TEXTING FOR DOLLARS

While most non-profits are having a tough time right now, some are weathering the storm quite well. Non-profits such as Second Harvest Food Bank here in Nashville are doing a lot of creative things to maintain steady revenues.

One great idea, is using SMS to help grow contributions. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has been successful at converting standard-alert subscribers to donors using SMS.

The ASPCA offers free cat and dog tips to mobile users by sending a text message with keywords CAT or DOG to short code 27722. At the bottom of the ASPCA’s SMS alerts, it asks subscribers to reply with the keyword GIVE to make a $5 donation.

Here’s the tag:

Reply GIVE to donate $5 to animals in need! Text CAT to 27722. Text GIVE to 27722

On average, 5 percent of ASPCA’s subscribers respond per call-to-action, with 86 percent completing the donation.

In early 2008, mGive launched mobile giving nationwide, giving nonprofits the ability to use the mobile channel for purposes other than messaging. This is a great tool if used correctly and it should be part of every charitable organization’s toolkit.