Did you know that the open rate for texts is a whopping 98%? It’s one reason why texting is a popular form of marketing for all kinds of for-profit businesses from small local ones to national corporations. In fact, you’ve probably used texting yourself to enter a giveaway or receive a promotional offer.
And if you manage a nonprofit organization, mass texting—sending several text messages at once to a subscriber list—is a great way to promote your nonprofit’s vision statement and attract more supporters. Best of all, it’s usually very affordable. Here are some ways your nonprofit organization can benefit from mass texting.
Promote Events
Although many organizations rely on email marketing to get the word out about news and events, the truth is email doesn’t have a very high open rate. The prevalence of malicious emails causes many legitimate messages to end up in a junk folder.
Texting, on the other hand, is more likely to be seen especially as your text will not go into a junk folder. Considering that most people keep their smartphones with them all day, a text message may be the best way to reach your subscribers in a timely manner.
In addition to promoting an event for your nonprofit to your supporter list, you can also use texting to confirm their reservation or remind them about an upcoming fundraiser.
Recruit Volunteers
You can also use mass texting to reach out to your volunteers to sign up for a shift and remind them about upcoming shifts and volunteer opportunities. Follow up with those who sign up for an opportunity by forwarding them any information they need to know such as directions, parking information, or what they should bring with them.
Grow And Segment Your Volunteer List
Text-based volunteer signups make it quick and easy for people to join your mailing list and learn about upcoming opportunities. You can set up a code and number for interested individuals, and promote it on your website and social media channels. Then, whoever texts the predetermined code to the number you set up will be added to your mass texting list.
Once you have a sizeable volunteer list, you can also segment it by separating subscribers who have a particular skill or volunteer preference. You can easily accomplish this with an SMS marketing tool, and then target only the relevant subscribers for certain volunteer opportunities and events.
Ask For Donations
Mass texting can be used to ask your mobile list for donations. However, keep in mind that personalized texts that address a person by name are likely to attract more success.
Send Out Emergency Messages
When you need to reach a large amount of people in the shortest time frame possible, it’s hard to beat mass texting. As previously mentioned, your subscribers are more likely to view a text in a timely manner. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Humane Society of the United States are examples of nonprofit organizations that deploy time-sensitive texts to their subscriber lists.
Make The Most Of Mass Texting For Your Nonprofit
Mass texting is a great way for your nonprofit organization to engage and develop relationships with the people it depends upon. Considering that over 80% of Americans now own a smartphone, it’s definitely one form of communication you should take advantage of.
In addition to leveraging mass texting, your website can help keep your volunteers and supporters informed of the latest news and events. If your site could use a fresh new design, contact us to learn more about our web design and development solutions.
