Establishing a predictable donation pipeline is critical to your nonprofit’s longevity. However, with the average donor retention rate sitting around 45%, many nonprofits struggle to sustain newly acquired donors’ support. So, how can your organization beat the odds and develop a loyal donor base that you can count on year after year?

The answer is with a strong text messaging strategy. Text messaging is one of the best communication tools in nonprofits’ disposal, allowing organizations to reach supporters directly with personalized messaging. By regularly texting your supporters, you can show the value in supporting your organization, develop deeper relationships, and encourage recurring giving. 

In this guide, we’ll cover four best practices to increase your donor retention rate with text messaging. In no time at all, you’ll have a loyal donor pool you can count on year-round! 

Market your text messaging campaign

Before you can start sending your supporters inspiring messages, you need to get your supporters to opt-in to your text messaging campaign. Building up a robust contact list is easy when you have a strong multichannel marketing strategy. 

Tatango’s guide to nonprofit text messaging recommends leveraging these platforms to get the word out about your text messaging campaign:

• Email newsletters: Include a compelling call to action to sign up for your text-to-give campaign in your next email newsletter. You should highlight the specific benefits of opting into your messages, including receiving regular updates about your mission and the ease and accessibility of giving on the go. 
• Social media: Get creative with your promotional content on social media, such as sharing a video of a volunteer explaining how to opt-in by texting your keyword to your SMS short code. Or, provide a quick snippet from one of your nonprofit’s leaders explaining why support is needed for your text-to-give campaign. Use relevant hashtags in your caption to expand your audience and bring in new supporters. 
• Your website: Develop a landing page dedicated to your text-to-give campaign. Detail the purpose of your text fundraiser, steps to sign up, and the impact donors’ contributions will have on your mission. 

Keep in mind that nonprofits aren’t as strictly subject to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act as for-profit businesses, meaning that your organization is allowed to opt-in supporters based on implicit consent. For example, if a donor gave to your organization in the past and optionally added their phone number in the donation form submission, you’re permitted to opt them into your campaign on their behalf. 

Just make sure you provide a simple option for donors to opt out of your text messages if they choose to do so, such as texting “STOP.” This way, you can maintain strong donor relationships built on trust and respect. 

Leverage donor stewardship tactics

Once supporters join your text messaging campaign, you don’t want to immediately ask them to give to your organization. Instead, leverage donor stewardship tactics to deepen your relationships, develop emotional connections, and inspire recurring generosity. This way, supporters will be much more likely to act on your donation appeals when the time is right. 

Use the following donor stewardship strategies in your texts:

• Provide updates on your mission: Let your supporters know how much was raised from your most recent fundraising campaign, how your newest community program is making a difference, or the results of this past year’s hard work with a link to your annual report. 
• Share stories from your beneficiaries: Highlight impact stories from real people you’ve helped in the community to establish your organization’s credibility and emotionally appeal to supporters. This also helps to demonstrate how donations are used to spark real change in the issue area you work in. With the right text messaging software, you can easily add in multimedia elements like pictures and videos to inspire audiences. 
• Use gamification tools: Send polls or quizzes that test supporters’ knowledge of your mission to keep them tapped into your organization and eager to learn more. 
• Offer different ways to get involved: Share opportunities to get more involved in your mission beyond donating, such as peer-to-peer fundraising for your upcoming walk-a-thon, volunteering at your next community program, or taking a tour of your facilities. 

You can also personalize your stewardship strategies based on what you’ve learned about your supporters so far. For example, if a certain portion of your supporters are passionate about your animal welfare organization’s adoption program, you might create a text messaging segment just for them where you send daily updates on the animals who’ve found new homes. 

Create compelling donation appeals

Once you’ve developed a strong relationship with your subscribers, it’s time to create compelling donation appeals. Use these best practices to make a strong ask and boost donations: 

• Make your ask personal: Address your supporters by name to catch their eye and use details from their past engagement history to inform your request. 
• Be straightforward: Ask for a specific amount, such as $15 or $25, rather than just asking donors to give. Use active voice and express urgency, such as saying “Give $15 to our campaign to end child hunger by midnight!” 
• Explain how the donation will be used: Contextualize how the donation will fuel your mission. For example, you might say “By donating $25, we will be able to provide ten animals in our care with food for a month.”  

Be sure to provide a short link to your mobile-friendly donation page so supporters can easily complete the donation process right from their phones. This added convenience makes it simpler for supporters to send in their gifts and play an important role in your nonprofit’s mission. 

Regularly show donor appreciation

With the right text-to-donate software, you can generate personalized thank-you notes right after supporters give. Show supporters they’re valued by adhering to these appreciation strategies:

• Acknowledge how much donors gave and the specific campaign they donated towards. 
• Explain how this donation impacted your progress, such as stating how you’re now 60% on the way toward meeting your goal. Reiterate the impact this will have on your mission. 
• Offer opportunities for further involvement, such as sharing your donation page with friends and family or volunteering at your nonprofit’s next event. 

eCardWidget’s guide to thanking donors also recommends reaching out to donors and expressing appreciation on other occasions outside of giving, such as milestone occasions (like the number of years they’ve been supporting your nonprofit) or on birthdays. Following up on important dates shows that your nonprofit genuinely cares about each of its supporters and sees them as a vital part of your organization’s mission.

Donor retention is a key piece of any successful fundraising strategy. As you roll out these best practices, use your text-to-donate software to assess your performance by looking at metrics like conversion rate and percentage of returning donors. This will give you a good idea of the type of content and relationship-building tactics that most resonate with supporters.