When mobile fundraising was successful by major nonprofits in recent years as a response to cataclysmic events, many in the nonprofit sector realized it was time to take a look at this technology for our fundraising campaigns.
Where does wireless fundraising stand today?
More than 88 percent of households now have wireless phones. And in lower income households, members frequently have cell phones if they have no other computer.
A December 2012 study by the Centers for Disease Control found that 58 percent of households are either solely or mostly relying on wireless at home. That number has likely increased by another 10 percent since the study was done.
Happily, today a mobile campaign is within reach of virtually any nonprofit with a just-decent technology infrastructure.
Some great mobile apps are available to help you get your mobile fundraising strategy in place. Some are free, a few are available only for nonprofits that are mid-sized and up, but there is plenty to choose from now that mobile fundraising is main stream.
For broadcast texting, the more you want your service provider to do, the more you’ll pay for a campaign. Mozes offers text and voice campaigns that start at $10 per month. TextMarks offers a free trial for a broadcast text messaging group and has options ranging from $19 to $199 per month.
Connect2Give is a well-regarded package for mobile fundraising. With an approximate $1,000 annual subscription, depending on the services you choose, it’s certainly not cheap. But Tech Soup offers nonprofits about a 50 percent discount on this product.
Since many people access the Web from their phones, you need to be aware of how mobile friendly your website is for allowing mobile phone users to donate on your site. Some large website development and hosting services offer free or low cost help with configuring your site for mobile use. You may pay a percentage of your mobile fundraising revenue to the hosting service for this help.
Another key service for mobile phone fundraising is the credit card reader plug-in. Credit card readers for wireless have become easier to use and more accessible to non-iPhone smart phones in the last year.
Square and GoPayment are the two best known devices. PayAnywhere is a third good card reader service with a large customer base.
For any card reader, expect to pay the usual credit card processing fee plus a per-use reader transaction fee. The benefit of being able to respond to an immediate donor impulse in almost any location certainly outweighs these fees.
While you’re looking at adding fundraising tools to your website, don’t forget to check mobile phone fundraising. An online review of the many options and services for will give you a feel for the benefits and limitations of these campaigns.
It can be a great fundraising tool for capturing new donors, to use at your events and for reminding previous donors to give to your current campaign.
Sarah Todd is founder of Change Pioneers, a resource on effective social change leadership. She can be reached at (912) 224-2120 or toddsar@gmail.com.