As we explained in the announcement post, this month’s carnival theme homed in on the best strategies for mobile giving. (Read the full announcement here!)
We were incredibly thrilled with the submissions that came in, and we can’t keep this great advice to ourselves! We’re happy to share 10 of those submissions with you all right here and now.
Each article offers unique insight in mobile giving strategies. Here it goes!
1. Snowball’s “Mobile Giving: The Effective (And Actionable) Guide”
This article is our go-to resource for everything mobile giving. With a 2-in-1 style, it covers the general scope of mobile giving and suggests tips to help lead your nonprofit toward mobile giving success.
One section that sets the tone for the entire carnival comes at the beginning of the guide when the article addresses the difference between online giving and mobile giving.
Mobile giving and online giving are not the same, although they do have some overlap. Mobile giving encompasses more donation avenues than does online giving, and mobile giving can be done any time, anywhere.
Click here to learn more from Snowball’s guide.
2. Julia Campbell Social Marketing’s “8 Ways Nonprofits Can Implement A Mobile Strategy”
A great mobile strategy ensures that your supporters are getting and processing your information on their mobile devices. Success on mobile means that your readers can do everything you want them to do on their mobile device – easily and without obstacles. #501Social Blog suggests 8 ways that your organization can get started implementing a mobile strategy right away. For example, one of the detailed strategies is about capturing a donor’s attention, explaining:
Because many people are going through their emails on their phones, before they even turn on their desktop computers or laptops, your email needs to cut through the clutter and grab attention. Email newsletters now should function like email blasts – short, to the point and with a clear call-to-action in the middle. They need to be compelling and feature clickable stories.
Click here to read the full article on Julia Campbell Social Marketing’s blog.
3. Qgiv’s “Mobile Giving: The Killer Guide for Reaching Your Donors”
If you are looking for an instructional manual to boost your nonprofit’s efforts for mobile giving, this article from Qgiv is the perfect candidate. In this guide, Qgiv breaks down their advice into three sections:
The Basics
Mobile Giving in Practice
Implementing Mobile Giving
For instance, within the section on mobile giving in practice, Qgiv notes the multiple ways organizations can use mobile giving.
One of the strategies describes:
Everyday fundraising — You don’t need a specific reason to use mobile giving! Many organizations have successfully incorporated mobile giving as one of their everyday fundraising strategies. When you always give donors the option to donate on the go, your organization is sure to see more donations year round.
Click here to learn more about mobile giving basics and implementation.
4. Fundly’s “Text-to-Give Marketing: 7 Easy Steps to Scoring More Money”
If you are new to the mobile fundraising side, it’s going to require a little TLC. Fundly had this in mind when creating their step-by-step guide. It covers all of the bases of how to boost giving effectively and efficiently.
As the guide details:
As with any fundraising software, one of the first steps you’ll have to take before you can begin marketing is testing out text-to-give for yourself. Many text-to-give platform providers will give you the option to view a demonstration before you decide to purchase. This step is crucial for your understanding of the platform and shouldn’t be skipped!
From the necessary definitions to the process itself to the best practices, this Fundly resource has it all.
Click here to read all of Fundly’s Text-to-Give Strategies.
5. BidPal’s “Text-to-Give: How to Pick the Perfect Software and Raise More Money Through Mobile”
Choosing to convert from the traditional donation channels to mobile is already a big step. BidPal takes away some of that worry by providing a step-by-step action plan to ensure a smooth transition when using a text-to-give platform.
The article explains:
Text-to-give is simple! Donors simply text your nonprofit’s unique keyword to the short-code provided by your vendor. From there, your supporters will receive a link that provides donation amounts and information about your campaign. Then, they can make a donation with their credit and debit cards right there!
From there, the article explores everything that is needed to run a mobile giving campaign.
Click here to check out BidPal’s guide.
6. Aly Sterling Philanthropy’s “Mobile Giving: Maximize Engagement on the Go”
As we know, life doesn’t always slow down for donors to give to an organization. This article contributed by Aly Sterling Philanthropy walks you through how to keep up with them. For example, one of the strategies includes how social media plays a major role in engagement, explaining:
The key is in posting images and videos. Text-based status updates are a thing of the past. Your followers are looking for interactive, visually-stimulating content that grabs their attention and is relevant to their personal interests.
No matter your experience level when it comes to using mobile giving, you’ll find something of value among this strategy list.
Click here for Aly Sterling Philanthropy’s advice.
7. DonorSearch’s “Mobile Fundraising Campaigns: The Basics”
Getting to know your donors is key when looking to improve retention. You may think it’s almost impossible to learn about a donor via text-to-give as you would through in-person donations. DonorSearch compiled a list of 5 methods to use when trying to grow a relationship with donors:
- Preferred Donation Channels
- Best Times to Reach Out to Donors
- Engagement During Events
- Donation Habits
- Probability that a Donor will Donate Again
If you’re looking for a guide that provides a window into the concept of mobile giving, this DonorSearch resource is it.
Click here for the complete list.
8. Double the Donation’s “10 Ways Mobile Giving Can Help You Raise More Money From Your Donors”
As with anything new, you want to see results. That’s where Double the Donation comes in with proven methods that’ll guide your organization to its mobile goals. This article features quick & easy tips, such as how to navigate mobile giving as a first-time user.
Reduce the number of required fields on your donation form. The more required fields that a donor has to fill out, the more likely they’ll be to abandon the donation process. Keep it to the bare minimum in order to make the process as painless and pleasant as possible.
With the help of these steps, you’ll go from a novice to expert in no time.
Click here to read all 10 strategies.
9. re:Charity’s “Best Text-to-Give Service Providers for Nonprofits”
While it’s important to understand the best practices around mobile fundraising, it’s also essential that you choose the right tools for your organization. This guide from re:Charity lists the top text-to-give service providers for nonprofits. In the article, they explain:
Text-to-give technology is a crucial tool for 21st century fundraising, with more donors than ever engaging with your web presence solely through their cell phones. This means that you need to provide mobile giving tools that allow all your donors to support you quickly and easily.
Learn how to incorporate the right text-to-give tools into your fundraising strategy with these top picks.
Click here to view the guide and learn more about text-to-give providers.
10. Salsa Labs’ “The Ultimate Guide to Mobile Fundraising”
When it comes to mobile fundraising, knowing all of the ins and outs is a major key. This guide from Salsa Labs walks you through how to maximize your mobile fundraising efforts, such as what actionable steps it takes to increase donor retention.
The article explains:
One of the biggest mistakes that nonprofits make when they’re seeking recurring donations is not asking. They believe that the ask is implied. But it’s not. If you want a second donation, ask for it!
Click here for more of Salsa Labs’ tips.
That concludes this month’s Fundraising Strategies and Nonprofit Tech Carnival.
