in more revenue. On the other hand, online events are more flexible but may not generate as many donations.

Consider the following event-related expenses when narrowing down your event format:

• Venue
• Fundraising software
• Catering
• Entertainment
• Staff
• Decorations
• Sound and lighting equipment

Ensure you have enough space in your budget for a contingency fund in case you fall short of your revenue goals. This way, you’ll be prepared should unexpected expenses or last-minute cancellations sneak up on you.

3. Who is your audience?

Knowing your audience helps determine which events will appeal to them. For instance, a large nonprofit organization might find success with upscale silent auction events while an elementary school might plan more family-friendly events like a fundraising field day or carnival.

Dig into your donor database to get the most relevant audience insights. Pay special attention to the following characteristics:

• Age. Different age groups tend to have different donation habits and preferences. For instance, 40% of Millennials are enrolled in a monthly giving program, while 58% attend fundraising events.
• Location. The location of your supporters is a deciding factor as well. For example, an online or hybrid event format may work best for organizations with a large global audience and limited planning time.
• Income. Looking into the average income of your supporters can help you better understand how much you can expect to raise from your event. This way, you can plan one that appeals to their interests and takes their giving capacities into account.

Use these insights to adjust your current event format or opt for a new one completely. As an example, if you are set on running an auction, use your donor’s giving capacity to guide your auction item pricing choices.

4. What will your main revenue streams be?

Different event formats use different revenue streams. Often, one event format will rely on multiple methods to generate the most funds. For instance, a fundraising concert may use ticket sales in addition to merchandise sales or text-to-give options. Here is a full view of revenue streams you can explore for your event:

• Ticket sales
• Peer-to-peer or crowdfunding revenue
• Merchandise
• Auction revenue
• Text-to-give
• Raffle tickets
• Recurring gifts
• Matching gifts
• In-kind contributions

Make sure you have the right software systems in place for your decided revenue streams. For online donations, you’ll want to choose a secure credit card processing platform that offers donors the ability to donate using their preferred payment option.

5. What time of year will your event be?

Choose an event date that does not conflict with your organization’s other plans or interfere with the plans of your supporters. Both of these criteria will differ depending on the nature of your organization and its supporter base.

On the nonprofit side, there are seasonal considerations an organization needs to grasp before deciding on an event. Funds2Orgs points out these noteworthy seasonal statistics:

• On average, nonprofits raise 26% of their revenue in December.
• 45% of donors enroll in a monthly giving program.
• 10% of annual giving occurs in the last three days of the year.
• GivingTuesday in 2023 saw a total of $3.1 billion in donation revenue in the U.S. alone.

On the school fundraising side, popular fundraising event seasons are back-to-school and springtime to energize your school community. Additionally, SchoolAuction.net suggests fundraising year-round to take the pressure off of a few event dates and tap into small amounts of consistent income.

6. What support will you need?

Event planning and coordination needs should be top of mind when considering your event format. If you have limited staff and planning time, you may opt for a few online fundraising events. On the other hand, if you have a knowledgeable and available support team, you might undertake more elaborate in-person fundraising opportunities.

Consider what volunteers, event staff, technical support, nonprofit board member support, and software support you need to make your event successful. Then, make your staff recruitment plans ahead of time so you’ll be ready once the event date rolls around.

Using these questions, your organization can choose your next fundraising event with confidence knowing you’ve done the research upfront. Once your event is over, be sure to update your internal records to indicate the revenue and engagement outcomes. That way, you’ll have fresh data to turn to for future event planning.

When you think about capital campaigns, you might picture your team spending hours on research, shifting all your attention to major donors, and trudging through months of non-stop fundraising. The good news: It doesn’t have to be this way.

Capital campaigns can be joyous, community-driven endeavors that rally your entire support base around a project that will make a clear difference to your mission. It’s not just about fundraising—capital campaigns are about building excitement, momentum, and lasting communal support for your cause.

Achieving these results, however, takes plenty of preparation and thorough campaign planning. In this article, we’ll cover five important steps your nonprofit should take before you start fundraising to set your capital campaign on the path to success.

1. Partner with a fundraising consultant.

Fundraising consultants are invaluable assets to your capital campaign, especially if your organization has never launched one before. A consultant who specializes in capital campaigns can take your organization through every step of the process, providing expert, tailored advice along the way.

Specifically, they can help you with:

• An internal assessment or feasibility study. Whether you choose to conduct a traditional feasibility study or a more transparent internal assessment, a consultant can guide you through the process and help you analyze the results.

• Campaign planning and strategy. Get expert advice on your campaign’s goals, budget, timeline, fundraising strategy, events, and more.

• Prospect research. Consultants with access to professional prospect research databases and wealth screening tools can identify, research, and target the prospective major donors who are most likely to give to your campaign.

