Spring is around the corner, which means now is the time for nonprofits to start planning their spring events! From run/walks and luncheons to golf tournaments and galas, there’s no doubt that events of every kind are a great way to fundraise for your cause.
However, many nonprofits are missing out on a key solution that can help make their event more successful than ever: mobile fundraising.
Incorporating mobile giving has been shown to increase donations by 35% and is easier to integrate into your fundraising event planning than you might think. Mobile giving provides a true, end-to-end solution for event fundraising that can help reduce admin time for your organization while boosting donations and engaging supporters.
From invites to donation thank-yous, here are 5 ways you can use mobile fundraising solutions for your next event:
- Send invitation and reminders with text messaging
- Allow supporters to register for events and purchase tickets from their smartphones
- Promote live pledging with an on-screen fundraising thermometer and text-to-donate keywords
- Collect out-of-town donations
- Follow up with donors after the event
Are you ready to amp up your fundraising events with mobile giving? Let’s get started!
1. Send invitations and reminders with text messaging
Did you know that text messages have a 98% open rate in the first 3 minutes? Since texts are so regularly read, they are the easiest (and most effective!) way to reach out to your network of supporters.
If your organization has a list of phone numbers, you can easily upload them to your mobile giving software and start sending supporters updates and alerts.
Additionally, you can expand your organization’s contact list by conducting prospect research to find even more potential donors.
Text messages are the perfect medium to keep donors in the know about:
- Upcoming fundraisers
- Ways to register for events
- Send invites to guests
Using links to content and donation forms, videos of your organization in action, and messages that engage your supporters, you excite your donors and get them interested in attending your events.
Tip: Searching for a text messaging software for nonprofits. Look for a tool that lets you not only communicate with donors but also accept contributions via text message.
2. Allow supporters to register for events and purchase tickets from their smartphones
There’s a common misconception that people don’t respond to event invites on mobile devices. The truth is nearly 20% of event registrations come from mobile devices, meaning your registration form needs to be mobile responsive and accessible from any device or you’ll be missing out on potential RSVPs.
When setting up an event registration page, keep in mind that donors on all devices should be able to easily fill out your forms and purchase tickets.
Here are a few things to consider:
- Limit your registration forms to one page. A single page form not only reduces your donor abandonment rate but also requires less scrolling for mobile users.
- Avoid large visuals. While having stunning visuals can look great when your forms are viewed on a desktop, they can cause a mobile user a lot of frustration.
- Capture only essential information. Filling out forms on a mobile device can be difficult and time-consuming, so you should only make donors enter information that is absolutely necessary.
Make purchasing tickets easy with mobile-friendly forms that use AutoFill on Android and iOs devices to process and fulfill ticket sales as they happen.
3. Promote live pledging with an on-screen fundraising thermometer and text-to-donate keywords
Mobile giving can be just as effective during your event to encourage guests to give. Excite your guests, by instructing them to text a keyword with their pledge amount to your nonprofit’s text-to-donate number.
After making their mobile pledge, donors receive a text message with a link to a secure donation form that they can fill out instantly.
Using live broadcasting tools, you can display your users’ names and pledge amounts on a large screen at your event.
Additionally, display a fundraising thermometer to show attendee’s how much they’ve raised. They’ll be more eager to help you reach your fundraising goal when they see there’s only a little left to raise.
Making the fundraising thermometer move is exciting for all parties and encourages event attendees to give in a fun, engaging way.
4. Collect out-of-town donations
Unfortunately not every supporter is going to be able to attend your event. Whether they’re out of town or have a prior engagement, that doesn’t mean they can’t contribute to your campaign.
Mobile fundraising solutions offer supporters the perfect opportunity to give even if they can’t make it to your event.
Send your donors text messages with a link to your mobile-friendly donation form or with a video that shows them how to give via text message. Reminding donors that they can still give even if they aren’t attending your event is a great way to boost your fundraising efforts.
What’s more, mobile donations can be accepted anywhere at any time, so you can collect donations before, during, and after the event! All these donations can also be added to your overall fundraising goal. That way, guests can see your fundraising thermometer rise from all the donations you’ve collected!
5. Follow up with donors after the event
There are two ways your organization should follow up with donors: when a supporter donates and after the event.
After a donation is made, mobile fundraising solutions allow your organization to send automatic tax receipts and thank-you messages to donors via email and text message. Additionally, mobile messaging allows you to easily follow up with donors to fulfill any uncollected pledges and show your appreciation with a thank-you video sent via text message.
When donors see the direct impact their donation is making, they are more likely to engage with your cause and donate again in the future.
In short, organizations can no longer afford not to use mobile solutions! Mobile event fundraising solutions make event planning, fundraising, and follow up easier and more effective than ever!
Without them, your organization is missing out on thousands in potential donations, increased cost savings, and reduced admin time. If your organization doesn’t use mobile fundraising solutions for events, now’s the time to make the switch to empower your attendees and help increase your fundraising success.
About the Author:
Lindsey Newman manages marketing, social media, and content strategy at MobileCause, the world’s leading mobile-first fundraising and communication platform for nonprofits. MobileCause is dedicated to helping organizations raise more donations while saving time and resources by putting the most powerful tools into the hands of those doing the most good. Stay in touch with her on LinkedIn and be sure to keep up with MobileCause on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.