mobile

5 Ways to Optimize Your Web Presence for Mobile Donors

Ann Green email, fundraising, multichannel, social media, website , , , ,

Your website is the main factor in increasing your nonprofit’s online visibility. Here’s how to attract more mobile viewers by optimizing your website.

By John Killoran 

Social network user login, website mock up on computer screen, tablet and smartphone

Developing your website and ensuring your donors have the ability to notice you, learn about your story, and donate to your organization online was a great undertaking for you. You probably saw a spike in donations and donor engagement. But did you know there’s a way to make online giving even more effective?

Mobile search traffic has increased over time, and it shows no sign of stopping. The majority of nonprofit website traffic came from users on mobile devices — 54%, with 46% of traffic from users on desktop devices. So, your nonprofit should invest in optimizing your donation page to be mobile-friendly to accommodate these users. By adjusting your nonprofit website design and donation opportunities to appeal to mobile donors, you open up a new avenue for giving to your nonprofit organization.

In order to effectively appeal to and communicate with your mobile donors, your organization should:

  1. Optimize your donation page.
  2. Launch a text-to-give campaign.
  3. Maximize your social media campaign.
  4. Incorporate mobile-optimized emails.
  5. Host a pledge campaign.

Ready to learn more about mobile-friendly design? Let’s get started!

1. Optimize Your Donation Page

Your online giving form is the first place to start your mobile optimization processes. Submitting online donations is already incredibly convenient for your supporters. But making your online giving form mobile-optimized makes it easy for people to give from any device, further growing your potential donor base.

Your donation page is a crucial aspect of your website and should be mobile-responsive. A mobile-responsive site is one that automatically adjusts to fit the screen on which it is displayed. This means the online resource is visually appealing and accessible on smartphones, tablets, and desktops alike. Make sure your online donation platform provider offers the ability to adjust form elements such as:

  • Images. There’s nothing worse than having to scroll across a webpage on your phone to try to see an entire image! Make sure your images are visible, clear, and size-adjustable depending on the screen they’re viewed on.
  • Straightforward text. Eliminate unnecessary “fluff” text from your donation page. Lots of text can look bulky on a smaller screen. Limiting this text to only include essential information and calls-to-action will make it easier for donors to read or skim the page.
  • Customized (and limited) information fields. Typing lengthy information onto a form on a computer is much easier than on a cell phone. Most of us type much faster with a keyboard than on a touchscreen. Therefore, limit the amount of information you require from mobile donors on your donation page to speed up the process.
  • Page Speed. A speedy page load time is important because conversion rates drop heavily on slow sites. In fact, the probability of a bounce (when users quickly exit the page) increases by 37% from 1 second to 3 seconds of loading time. You certainly don’t want your donor to click off because the page speed is wasting their time! Increase your page speed by minifying code, reducing redirects, and compressing images.

Ensuring your donation page is welcoming to all visitors, whether they access it from their computer or from their mobile device, is a key factor to improve higher donation rates. So, be sure to accommodate your givers who are on the go! 

2. Launch a Text-to-Give Campaign

In addition to optimizing your usual online fundraising page, a great investment to encourage mobile donations from your donors is including giving options on native texting platforms, otherwise known as text-to-give. As the name suggests, text-to-give encourages donors to text their donations to organizations.

Depending on the software you choose, you may encounter different models of the text-to-give collection process. Your provider should:

  • Offer your organization a text-to-give number. This is the number your donors can text in order to donate. The number may be a complete 10-digit phone number or simply 5 digits. Whichever you choose, your donors can text their gift amount to your organization’s number when prompted.
  • Collect your donor’s contact information. This is especially relevant for first-time donors who have not yet filled out any contact information with your organization. They may receive a link that will redirect them to a complete contact form. This information is critical for follow-up communications and increasing donor retention. 