• Major gift cultivation and solicitation. After identifying the most likely major giving prospects, your consultant can create personalized donor cultivation plans and provide major gift solicitation tips.

When hiring a capital campaign consultant, remember that you’ll be working with your chosen expert for an extended period (potentially multiple years). It’s essential to consider factors like value alignment and communication styles in addition to prospective consultants’ services and areas of expertise.

Partner with a consultant you’ll enjoy working with—someone who will put your organization’s mission and values at the heart of their campaign strategy.

2. Analyze your past fundraisers.

Since capital campaigns are large-scale fundraising endeavors, it’s worthwhile to assess your organization’s current fundraising practices and identify areas for improvement. By improving your processes now, your team will be in a better position to succeed throughout your capital campaign and beyond.

With your consultant’s help, dive deep into your database and analyze your organization’s past fundraising data. Historically, where has your team struggled most? Have your biggest challenges been related to your team’s capacity, major gift solicitation, donor retention, or something else?

Once you know where to improve, take steps to make your fundraising team more efficient, effective, and confident before you start fundraising.

3. Identify and interview key stakeholders.

Traditionally, interviewing stakeholders is part of a feasibility study designed to determine whether your capital campaign can realistically meet your goals. However, many organizations find this approach outdated, opting instead to have open conversations about the campaign with key stakeholders to gather insights, strengthen relationships, and boost excitement for the project.

To gauge opinions and energize potential supporters, ask major donors, community leaders, and other important stakeholders questions like:

• How do you feel about our organization’s vision for the future?

• Do you think this campaign is relevant and important to our mission?

• What do you think are our nonprofit’s strengths and challenges?

• How high does our organization fall on your list of charitable priorities right now?

• Can you see yourself contributing to this capital campaign? At what giving level?

The answers to these questions will give you an idea of the support your organization can expect for the campaign. When you lead these conversations yourself, you can also use them as an opportunity to test and refine your case for support. According to NXUnite by Nexus Marketing, it’s important to take supporters’ insight into consideration and make your case for support as appealing to their motivations as possible.

4. Obtain buy-in from board members.

Once you’ve done sufficient research and have solidified the core elements of your capital campaign (like messaging, initial timelines, potential lead donors, etc.), it’s time to get approval from your board. This is a crucial step to take before collecting any campaign donations. Make sure your board members have a thorough understanding of what the campaign will look like, how much support you can expect, the resources needed, and their own responsibilities.

To secure board buy-in, you might need to:

• Share the detailed results of your internal assessment or feasibility study.

• Provide initial campaign resources, like a budget, timeline, and case for support.

• Explain the vision for the campaign and how it will drive your mission forward.

• Create capital campaign committees (i.e., a planning and steering committee) and assign committee members if you haven’t already.

• Set expectations for board member involvement and contributions to the capital campaign.

• Discuss any major gift commitments you’ve received or can realistically expect to get.

Securing board buy-in on such a large project can be challenging, so don’t be afraid to lean on your consultant during this process. Ask them if they’d be willing to join a board meeting and discuss your plans for the campaign with board members. They’ll have valuable insight into your organization’s specific needs and common challenges that nonprofits like yours face when running capital campaigns.

5. Build up your community.

According to Donorly’s capital campaign guide, “organizations can achieve better, longer-lasting results when they take a community activation approach to capital campaigns.”

Major donors are not the only key players to be concerned with—what truly drives your mission forward is your community. After your capital campaign ends, your community members will be the ones to step up and fund the maintenance of your new building, use your new programs or services, and sustain your nonprofit long-term.

That’s why it’s essential to spend time building up your community and cementing your organization’s value to community members before you start fundraising for your capital campaign. You might do this by hosting regular events, reaching out to community leaders, or working to promote your cause to new audiences.

All of this work will help you raise more funds for your capital campaign once you’re ready to enter the quiet phase. However, this isn’t to say you can’t discuss giving at all with excited donors. If a lead donor is excited about the campaign and feels ready to dive in, collect a verbal commitment instead of accepting the donation now. This way, you’ll have the knowledge, buy-in, and pre-committed support to build a strong foundation for your capital campaign.

It’s no secret that year-end giving is critical to nonprofits’ success. Research shows that 30% of annual charitable donations occur in December, and 10% of contributions happen in the last three days of the year!

This end-of-year giving surge is the perfect opportunity for your nonprofit to strengthen its relationships with donors and set itself up to retain their support for another year. To maximize supporter engagement opportunities during this season of generosity, consider supplementing your usual annual giving initiatives with fresh year-end and holiday fundraising ideas.

In this guide, we’ll discuss five of our favorite year-end fundraisers, many of which involve activities your supporters may already participate in during the holiday season. Let’s dive in!

1. Online Shopping Fundraiser

During the holiday season, shopping becomes increasingly popular as people buy everything from decorations to gifts to items that will help them execute their New Year’s resolutions. Consider giving your supporters a way to contribute to your nonprofit and shop more ethically by launching an online shopping fundraiser!

