A texting software for nonprofits is a software for sending bulk text messages to large groups of people such as customers and volunteers. This software is useful if you want to communicate with your customers or volunteers using their cell phones. You can also use this software if you want to send business related text messages.
A texting software for nonprofits is a tool that can be used by different organizations to reach out to their target audience or members in the shortest way. Texting software for nonprofits has become very popular among nonprofit organizations due to its ability to reach more people within a shorter period of time at no cost.
For nonprofits, texting is a cost-effective and quick way to get updates, such as event reminders and opportunities to get involved, to groups of people. This article describes several text-messaging tools that allow nonprofits to monitor and send out automated texts with ease.
It is a convenient method for donors to send their contributions via text. The process is fast and only takes a few minutes. The sheer seamlessness of the transaction has made it one of the most preferred methods for donors to use. When using text-to-give, there are no capped amounts, and the funds get transferred relatively quickly.
When you incorporate text to give fundraising, you will be able to cast a wider net of donors. This will help you gather more supporters for your cause without relying on task-intensivetask intensive ways to pursue donors.
In the section below, we shall take a look at some of the best platforms that can help you create a quick and seamless text to give fundraising campaigns.
Top 5 Text to Give Platforms
1. Donorbox
One of the most convenient platforms, Donorbox’s text to give feature, is quite straightforward. You just have to create a fundraising campaign inside Donorbox, the donor can then send a text to a number that contains the id of your campaign, and Donorbox will then send your donor a link to the campaign page. Subsequent donations are even simpler. Donorbox has a quick donate option that allows donors to contribute without filing out new forms or opening new donation pages.
What we like
- Easy setup, takes less than 30 minutes
- Quick donate option makes it easy for donors to contribute without any hassle
- Affordable Pricing
2. Snowball
A service that gives emphasis to their unique text-to-give functionality, Snowball is one of the best options out there. You get a unique mobile number for your donation and there is an unlimited text feature. These two features make their text to give fundraisers stand out from the rest. Donors feel like they are part of something exclusive, and their donation makes a difference. Their tools are easy to use, and their premium plans contain all that a nonprofit needs, albeit at a steep price.
What we like
- Great features for beginners
- Dedicated text to give functionality
3. OneCause
A platform designed to aid nonprofits in creating the best fundraisers, OneCause also has unique mobile-friendly software. Nonprofits can seamlessly create fundraisers, charity auctions, and text to give campaigns at the touch of a button. The latter is a one-touch option given to attendees of fundraising campaigns, allowing donations to flow easily.
What we like:
- Unlimited campaigns, no upper limit on donations, and analytics
- Custom branding and email support for customers
4. Element
Element is a Matrix-based end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) secure collaboration and messaging app.
It provides instant messaging, voice and video calls, screen sharing and file sharing; for 1:1s to huge chat rooms. It’s available to use across Web, Android, iOS, macOS, Windows & Linux.
Its decentralised design delivers digital sovereignty, enabling deployment on-premise or through any cloud provider.
Element Matrix Services (EMS) provides a SaaS version of Element, with fast performance and enterprise-grade add-ons.
Being Matrix-based, Element provides interoperability between traditional siloed apps. It can bridge into proprietary ‘walled garden’ systems such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and Discord.
End-to-end encryption is provided by default to keep users’ conversations and files safe. Cross-signed device verification uses QR codes or emoji comparisons to guard against imposters and eavesdropping.
5.Brosix
Brosix Instant Messenger (IM) supports businesses to streamline and secure their team communication through private team communication networks. Brosix provides businesses with all of the tools they need to increase team productivity in one user friendly and fully encrypted platform, including file transfer, screen sharing, group and private chat, virtual whiteboard and more. Brosix IM’s private networks help businesses to increase team collaboration and efficiency, reduce overhead, and guarantee data privacy. Team networks take just minutes to set up, so businesses can immediately begin reaping the benefits of their all-in-one, and fully administrable communication network.
6. Chanty
Chanty lets your team communicate and collaborate more quickly and efficiently. It brings all aspects of communication together: chat (with unlimited search history), group & 1 on 1 audio/video calls, and screen sharing.
Besides communication, you can also do some light project management and turn messages into tasks. There are useful integrations with Google Drive, Trello, Asana, Dropbox and Github, among others.
Our favorite is the Teambook – where you can see all of your messages, contacts and tasks in one place. Your shared team knowledge all in one place, and your team – just a click away. Reach your team and stay synced with text, voice or video. Share screen, files, links or set tasks to bring more context to your discussions. Bring all the apps you use during the day to a single place. Search, browse and filter your team activity organized in Teambook. Take control over the information you get with smart notifications and much much more.
How to Find the Best Text Messaging Service for Nonprofits
Finding the right texting service for your nonprofit starts with understanding what distinguishes the great providers from the average ones. Here are five things to look for to find the best services.
1. Ease of Use
Ease of use is one of the most overlooked qualities of nonprofit texting services. You have a lot of work to do, and you don’t need to waste time learning a complicated system. You’ll likely be cross-training other team members to help with texting campaigns, so the problems associated with confusing software can be compounded.
2. Fantastic Support
Just as you offer a valuable service to those in need, your text messaging service should be there when you need a hand. Make sure to find a provider whose support team is friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive. The day will come when you’ll be glad you did.
3. A Good Track Record With Nonprofits
Nonprofit marketers face different problems than other types of marketers. You have different regulations to adhere to and you have to pull different psychological levers to get people to take action. It’s important to find a service provider that knows the challenges you face and how to overcome them through text messaging. Look for a text messaging service that knows nonprofit marketing.
4. Price
Nonprofits often feel a responsibility to cut expenses in every imaginable way, which is understandable. While you do want to look for an affordable service, you may not necessarily want to go with the cheapest. The savings you get up front may cost you more in the long run if you spend a lot of valuable hours trying to use something that doesn’t work well. And, you may get stuck with a service that starts off cheap and raises their prices through the roof once they have you locked in.
Look for a text messaging service that is reasonably priced for organizations of all sizes and offers straightforward billing so that you know what you’re paying for.
5. Robust Features
Many nonprofit marketers are surprised by how many things you can do with text messaging. You can poll contacts to learn their preferences, remind volunteers of service opportunities, run text-to-give campaigns, provide member support, and more. Make sure that the service you select has the feature set to put this power in your hands.
Conclusion:
Texting software is what nonprofit needs in this era of digital marketing and internet technologies. Text messaging can be used to strengthen and enhance your relationship with your database and remember, database is the key factor in the growth of nonprofit organizations.