Mobile giving with a text-to-give campaign is a great resource to combine with other unique fundraising ideas and marketing materials. For instance, if you host a fundraising event, announce your text-to-give number over a loudspeaker so your attendees can donate from the event. Or, you can post your text-to-give number on your social media platforms so your mobile viewers don’t even have to put down their devices.

3. Leverage Your Social Media Presence

One platform nonprofits often already take advantage of is social media. Social media is a huge driver of mobile phone use, so it makes sense to integrate it into your mobile fundraising strategy! 

Increasing your social media presence increases the likelihood your followers will see your organization’s latest updates when scrolling through their news feed and interact with your content. Bolstering your presence by posting is just the tip of the iceberg to using your social media to its fullest extent.  

You also have the ability to spread fundraisers through social media platforms for people to view (and donate to) from their mobile devices. Two of the online fundraisers most suitable for social media promotion are:

  • Crowdfunding. Crowdfunding enables your organization to collect small donations from a wide audience, making the vast reach of social media the perfect platform to promote such campaigns. Conduct research on the various providers to make sure you choose the website that will best suit your organization in terms of fees and platform capabilities. Then, determine what incentives you’ll offer to donors at different tiers. A popular prize that your nonprofit might already produce is branded merchandise.
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are similar to crowdfunding in that you are collecting small donations from a wide audience. However, these campaigns differ in how those donations are collected. With peer-to-peer fundraising, you invite your supporters to create fundraising pages and raise money on your behalf across their respective networks. This works perfectly on social media because your participants can effortlessly share their campaigns on their accounts for their followers to see and donate to.

Both of these fundraising opportunities are more frequently accessed on mobile devices as opposed to computers because of their reliance on social media. Therefore, increasing your visibility with more frequent posts and starting a mobile-minded fundraiser is a great way to entice your wide audience of donors who are checking social media on their smartphones.

4. Incorporate Mobile-Optimized Emails

One of the cornerstones of online fundraising outreach is email. Chances are, your nonprofit already uses this tried-and-true method. But, are your emails optimized for mobile viewers?

Optimizing your email content is very similar to optimizing your general website or donation pages. Take the necessary steps to ensure your emails are visually appealing on screens of all sizes. This includes properly sizing your images, limiting the amount of text you use, and resizing the font for a mobile screen. 

In addition to optimizing your emails’ visual appearance, you can do even more to increase the success of your donation emails. For instance, you can:

  • Include actionable donation buttons. Ensure the buttons you use in your emails quickly and easily lead donors to your donation page. You may also choose to include a link to your text-to-give number or your campaign information landing page. Increasing the size of these buttons for mobile viewers can make them easier to see (and click!) from a smaller screen.
  • Connect your emails to other platforms. Be sure your donors have an easy way to access the other donation platforms you have available online. For instance, including linked social media buttons will instantly connect your supporters to your profiles, and by extension, marketing for future campaigns.
  • Feature a calendar with donation opportunities. Be sure your supporters know about your nonprofit’s upcoming events by using a calendar feature. This may include volunteer opportunities for them to donate their time as well as upcoming fundraising campaigns to get involved in.

Marketing emails, such as email newsletters, are a donation opportunity that your nonprofit should leverage. Many of your supporters likely check their email from their phones, so be sure they have direct access from that device to other donation opportunities.

5. Host a Pledge Campaign.

Imagine you’re hosting a fundraising campaign that your donors are excited about. However, there are a number of your supporters who can’t give to your organization right at this moment, even though they want to.

Pledge campaigns are designed to help your organization still profit in these types of situations. You can appeal to those people who can’t give right now, but have the heart and the desire to show their support and donate in the future.

Pledges are the promises of future donations. For instance, a donor can pledge $100 now, then actually give the money to the organization next week once they cash their paycheck. Choose an online tool with the option to optimize your pledge campaign for mobile devices. Situations in which a mobile-optimized pledge campaign may come in handy include:

  • Social media fundraising pushes. In addition to your typical fundraising promotions featured on social media, give people the option to participate in your pledge campaign. This gives them a quick option to give while they’re feeling inspired by your or your supporters’ messages.
  • Busy holiday seasons. While the year-end months are an extremely charitable time, some donors might need to postpone their giving until after the holiday season due to money spent on presents, food, and travel. A pledge provides the flexibility for them to get back on their feet and still make a difference for your nonprofit once they’re able to.

