If you are running a nonprofit, then you will know that organizing fundraising campaigns can be quite a task!

Especially in the current scenario when some of the tried-and-tested fundraising strategies cannot be implemented because of the pandemic.

It is heartening to note that despite the pandemic, many donors have donated in different ways to various charities. However, the onus is on nonprofits to associate with charities that donors care about and think of innovative fundraising strategies.

When we think of types of fundraising methods, nonprofit events like auctions, organizing 5km runs, etc. come to mind. However, given the current circumstances, we realize that fundraising methods need complete revamping. Simply put nonprofits need to think of digital methods of raising funds instead of physical ones, at least for now!

The last year has witnessed many events being organized virtually. Nonprofits have also successfully organized online auctions, etc. to generate funds. Another aspect of fundraising that became relevant last year was building trust with donors by communicating with them through emails or social media campaigns.

Managing so many things like email marketing, social media marketing, virtual events, choosing types of fundraising methods, budget shortfalls, can get quite overwhelming for a non-profit.

It is best to develop a fundraising strategy plan that is aligned with your nonprofit and work towards your goals.

So, take a deep breath, sit back, and read on for a comprehensive fundraising strategy plan and customize it according to the needs of your brand!

1. Align your Strategy with your Brand

There are so many nonprofit fundraising strategies like crowdfunding, peer-to-peer funding, etc. that it can be quite confusing to choose the right one for your nonprofit.

A word of caution, many nonprofits lose track of their goals when they get caught up in all these strategies especially when they try to implement strategies that might be working for others.

So, to make sure that you stay on track with your goals, here’s what you need to do!

Establish your fundraising goals that are aligned with the mission of your nonprofit. This can be your strategic goal for the entire year or a long-term goal.

Next, break down your goals into “bite-sized” objectives. These objectives can be the monthly fundraising targets that you can plan to achieve with the help of your fundraising campaigns.

Determine your budget for each fundraising campaign.

Establish teams to plan these campaigns. Make sure that you include board members, members of staff, volunteers, interested donors as a part of your campaigns.

2. Research

You must plan your fundraising strategy based on insights and relevant data. For this, you need to research your past campaigns. This data will help you understand what strategies worked/did not work for your nonprofit in the past. It is also a good idea to check out what your competitors are doing and what is working for them.

It is also beneficial to collect data about your audience and what their needs are, etc.

You can shortlist fundraising strategies that are aligned with the mission of your nonprofit.

However, you must ensure that the campaigns you select are well within your budget.

3. Choosing Campaigns

There is a wide range of fundraising methods available for nonprofits to choose from.

However, you need to bear certain things in mind while choosing them:

• Ensure that your fundraising campaigns reach a broad range of donors. Create fundraising programs that facilitate small, medium, and major donors to participate in campaigns and donate easily.
• Encourage recurring donations instead of one-time donations. This will increase your donor base as people who may not be able to donate large sums will still be able to donate.
• Choose fundraising campaigns that are aligned to the mission of your nonprofit.
• Make sure that you make it easy for your donor to make donations through mobiles.
• Select fundraising strategies that are easy to use.

Here’s are some effective methods for fundraising:

Online donations: This is when donors contribute to a nonprofit through its online donation page.

In-kind Donations: These include non-monetary donations like food, drinks, equipment, etc. In-kind donations are usually given by companies.

Text-to Give: This is a simple text-to-give technique for donating wherein the donor texts a code when he wants to donate. Nonprofits establish codes, a campaign keyword with a predetermined donation amount. So, when a donor texts the keyword to the code, the predetermined donation amount is billed to their mobile phone bill.

Auction: Charity auctions are one of the most effective ways of fundraising. In an online auction, bids are invited for articles that are displayed by the nonprofit on different channels for a specific time. These bids are compared, and the highest bidder gets the article. You can organize a virtual event where the winning bids are announced.

Peer-to-peer fundraising: In peer-to-peer fundraising, people who support your nonprofit collect donations for you by asking their friends, contacts, etc. to donate. Donors can contribute through donation pages of your supporters. These pages are linked to your nonprofit’s main donation form.

