How to Leverage Social Media to Grow Your Text-to-Give List

Fundraising

Aug 7

Text-to-give is an incredibly effective fundraising strategy known for its efficiency and power to boost donor engagement and giving. The first step towards launching a successful text-to-give campaign is building an extensive list of subscribers. So, how can you market your campaign to encourage as many people to opt-in as possible?

This is where social media can help. By generating high-quality social media content about your text fundraising campaign, you can attract new and existing supporters to sign up and deepen their involvement in your organization’s cause.

Specifically, a multichannel social media marketing approach—such as using Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other platforms—can help you create multiple touchpoints with supporters and illuminate the many benefits of text-to-give to your target audience.

Use these top tips to maximize your social media strategy and convert followers into text-to-give donors:

Create Engaging Text Fundraising Content
Share Text-to-Give Resources from Your Website
Host a Social Media Contest

With the right content strategies, you can easily strengthen your nonprofit’s marketing strategy and spotlight your text-to-give program, helping you boost your brand visibility and fundraising results all in one. Let’s begin.

Create Engaging Text Fundraising Content

One of the most important elements of your social media strategy is crafting compelling content. This includes high-impact and emotionally appealing photos, videos, and graphics that can effectively communicate the significance of your text-to-give campaign and how to opt-in.

There are several ways to create engaging text fundraising content:

Create a video tutorial demonstrating the process of signing up for your text messaging campaign. For example, you can invite a volunteer to film a step-by-step video that outlines the process of opting in to your organization’s text campaign. This provides clear direction to your audience so they know exactly how to subscribe.
Develop an informative infographic outlining the impact of your text-to-donate campaign so followers see how your organization is making a difference through these donations and why it’s worth their time and money to donate, too. Infographics can highlight key metrics and goals achieved to showcase your nonprofit’s credibility and impact. Then, share this infographic on social media with instructions in the caption explaining how supporters can opt-in.
Share impactful photos and videos of beneficiaries. Tatango’s guide to nonprofit text messaging explains that visuals of beneficiaries capture your supporters’ hearts and show exactly who their donations will go towards. For example, your healthcare nonprofit could post a picture of a patient named Susan who is in need of life saving surgery. Include a call to action in your caption such as “Your life-saving donation could help Susan receive the surgery she needs. Donate now to help Susan! Text DONATE4CHANGE to 456-789.”

Each post on your nonprofit’s social media should prominently feature your short- or long-code and keyword in the caption, making it simple for donors to opt-in. Other ideas for promoting your keyword or number to text could be to include it on your Facebook or LinkedIn cover photo, or include it in your social media bios.

Share Text-to-Give Resources from Your Website

In addition to sharing images and videos, social media platforms are a powerful tool for driving traffic to both your website and online donation pages. Use your social media accounts to share links to resources that provide deeper insight into your text-to-donate campaign and how supporters can get involved.

For example, your nonprofit could use the following strategies:

Create and share a dedicated landing page: Create a landing page on your website that outlines how the funds from your text-to-give campaign will be used and how this aligns with your overall mission. Be sure to include clear instructions for how supporters can opt-in to your campaign. Then, share this link in your social media bios and captions to direct people to learn more about your text-to-give campaign.
Share your donation page on your socials: Sharing the link to your nonprofit’s donation page on social media provides another opportunity for supporters to opt-in to your text campaign. On your donation page, create a prompt where supporters can provide their phone number and consent to receive texts from your nonprofit.
Enhance your online CTAs: When followers arrive on your website and engage with the resource you shared, they might feel inspired to explore other parts of your mission and look around your site. Optimize your calls to action (CTAs) on your website so your followers can easily take next steps to deepen their involvement. This could lead to submitting their contact information to automatically enroll in your text campaign or play other roles in your organization, such as volunteering, leading a peer-to-peer fundraiser, or donating online.

Actively check social media metrics, like click-through rates, to see how your content is performing and whether supporters are following through on your calls to action. This can be done within the platforms themselves or by leveraging social media management software.

Host a Social Media Contest

Hosting a social media contest is a fun and engaging way to rally your community around your mission and encourage them to deepen their involvement. Empower supporters and encourage your board to share content related to your text-to-give campaign and compete to get the most likes, comments, reposts, or other measurable result that you can track.

In exchange, you might reward the winner with:

Shout-outs on your social media platforms
Free merchandise
An exclusive behind the scenes tour of your facility

Attach a catchy and relevant hashtag to your contest to increase visibility and traction and to encourage supporters to join your text campaign. For example a church running a text-to-give fundraiser and associated social media contest might make their hashtag #TextToTithe.

Another option could be creating a video challenge and asking supporters to post a one-minute clip explaining why they’re supporting your text fundraiser and encouraging people in their personal networks to opt-in and donate. This personal touch can inspire new donors to learn more about your organization and give.

Finally, don’t forget to send a digital or handwritten thank-you message to all who participate. When it comes to making your constituents feel appreciated, verbally expressing your gratitude goes a long way. ECardWidget’s guide to thanking donors recommends referencing exactly what supporters did to push forward your cause and how it made an impact.

Conclusion

A strategic social media approach can significantly enhance your text-to-give campaign, allowing you to reach more supporters, build your subscriber list, and achieve your fundraising goals. Once you successfully convert followers into text-to-give donors, track your text-to-give metrics with the help of a comprehensive text fundraising software. This way, you can hone your text messaging strategy as needed to inspire more giving.

Mike Snusz, Director of Nonprofit Customer Experience at Tatango

Mike Snusz brings 19 years of digital fundraising experience to his role as Director of Nonprofit Customer Experience at Tatango, a text messaging platform for nonprofits and political campaigns. Prior to Tatango, Mike spent 15 years at Blackbaud leading a team of digital consultants that helped nonprofits improve their online fundraising, monthly giving, email marketing and peer-to-peer fundraising programs. Mike started his nonprofit career managing the Ride For Roswell from 2003 to 2005 in his hometown of Buffalo, NY.