Be sure to pick a pledge fundraising tool that offers mobile customization for your organization. Pledge buttons included on these screens can help boost the user’s ease of using the tool as well.

Optimizing your web presence over a variety of pages and platforms can help boost your donations by increasing the available giving opportunities. So, it’s worth putting forth your time and money towards whichever strategies work best for your nonprofit. After all, who wouldn’t love the opportunity to give to your organization without having to put down their phone?

John Killoran is an inventor, entrepreneur, and the Chairman of Clover Leaf Solutions, a national lab services company. He currently leads Clover Leaf’s investment in Snowball Fundraising, an online fundraising platform for nonprofit organizations. 

Snowball was one of John’s first public innovations. It’s a fundraising platform that offers text-to-give, online giving, events, and peer-to-peer fundraising tools for nonprofits. By making giving simple, Snowball increases the donations that these organizations can raise online. The Snowball effect is real! John founded Snowball in 2011. Now, it serves over 7,000 nonprofits and is the #1 nonprofit fundraising platform.

5 Ways to Optimize Your Web Presence for Mobile Donors

Ann Green email, fundraising, social media, website , , , ,

 

Snowball_Ann-Green_5-Ways-to-Optimize-Your-Web-Presence-for-Mobile-Donors_Feature

By John Killoran 

Developing your website and ensuring your donors have the ability to donate to your organization online was a great undertaking for you. You probably saw a spike in donations and donor engagement. But did you know there’s a way to make online giving even more effective?

By adjusting your website design and donation opportunities to appeal to mobile donors, you open up a new avenue for giving to your nonprofit organization.

In order to effectively appeal to your mobile donors, your organization should:

  1. Optimize your donation page.
  2. Launch a text-to-give campaign.
  3. Maximize your social media campaign.
  4. Incorporate mobile-optimized emails.
  5. Host a pledge campaign.

Ready to learn more about mobile responsiveness? Let’s get started:

Snowball_Ann-Green_5-Ways-to-Optimize-Your-Web-Presence-for-Mobile-Donors_Header1

1. Optimize Your Donation Page

Your online giving form is a great place to start your mobile optimization processes. Submitting online donations is already incredibly convenient for your supporters. But making your online giving form mobile responsive makes it easy for people to give from any device, further growing your potential base of donors.

Make sure your donation page is mobile responsive. Mobile responsiveness is when a website or other online resource automatically adjusts to fit the screen on which it is displayed. This means the online resource is visually appealing on smartphones, tablets, and desktops alike.

It should be easy to read your online giving form from any screen. Make sure your online donation platform provider offers the ability to adjust form elements such as

  • Images. Make sure your images are visible, clear, and size-adjustable depending on the screen they are viewed on. There’s nothing worse than having to scroll across a webpage on your phone to try to see an entire image.
  • Straight-forward text. Eliminate unnecessary or “fluff” text from your donation page. Lots of text can look bulky on a smaller screen. Limiting this text to only include essential information will make it easier for donors to read or skim the page.
  • Customized (and limited) information fields. Typing lengthy information onto a form on a computer is much easier than on a cell phone. Most of us type much faster with a keyboard than on a touchscreen. Therefore, limit the amount of information you require from mobile donors on your donation page to speed up the process.
  • Page Speed. Page speed is an even more important element for mobile users than desktop users because many people are more willing to wait for a page to load from their computer than from their phone. Increase your page speed by minifying code, reducing redirects, and compressing images.

Ensuring your donation page is welcoming to all visitors, whether they access it from their computer or from their cell phone, is a key factor in higher donation rates. If more people can access the page more often, you don’t turn off the donors who would have otherwise given while on-the-go.