Besides these, there is a myriad of other fundraising options like crowdfunding, corporate grants, etc. It is recommended that you check the features of each type of fundraising strategy and choose the ones best suited to your nonprofit and your donors.

4. Marketing

One of the most important aspects for raising brand awareness and increasing donor base is marketing your brand. And, in the current scenario, digital marketing strategies are a must.

So, you need to increase the visibility of your brand with search engine optimization, email marketing, social media marketing campaigns, etc.

You can increase your website traffic by posting fresh content regularly on your website. Make sure that you market your brand effectively with high-quality content.

Email marketing is one of the most effective strategies to market your brand to your audience. Email marketing helps you establish a personal relationship between the recipients and your brand. Emails are communication channels through which you can tell your donors about your mission, let them know how their donations are helping your organization reach its fundraising goals, etc. This helps build trust and loyalty.

With the rising number of social media users worldwide, it can be considered as an effective marketing strategy to reach a wide audience.

You can choose the right blend of marketing strategies for effective fundraising.

Effective marketing strategies can also help attract corporate sponsorship to increase your overall fundraising.

5. Monitoring

After executing a fundraising campaign, you need to measure its effectiveness. This will help you understand the areas for improvement in your campaigns so that you can plan better strategies.

Also, make sure that you collect feedback from your participants in the campaigns. This data will help you enhance your future campaigns.

These can be considered as the building blocks for any fundraising strategy. You can customize your fundraising campaigns based on them.

iConnectX is a platform that streamlines all nonprofit fundraising campaigns. This platform has all the features tailored to the needs of nonprofits.

In this blog, we will dive deeper to understand What is Text-To-Give for nonprofits, How it works, why Text-To-Give is becoming so popular, what are the benefits of Text-To-Give and how iConnectX subscribed nonprofits can take advantage of this great nonprofit tool.

So, let start with What is Text-To-Give?

Text-To-Give, also known as text-to-donate, is a monetary donation process using mobile device texting function. Text giving simplifies the donating process to happen anytime and anywhere within a few clicks. The Text-To-Give process enables nonprofits of all sizes the ability to make it easier for their supporters to donate by providing modern & trending methods to help them increase fundraising.

Often, you have heard the Text-To-Give referred to by many names, such as:

• Text Giving
• Text-to-Donate
• Text-to-Tithe
• Mobile Giving

Regardless of what we are calling it, this modern and trending fundraising approach has the power to transform your fundraising.

How Text-To-Give works

Nonprofits are provided a 10-digit phone number that acts as a mobile device text number. The number is advertised through marketing activities, events, or campaigns the nonprofit initiates. Donors text a donation amount to the phone number and receive back an instant message with a link to a donation page with that amount already prefilled on the form. Nonprofits can designate these donations towards annual fundraising, events, or to a specific cause.

How The Text-To-Give Process Works for Nonprofits and Donors

Text Giving is a straightforward process. Let’s take a deep dive into the understanding of the process from both the nonprofit and donor perspectives.

How Text Giving Works for Nonprofits:

Step 1: Choose a platform – When selecting a Text-To-Give platform or provider, make sure you research and select the one that will work for your needs and budget. Review the features your nonprofit is looking to use to raise funds while keeping your donor’s data secure.

Step 2: Get your Text-To-Give unique phone number – Each nonprofit receives a unique phone number that is used to receive the donation message. The nonprofit will need to select the keywords which can be used by donors in the message. This provides a way to understand that the donation is made for a specific Text-To-Give campaign.

Step 3: Promote the number in your campaigns – Once everything set-up, you will need to promote your Text-To-Give number in your marketing campaigns so donors can access and donate. Use your phone number in emails, events, and website. Make it easy for them to notice and donate to your cause.

Let’s understand how it works for Donors

Step 1: Texting to the number – Donors initiate the transaction by sending a text message to the nonprofit’s designated Text-To-Give phone number promoted in their marketing. The message usually contains a Donate to “Keyword” and a dollar amount. Example “Donate $100 to the Giving Fund”

Step 2: Incoming Text! The Donate Link – Within a few seconds of texting, donors receive a confirmation link to donate the amount they sent. Donors click on the link and are provided a secure form to fill out and enter their credit card info.