During an online shopping fundraiser, your organization earns a portion of your supporters’ sales totals when they make purchases at participating e-commerce businesses. You can launch this campaign in three simple steps:

• Partner with an online shopping fundraiser platform—they’ll walk you through setting up your campaign and provide the app your supporters will use to automatically contribute to your organization as they shop.
• Promote your fundraiser across all of your nonprofit’s print and digital marketing channels so supporters know how to participate.
• Track your results so you can improve your marketing strategies throughout the holiday season and thank participants for their individual contributions.

Online shopping fundraisers cost nothing to run, and the best programs will provide support throughout the whole process, from handling retailer negotiations to designing marketing materials. Plus, you can leave your fundraiser open after the holiday season ends so participants can continue to support your cause with their purchases all year long!

2. Gift Card Fundraising

Your nonprofit can also tap into holiday gift-giving through gift card fundraising. Similar to an online shopping fundraiser, supporters buy gift cards to popular retailers and restaurants, and a portion of their purchase goes directly to your organization. While the end of the year is an especially good time to launch a gift card fundraiser, this also works as a year-round campaign since supporters will likely need to purchase gifts throughout the year for birthdays, graduations, weddings, and various other occasions.

ShopRaise’s gift card fundraising guide recommends choosing digital gift cards over physical ones for your organization’s fundraiser because supporters can receive them via email within minutes of purchase rather than having to wait for them to come in the mail. Then, they can give the gift card to its intended recipient simply by forwarding the email.

Supporters may also purchase fundraising gift cards for themselves so they can give back to a good cause while eating out or doing their own shopping. If your nonprofit runs a gift card fundraiser and online shopping fundraiser concurrently, a shopper can buy a gift card and then use it to pay for their purchases through your online shopping fundraiser, thereby contributing even more to your mission!

3. Virtual Silent Auction

Put a competitive twist on your supporters’ online holiday shopping with a virtual silent auction! Online auctions take the excitement of a traditional silent auction and make it more convenient for supporters since they can participate from anywhere. They’re also more cost effective for your nonprofit, although you should invest in auction-specific fundraising software to make your event go as smoothly as possible.

In addition to choosing an auction platform, some other key steps for organizing a virtual silent auction include:

• Setting clear goals for supporter participation and revenue generation.
• Securing corporate sponsorships to help offset the event’s upfront costs.
• Procuring a variety of prizes that appeal to your supporters’ interests, from gift baskets to event tickets to vacation packages.
• Marketing your auction early and often to maximize signup opportunities.

Make sure to collect data during your event so you can analyze it to determine whether you achieved your goals, and make informed decisions when planning future auctions.

4. Holiday eCards

If supporters purchase holiday gifts for their friends and family via your nonprofit’s online shopping, gift card, or virtual auction fundraisers, they may want to buy greeting cards to go with them. With a holiday-season charity eCard fundraiser, you can help them do just that!

To launch your eCard fundraiser, follow these basic steps:

• Choose an eCard platform that makes it easy for nonprofits to create and sell their own designs.
• Design a variety of holiday cards featuring your organization’s branding and mission-related imagery where appropriate (for example, an animal shelter might use photos of dogs and cats in holiday-themed costumes surrounded by seasonal decor).
• Sell your designs by embedding the cards into your digital donation page or adding them to your nonprofit’s online store, and raise funds with each purchase!

In addition to fundraising during the holidays, eCardWidget recommends using your nonprofit’s eCard platform to send eye-catching event invitations and thank donors for their year-end gifts. You can also turn this into a year-round fundraiser by designing eCards for various holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions.

5. In-Kind Donation Drive

While many supporters probably want to buy items during the holiday season, some may also want to declutter their homes heading into the new year or simply give back in a tangible way. Your nonprofit can cater to these individuals by hosting an in-kind donation drive.

As you plan your year-end in-kind donation drive, you have a few options. First, determine what kinds of goods to request from supporters, such as supplies for a program you plan to launch in the new year or items to give to community members in need during the holiday season (food, winter clothes, children’s gifts, etc.). Then, decide whether to collect these goods in person by designating drop-off locations around your area or host your fundraiser virtually by creating an online wishlist so supporters can ship items directly to you.

No matter your approach, make sure to establish clear guidelines about the types and conditions of in-kind donations your nonprofit can and can’t accept. For example, you might state that donated food can’t be opened or expired, or that you’ll only take new, unwrapped toys for your holiday gift drive. These rules reduce the risk of receiving unusable or hazardous items and can help you explain to supporters why you may not be able to accept some of their generous gifts.

For all of these year-end fundraisers, prompt, personalized donor appreciation is critical. By showing supporters that your nonprofit recognizes and values their individual contributions, you’ll be more likely to retain them into the new year and beyond. Happy fundraising!