Snowball_Ann-Green_5-Ways-to-Optimize-Your-Web-Presence-for-Mobile-Donors_Header2

2. Launch a Text-to-Give Campaign

In addition to optimizing your usual online fundraising page, a great way to encourage mobile donations from your donors is by including a text-to-give option. As the name suggests, text-to-give encourages donors to text their donations to organizations.

Depending on the software you choose, you may encounter different models of the text-to-give collection process. Your provider should:

  • Offer your organization a text-to-give number. This is the number your donors can text in order to donate. The number may be a whole phone number or simply 5 digits for simplicity. Your donors can text the amount of the gift they wish to give to your organization when prompted.
  • Direct the donor to necessary giving information. This is especially relevant for first-time donors who have not yet filled out any information with your organization. They may be directed to a pre-written email that when sent will complete the donation after they fill out the necessary fields on the donation form or the gift could be added to their cell phone bill at the end of the month.

A text-to-give option is an easy method of giving no matter which of the submission options is offered by the provider. Be sure to consider your donors when deciding between these methods to ensure it will be the easiest for your particular donor audience.

Mobile giving with a text-to-give campaign is a great resource to combine with other unique fundraising ideas. For instance, if you host a fundraising event, announce the donation opportunity over a loudspeaker so that your attendees can donate from the event.

Snowball_Ann-Green_5-Ways-to-Optimize-Your-Web-Presence-for-Mobile-Donors_Header3

3. Maximize Your Social Media Campaigns

One platform nonprofits often already take advantage of is social media. Social media was built to be viewed from mobile devices using sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Therefore, that is where the majority of people are viewing their social media feeds.

Be sure to use social media as an integral part of your optimization strategies to appeal to mobile donors.

Increasing your social media presence increases the likelihood your followers will see your organization’s latest updates when scrolling through their news feed. Increasing this presence by posting more frequently is just the tip of the iceberg to use your social media to its fullest extent.  

You also have the ability to spread fundraisers through social media platforms for people to view (and donate to) from their mobile devices. Two of the online fundraisers most suitable for social media promotion include:

  • Crowdfunding. Crowdfunding enables your organization to collect small donations from a wide audience, making the wide reach of social media the perfect platform to promote such campaigns. Conduct research on the various providers to make sure you choose the website that will best suit your organization in terms of fees and platform capabilities.
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are similar to crowdfunding in that you are collecting small donations from a wide audience. However, these campaigns differ in how those donations are collected. With peer-to-peer fundraising, you invite your supporters to create fundraising pages and raise money on your behalf across their respective networks.

Both of these fundraising opportunities are more frequently found from a person’s mobile device as opposed to their home computer because of their reliance on social media. Therefore, increasing your visibility with more frequent posts and starting a mobile-minded fundraiser is a great way to entice your wide audience of donors who prefer to work from their smartphones.

If peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns or crowdfunding sound like opportunities from which your organization could benefit, launch into further research with Double the Donation’s nonprofit guide.

Snowball_Ann-Green_5-Ways-to-Optimize-Your-Web-Presence-for-Mobile-Donors_Header4

4. Incorporate Mobile-Optimized Emails

When you are considering the optimization of your web presence, you probably think of your website or online donation pages. Don’t forget that your emails are another online resource frequently accessed from mobile devices.

Optimizing your email content is very similar to optimizing your general website or donation pages. Take the necessary steps to ensure your images are properly sized and adjust with the size of the screen. Limit the amount of text you use in your emails and be sure the font size is appropriate for a mobile viewer. Be sure the email is visually appealing on screens of all sizes.

