Text-to-give and fundraising events go hand in hand. Discover how to make text-to-give a natural, effective part of your nonprofit’s next fundraising event.
By Sarah Lewis
Text allows you to stay in touch with donors on different occasions, whether you need to provide an urgent update, encourage them to make a timely donation, or send a reminder about an upcoming event they RSVP’d to.
Text-to-give is especially useful for driving donations by making giving as easy and efficient as possible. Since supporters are able to give while on the go, text-to-give can boost revenue across your nonprofit’s events.
To help your organization make the most of its next fundraiser, we’ll share how to develop an event-friendly text-to-give strategy.
Make text-to-give simple.
Text-to-give is already designed to be more straightforward than regular online giving. However, it’s still possible to make text-to-give confusing, resulting in abandoned donation forms.
Avoid this by taking careful note of these text-to-give tips:
- Choose a simple keyword. Most text-to-give platforms involve donors texting a specific keyword to a nonprofit’s assigned phone number. When choosing your keyword, keep it as simple as possible to avoid event guests mistyping it. For example, “Trees4Life26” is easier to remember and type than “Trees4LifeBostonWalkAThon2026.”
- Streamline your donation page. Text-to-give platforms typically use one of two approaches: ones that allow supporters to complete the entire giving process from their text messages and others that route supporters to your online donation page. If you are using the former, ensure your donation form is mobile-friendly with limited images, large buttons, and multiple-choice questions when possible. Plus, regardless of your text-to-give process, optimizing your donation form for mobile can help you bring in more gifts in general.
- Send confirmation messages. Given the unique format of the text-to-give process, supporters may not be sure whether their gifts were processed correctly. Reassure them and prevent chargebacks by ensuring all donors receive a confirmation message immediately after their gift.
Keep these tips in mind when assessing text-to-give fundraising software solutions. Look for platforms with user-friendly, professional interfaces that event guests can navigate easily, so they can make their donation and get back to your event activities quickly.
Set up display signs.
Fundraising events are busy, and it’s easy for potential donors to get distracted. Provide reminders all around your event venue and make it easy for supporters to access your text-to-give platform at any time by investing in signage.
Create signs displaying your nonprofit’s text-to-give number and keyword and decorate your event space with them. For instance, you might hang signs on walls, place business card-sized paper slips at each table setting, or add your number to a rotating slideshow.
Bonterra’s guide to text-to-donate platforms advises nonprofits to go the extra mile by creating signage that lets supporters see your fundraising progress in real-time. For example, you might have a giant fundraising thermometer to give guests a visual indicator of how much closer their specific donation gets you to your goal, or create a leaderboard that encourages donors to compete to provide the biggest gift.
You can even entice small-dollar donors to give by adding a “Latest Donor Name” element to these visuals, giving every supporter the chance to earn a little public recognition at your event.
Plan key call-to-action moments.
Getting Attention’s guide to nonprofit marketing discusses how text-to-give is especially effective at “contextual giving,” which is when a supporter is motivated to give in a specific moment. Fill your event with opportunities that encourage supporters to act in the moment and make a text-to-give donation.
Remind your event guests to text your text-to-give number by:
- Making a speech. Announce your text-to-give number and keyword in speeches throughout your event. These can grab the attention of any guest who missed your signage, while also spurring them to give at that exact moment.
- Hosting a timed fundraising drive. Rather than hoping guests will passively give throughout your event, intentionally schedule a brief interval to ask supporters to donate as much as possible. For example, you might announce that all gifts made within the next hour will be matched, or a year-end fundraiser might devote the last few minutes until midnight on December 31st to encouraging supporters to make their last donations of the year before time runs out.
- Leveraging peer pressure. In this case, peer pressure can be a good thing. When your event guests see everyone around them pulling out their phones to text-to-give, they’re more likely to follow suit. Wait until a moment when your guests are gathered to encourage them to give together, helping motivate even supporters who are on the fence about donating.
When creating your event schedule, plan exactly when you’ll make your text-to-give calls to action. For example, you might announce your text-to-give number and keyword in your opening and closing speeches when everyone is gathered together, or you might have an automatic recording that plays every hour to encourage donations and provide other event reminders.
Text-to-give is one of the most efficient fundraising appeals your nonprofit can use, and events can further improve its effectiveness by instilling a sense of spontaneity. For your fundraiser, make sure you’re equipped with the right text-to-give software and an event plan that sets it up for success.
Sarah Lewis brings energy, strategy, and a love for writing to her role as Content Marketing Manager at Bonterra. A proud Orr Fellowship alum, she’s spent the last six years creating high-impact resources – from fundraising guides to campaign templates – that make fundraising feel easier and more impactful. She’s passionate about helping nonprofits connect with donors and tell their story in ways that spark action. Outside of work, she’s a wife, mom, live music fan, and book lover who’s always on the hunt for her next 5-star read.