Step 3: Done! – Donors click on the submit button and their donation is made. They receive a confirmation text to authenticates the transaction. It’s as simple as that. A few clicks and the donation is complete!

So, why this Mobile Giving trend is becoming so popular?

For nonprofit organizations, donors are most likely to have their mobile devices with them on a regularly basis and are comfortable giving on a device they use regularly. It just makes sense to incorporate a Text-To-Give feature for nonprofit donations. Furthermore, Text-To-Give can be completed in simple, easy steps, making it a fast and convenient donation process.

The first question that comes to mind, will people use the Text-To-Give to make donations? Here are some stats as to “Why”:

• There are 3.5 Billion smartphone users worldwide.
• US Adults spend an average of approximately 3 hours per day on their smartphones
• 2/3rds of internet shoppers use a mobile device vs. a home device (desk/laptop).
• 6 out of 10 prefer mobile vs home device.
• 54 % of nonprofit emails are read on mobile.
• 58% of nonprofit social media happens on mobile.
• 95% mobile phone adoption rate for US adults.
• 52.6% of global web traffic is from mobile devices

Benefits of Text-to-Give for Nonprofits

• Quick Money: As found in statistics, most individuals use a mobile device, it is a great way to quickly raises funds for the nonprofit’s causes and programs. Donors can easily submit their donation is a few simple steps.
• Raising Awareness: Because donors spend more time on mobile devices, it is easier to capture their attention (through social and digital media) to raise awareness about programs and causes. Using the provided Text-To-Give phone number in digital advertising reaches a larger audience.
• Engagement Opportunities: Text-To-Give helps nonprofits reach potential donors easily. It is easy for nonprofits to remind donors about causes, programs, campaigns, events, and other engagement opportunities.
• Communication Becomes Easier: Text-To-Give allows nonprofits to collect the donor’s name and phone number for future campaigns. This information can be used to tailor further communication with donors and potential volunteers.
• Donor Retention: Donor retention becomes much easier and cost-effective using a simple communication through campaigns that provide an easy way to enable donors to support their favorite causes.

Benefits of Text Giving for Donors:

• Easy Giving: With text giving, donors can raise funds for nonprofits anytime, anywhere. This is among the fastest payment mode and is not required to wait for long periods.
• Secure Payment Mode: Mobile Giving platforms must adhere to PCI standards to keep the donor’s credit card information safe and secure and will not be compromised at any circumstances.
• Networking with Nonprofits: Text Giving gives a new way for donors and volunteers to get in touch with nonprofits.
• Use-to Technology: Donors use texting every day in life to communicate with family and friends. Text Giving makes use of familiar technology that donor uses in daily life, makes giving easy.

Text-to-Give has quickly become a must-have feature for nonprofits, and of course for good reason. In addition to boosting fundraising, text fundraising allows nonprofits to improve donor engagement and retention, receive more participation in their programs, and helps build long-term support.

The platform that can provide Text-To-Give and more, iConnectX. Text-To-Give is the modern, trending fundraising way that allows donors to make donations to nonprofits of any size irrespective of their location or area of services via mobile. On iConnectX, using phone native texting applications, donors can instantly text donations and amount to donate to their favorite nonprofits. The respective nonprofit sends a response with a payment link via text message to the donor’s mobile number. The donor can enter the amount of their choice, enter the keyword for the cause they support and click on the submit to send successfully.

This along with auctions, event ticketing, fundraising, advocacy, and a community of professionals through which to market, all built within iConnectX. One platform, one login, one low subscription price for use. iConnectX.com, register your nonprofit now.

Why Prefer iConnectX for Text-to-Give for Nonprofits?

Why use iConnectX? We try best to make all events and campaigns simpler and more profitable for nonprofits. Whether you are a large or small nonprofit organization, iConnectX is always on the lookout for trends to make your events stand out.

See the comparison below and view how we stack up against the competition. Plus, your activity marketed in the marketplace, a community with thousands of charitable-minded professionals.