However, in addition to these general tips, there is more you can do to increase the success of mobile donations from your emails. For instance, you can:

  • Include actionable donation buttons. Optimize the buttons you use in your emails in order to quickly and easily lead donors to donation options. Increasing the size of these buttons for mobile viewers can make them easier to see (and click!) from a small screen such as a smartphone.
  • Connect your emails to other platforms. Be sure your donors have an easy way to access the other donation platforms you have available online. For instance, including social media buttons will instantly connect your supporters to future crowdfunding campaigns. You may also choose to include a link to your donation page and the number for your text-to-give campaign to regular emails.
  • Feature a calendar with donation opportunities. Be sure your supporters know about upcoming opportunities for more donations with a comprehensive calendar feature. This may include volunteer opportunities for them to donate their time as well as upcoming fundraising campaigns to get involved in.

Regular emails, such as email newsletters, are a donation opportunity that should be taken advantage of more often in the nonprofit world. Many of your supporters likely check their email from their phones, so be sure they have direct access from that device to other donation opportunities.

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5. Host a Pledge Campaign.

Just imagine you’re holding a fundraising event. You’ve set up a text-to-give number and the success is overwhelming. However, there are a number of people at the event who can’t give to your organization right at this moment. Even if they want to, they just can’t for some reason or another.

Pledge campaigns are designed to help your organization in these types of situations. You can appeal to those people who can’t give right at this moment, but have the heart and the desire to show their support and give in the future.

Pledges are the promises of future donations. Someone can pledge $100 now, then actually give the money to the organization next week. Choose an online tool with the option to optimize your pledge campaign to mobile. This will make it especially effective for the situation above. Other situations in which a mobile-optimized pledge campaign may come handy include:

  • Social media fundraising pushes. In addition to your typical fundraising promotions featured on social media, including your other fundraising campaigns or advocating for your organization’s cause, give people the option to participate in your pledge campaign. This gives people the opportunity to pledge money, then go to your website and see more information about the organization before they give.
  • When there is a lot going on in the world. For instance, if your organization is tied to a world event that went on recently, let’s just say clean up from the devastation of a hurricane, the event will be in the news for a couple days. At that point, many people will forget their drive to give, even if they still care about the cause. The pledge to give money helps keep your cause in the forefront of your donor’s mind.

Many times people will hear about and see news events, social media fundraising efforts, and other donation opportunities from their phones. Even if they don’t have time to give right away, they’ll pledge to make a donation in the future.

Be sure to pick a pledge fundraising tool that offers mobile customization for your organization. Pledge buttons included on these screens can help boost the user’s ease of using the tool as well.

Before starting your pledge campaign, be sure to check out resources like Snowball’s guide to collecting pledges so that every stage of the pledge campaign is executed to the best of your ability.

Optimizing your web presence over a variety of pages, platforms, etc. can help boost your donation amounts by increasing the available opportunities to give. These 5 tips can help you optimize your overall online presence to benefit both your donors and your organization.

John Killoran

John Killoran is CEO of Snowball, an exciting new fundraising technology that makes it easy for people to donate in two clicks from text, email, web and social media sites.  John pioneered SMTP payments and has been a major innovator in the mobile payments space for the past 5 years.  When he is not running a company, he is cooking food for his family and telling his dogs to stop barking.

5 Tips to Boost Your Mobile Donor Engagement Levels

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, donor retention, fundraising , , , ,

AP_AnnGreen_5-Tips-to-Boost-Your-Mobile-Donor-Engagement-Levels

By John Killoran

Donor engagement success is the backbone of so many of your outreach, fundraising, and general strategies so it’s not surprising that it can make or break your mobile fundraising efforts, too.

Engaging your donors through mobile avenues can be a tricky feat so it needs to be thoughtfully considered and examined. You’ll need to know your donors and your organization through and through in order to boost your donor engagement.

Luckily, we’ve crafted 5 tips to take your mobile donor engagement to the next level! Check them out:

  1. Know your donors’ preferred mobile giving method.
  2. Determine the best times to connect with your supporters.
  3. Recognize mobile donation trends.
  4. Send out a survey on your mobile strategies.
  5. Keep your mobile strategies cause-oriented.

