2023 saw a lot of changes in nonprofit marketing and fundraising. Our friends at MissionWired, a premiere agency for nonprofits with whom we share multiple clients, released a pivotal report on digital fundraising in 2023.
As we move into 2024, the importance of a holistic digital fundraising strategy can’t be overstated. In this blog post, we’ve pulled some of the can’t-miss statistics and strategies that your nonprofit organization needs to be using in 2024. Let’s take a look at some of the key elements of the report from MissionWired.
Email Volume Is (Still) Increasing
This is nothing new, as the volume of emails, especially during the end-of-year giving season, has been steadily increasing since 2019. The chances of those emails being seen (and opened), however, are decreasing. With organizations sending around 45 emails per year, constituent inboxes are crowded.
If your constituents are receiving 3.5 emails per month from your organization, and 3.5 emails per month from all the other organizations and brands they support, the chances of your organization’s emails being seen are greatly decreased.
What can be done to get your message seen by your constituents? The answer lies in a multi-channel strategy.
A Holistic Multi-Channel Strategy is Key
Relying solely on email or direct mail for fundraising will not allow you to reach your campaign goals. Not every channel is going to grow (or have the ROI) at the rate that your organization wants and needs in order to achieve your fundraising goals and advance your mission.
It’s important to note the report stated that not all organizations had increased growth across every channel, overall nonprofits saw an increase in revenue when utilizing an integrated multi-channel approach. You have heard the saying “a rising tide lifts all boats”. Employing a holistic, multi-channel approach will lift all your fundraising channels -email, direct mail, SMS, paid media, and more. The data from the MissionWired Digital Fundraising Report backs that up. One MissionWired client achieved a 93% increase in overall revenue,a 108% increase in gifts, and a 74% increase in new donors.
A significant area of growth for them came when they launched a peer-to-peer acquisition texting program, which drove a 357% ROI in the year-end giving season.
Texting is A High-ROI Channel
The use of SMS as a nonprofit fundraising and engagement channel soared in 2023. According to the report from MissionWired, organizations sent nine messages in 2023. For one nonprofit organization, when compared to other channels such as email or web, SMS had a 150% growth year over year.
Organizations such as March of Dimes, Alzheimer’s Association, Holt International, and others are seeing great success when they include texting as part of their digital fundraising strategy. Texting can be an especially effective tool for mission-driven nonprofits to raise more and amplify their mission. SMS is an innovative communication channel, allowing nonprofits to connect directly with their constituents, in a way that email and direct mail don’t.
Text messages have a 99% open rate and a 90% read rate within 3 minutes of sending. At Tatango, we’ve helped organizations raise over $400 million and we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t when it comes to digital fundraising with text. The best practice for SMS is to use it as a direct and engaging communication tool.
Texting does not (and should not) have to be used only for donation asks. It can be used for peer-to-peer event engagement, crisis management and updates, internal communications, and more. With the ability to send millions of messages within seconds, SMS is a communication channel that can engage constituents directly, increase fundraising, and amplify your mission.
Digital Fundraising Best Practices for Nonprofits in 2024
For 2024, nonprofits need to be following best practices in digital fundraising to achieve their goals and maximize impact.
A few best practices suggested in the report by MissionWired are:
- Use personalization in your messages
- Craft messages with compelling imagery
- Use urgent language to motivate donors
Personalization is Key in Digital Fundraising
A personal touch can make your communications stand out from the barrage of messages that your constituents receive. Whether it be using their first name in the subject line of your email or including their donation history in a text message, reminding them of your connection can increase the visibility of your message. Text messages particularly can be a powerful way to connect with your constituents in a personalized way. Tatango data shows that in 2023, a whopping 64% of multimedia texts were personalized.
Use Compelling Graphics To Increase ROI
A picture is worth 1,000 words, and telling your nonprofit’s story well is key to maximizing donations and amplifying impact. When communicating with your constituents, a compelling and evocative graphic can help tell your nonprofit’s story well. Tatango analyzed over 100 of the top ROI-grossing text messages. One key thing they all had in common: multimedia. Whether it be a compelling video, graphic, emojis, or GIFs, nonprofits that saw the highest ROI messages included multimedia.
Use Urgency In Your Fundraising Campaigns To Motivate Donors and Increase Donations
Meeting end-of-month, end-of-quarter, and especially end-of-year fundraising goals is critical to the success of nonprofits. Time and again, we have seen that the most engaging and effective messages are those that use urgent language.
Conservation-focused nonprofits can use SMS to send last-minute donation pleas with a simple text that might say “We’re almost at our donation goal. Any gift sent in the next 4 hours will be matched!” To increase donations with urgent messaging, be sure to include a link that directs supporters to a mobile-responsive donation page. Tatango data shows that 96% of high-ROI multimedia texts placed a link at the end of the text.
But urgency is not solely limited to donation asks. A healthcare organization, for example, could use texting internally to share last-minute shift changes. Another urgent message could call for final requests for survey responses. Include urgent language in your messaging as the deadline for response approaches.
As you craft your campaigns for 2024, take a look at the report created by MissionWired. The tips, statistics, and best practices can help your organization increase donations and amplify your mission. If you’re ready to learn more or get started with SMS fundraising, contact the team at Tatango today.
