The trend to send a short code text to non-profit organizations like the Red Cross is fairly new, but people enjoy sending donations this way. Last month's study from the mGive Foundation, an organization that focused on users giving donations with their cell phones demonstrated that there is a lot of potential in sending contributions this way.
Key findings showed that 85 percent of respondents rated this text messaging service "excellent or good" and the majority of donations fell between the $25 to $50 range.
"The old models of fundraising are rapidly giving way to a new paradigm for donor engagement with cell phones and other mobile devices at the core of how people connect with their favorite causes," Sean Milliken director of eBay's non-profit strategy told Forbes.
Many people may decide to make a donation at the moment because it is so easy to type in that short code. About 76 of text donations are from individuals who do not have much knowledge on a program, according to the Pew Research Center. Instead of ending the path of communication after the "thank you text," this is the best time to build awareness through an SMS marketing strategy.
Charities are using text alerts as a way to potentially increase engagement with interest parties through future surveys, volunteer opportunities or upcoming developments. All three categories saw increases from 2012. mGive found that 37 percent out of over 900,000 participants said they wanted to continue hearing about their cause.
Groups that wish to build their own short code text platform to simplify operations for future donors can reach out to an established developer like Swift SMS Gateway.