If you’re ready to engage and retain your donors through your mobile fundraising and outreach, then let’s dive in!

AP_AnnGreen_Know-your-donors-preferred-mobile-giving-method

1. Know your donors’ preferred mobile giving method.

The better you know your donors, the better you can cater your outreach and fundraising strategies to them and see more instant success.

You can look at your data from previous mobile giving campaigns to know which mobile giving methods your donors like the best.

If you’ve stored this donor data in your donor management or CRM solution, it’ll be easy to find and use, making this an effortless step.

For example, if two of your donors loved donating through your text-to-give solution, you’ll know to send them a text and pique their interest in donating that way again.

On the other hand, if you have a donor who only likes giving through your online donation page, you’ll know to include that donor in your upcoming email campaign that links back to your donation form.

The bottom line: Knowing your donors’ preferences shows them that you value their support and their comfort levels. Be sure to connect supporters with their favorite mobile giving methods.

Bonus! Check out @Pay’s Text-to-Give Guide to learn everything you and your supporters need to know about text giving.

AP_AnnGreen_Determine-the-best-times-to-connect-with-your-supporters

2. Determine the best times to connect with your supporters.

You’ll also want to turn to your data to determine the best times to interact with your supporters through mobile methods.

You’ll notice most people check social media around noon every day during their lunch break and 6pm on weekdays when they get home from work. That being said, content posted at 12 PM is more likely to have a high amount of views than something posted at 10 AM would.

You’ll want to think about best times for checking social media and peak times for sending emails.

Your organization can also take a look at when your nonprofit website sees the most traffic. This will come in handy so you can coordinate when you send out emails that include a link to your online donation form.

If most people are viewing your site at 7 PM on weeknights, you might schedule your emails to deliver around the same time to encourage even more traffic to your website at the most convenient time for your donors.

The bottom line: You’ll want to interact with your constituents at the best times for them in order to strengthen donor relationships and encourage more donations.

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3. Recognize mobile donation trends.

Now that you know the best times for your organization to reach out to your supporters, you’ll want to figure out some other imperative details like the following:

  • How often they donate to your organization
  • The average amount they give
  • When they have previously donated
  • Which device they like to give from

You might even be able to estimate details about your donors from trends formed by their giving habits.

For example, if your donor gives $20 through text-to-give once a month, you may assume they’re a millennial because millennials are more likely to use text-giving than their parents are.

You won’t want to judge completely based off of their giving trends, however, so don’t forget to do your research on different donors.

You can also add other information fields to learn more about your donors, catering each field to what’s important to your specific nonprofit. For example, you can easily know donors’ ages by adding an optional birthdate information field on your online donation form, but you can also add more personal details like dietary preferences to help plan stewardship events.

With this information on your side, you may even be able to predict when your supporters will donate again because past giving is a great indicator of future giving. Take into consideration donations your supporters have made to other nonprofits, as well, to help find the pattern in their giving history.

The bottom line: Researching your constituents’ mobile donation trends can help you cater your fundraising asks and overall engagement to their liking. Remember that timing is everything and you’ll need to be strategic about when you reach out to donors so you don’t overwhelm them.

AP_AnnGreen_Send-out-a-survey-on-your-mobile-strategies

4. Send out a survey for your mobile strategies.

Take into consideration that your donors are crucial elements to your nonprofit’s fundraising, which directly supports your nonprofit’s projects to further your mission.

Your donors are the backbone of your financial support so they’re incredibly important and should be treated as such! Ask your guests for feedback by offering surveys regarding your mobile strategies.

Make sure this survey is short and sweet so it doesn’t take up too much of their time. With the data from these surveys, your organization can see where your mobile outreach and fundraising event methods fell short and where they excelled.

Learning your supporters’ opinions and preferences will help you reshape your mobile strategies to cater to them. This way, you’re optimizing your mobile methods for the most success, whether that be for online fundraising or for strengthening your donor relationships.

Plus, asking your donors for their thoughts on your mobile strategies will prove that you value their opinions and look forward to incorporating their feedback, which is an act of donor stewardship in itself.

You can easily add links to your survey throughout your mobile strategies. For example, within emails, you can include a hyperlink that will redirect donors to your survey. You can do the same for text giving. It’s also important to include your survey on your website so it’s always accessible for donors who want to submit feedback.

The bottom line: Sending out a survey to give your donors a voice and input into your organization proves that you value their opinions and gives you easy ways to reshape your strategies to their liking.

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5. Keep your mobile strategies cause-oriented.

While it’s easy to get swept up in your multi-channeled fundraising or outreach hustle, it’s important to remember that it’s all about your cause.

Keep in mind that donors were originally drawn to your nonprofit organization because they support your cause, which is what you’re ultimately trying to further!

There are a few easy ways to keep your mobile strategies cause-oriented:

  • Focus on your mission statement. Supporters can easily identify your organization’s morals and values through your mission statement and it’s most likely one of the details that will be commonly known throughout your donor base.
  • Always tell donors where their donations are going. No matter what your project is, your organization should sit down and determine where raised funds will really be going. If you’re building a shelter, for example, a $25 donation might go toward nails and hammers whereas a $500 donation would go toward internal plumbing fixtures like a sink.
  • Give your supporters updates. Your supporters are investing in your projects and cause so they’ll want to know how everything is progressing. You can easily send them updates through email or even through text! When communicating through text, you’ll want to make sure to do so sparingly so you don’t overwhelm your donors. You might try sending them a text to sign up for your emails and then simply update them through that channel.

Keeping it cause-oriented reassures your donors that your organization’s heart is in the right place, strengthening your relationship, and perhaps even encouraging larger donations!

The bottom line: Your mobile strategies should always be cause-oriented. Remember to emphasize how much your supporters can help to further your cause and where their money will be put to good use!

Now that you have our top 5 tips to take your mobile donor engagement to the next level, there’s nothing holding you back from forming strong, reliable relationships with your supporters. All that’s left to do is revamp your mobile strategies and get to stewarding!

John Killoran is CEO of @Pay, an exciting new fundraising technology that makes it easy for people to donate in two clicks from text, email, web, and social media sites. John pioneered SMTP payments and has been a major innovator in the mobile payments space for the past 5 years. When he is not running a company, he is cooking food for his family and telling his dogs to stop barking. John Killoran

Getting Started with Mobile Fundraising: 5 Ways

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, website , , , ,

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By Eric Griego

Almost everyone has a mobile phone these days and that includes your donors. Imagine they’ll see your next fundraising email appeal on their phone and decide to donate right then. Will they be able to do that without getting so frustrated that they’ll want to smash their phones to pieces?

Before we get knee-deep into year-end fundraising season,take some time to get up to speed with mobile fundraising. Eric Griego from @pay shows you how.

Mobile fundraising is a craze that’s sweeping the nation. And if you’re a nonprofit professional that’s curious about how you can jump on this exciting bandwagon, you’re in the right place!

In this article, we’re going to discuss 5 of the top ways to make mobile fundraising a part of your organization’s strategy.

Let’s dive right in!

#1. Upgrade Your Email Strategy for Mobile.

First things first, you have to get your emails in line.

Because Americans spend an average of 6.3 hours a day checking their emails, you’d better believe it’s important to make your emails stand out.

And where are they checking their inboxes most often? You guessed it: on their mobile phones!

That’s why it’s doubly crucial to make sure that all of your correspondence is mobile-responsive and mobile-friendly.

Some easy-to-follow best practices for ensuring this include (but aren’t limited to):

  • Stack content vertically instead of horizontally,
  • Limit the amount of text and large images,
  • Enlarge buttons and calls-to-action,
  • And ensure a quick loading speed,

A couple of these strategies will require more work than others to incorporate, but at the end of the day, it’s vital to invest in your mobile email strategy if you want to launch a successful mobile giving campaign.

For more concrete advice on re-vamping your emails, check out @Pay’s guide to email newsletters.

#2. Investigate Text-to-Give Technology.

Another big piece of the mobile fundraising puzzle is text-to-give fundraising.

Text-to-give technology lets users text their favorite nonprofit (that’s you!) with the donation amount of their choice, and voila! Their gift is submitted!

An example would be a donor has simply texted the number “10” to a Disaster Relief Fund’s text-to-give number. They’ve clicked on the link that was automatically sent to them to confirm their payment, and the nonprofit has sent them an immediate, “Thanks!”

Texting to give is a short, intuitive process that takes less time than tying your shoes.

And it’s an absolute myth that young people are the only ones that text to donate.

In fact, the average text-to-give donor is 49-59 years old and has a college degree.

All of this is just to say that when you’re looking into getting started with mobile fundraising, don’t discount text-to-give technology.

It’s a simple, swift, and — best of all — secure way for your donors to give on the go.

#3. Give Your Website a Mobile Refresher.

Just as you should probably re-boot your email strategy, you should also take a second glance at your nonprofit’s website to make sure that your online giving options translate well to mobile.

Again, you’ll go through a lot of the same procedures as you would when you’re updating your email systems for mobile-responsiveness.

You’ll still want to make sure that the contents of your website stack neatly and vertically on a phone. This will ensure that no one has to pinch, zoom, or swipe around in order to read and navigate your site effectively.

You may also want to figure out an interesting way to tell your nonprofit’s story through mobile-friendly visuals.

But make sure you’re still limiting the number of large images, as they tend to bog down loading times. Striking the right balance is hard, but not impossible!

To read more best practices for sprucing up your nonprofit’s website, click here.

#4. Make Mobile Fundraising a Part of Every Day.

One of the most important facets of mobile fundraising is that it allows your donors to be able to communicate with you from wherever they are, whenever they’d like.

With that in mind, it’s easy to see why you should consider making mobile giving a part of your everyday strategy.

From live fundraising events to direct appeals and so much more, your nonprofit can incorporate every kind of mobile giving into your plans.

For instance, if you’re hosting an auction, you might consider looking into mobile bidding technology.

And if you’re trying to ramp up your year-end giving, you may want to research the ways that email donation buttons can significantly increase annual gifts.

Not to mention the kind of funds that launching a text-to-give campaign at a benefit concert could raise!

If you need further advice on buying software, consult @Pay’s informative article.

#5. Incorporate Mobile into Your Stewardship.  

Nothing is more important than giving your donors a great thank-you experience.

And with mobile giving technology, your nonprofit can make that goal a reality.

Before the advent of online fundraising, a donor would have to mail in a check or submit one in person (at a gala or other event) and then wait a few days (or weeks, in some cases) to hear that the organization appreciated their donation.

Now, when a donor makes a mobile contribution, the software automatically sends back at least one message of thanks within a few minutes!

And setting that automated message is as easy as apple pie.

In addition to setting up automatic messages of gratitude, your organization can (and should!) also be prepared with personalized email messages to send out to your mobile donors.

You don’t want to leave the conversation with just a “Thanks!” You want to demonstrate to those supporters that their gifts are instrumental to your cause.

So be sure to draft up several different digital letters of thanks throughout the year.

Update your email messages with current project info, real photos of progress, and most of all, sincere words of gratitude.

Because when you thank your donors promptly and personally, you end up with happy, loyal supporters!

Hopefully, this article has enlightened you on some of the ways that you can get started with and incorporate mobile fundraising into your existing strategy.

Until next time, happy fundraising!

Eric Griego is the Director of Business Development at @Pay, a simple Eric Griego Headshotand secure giving platform that provides donors a seamless way to give on a mobile device. He has implemented effective fundraising strategies for hundreds of Nonprofit & Church organizations. In his spare time, he roots for the Denver Broncos while enjoying a nice craft beer.

iPhone photo by Martin Halek