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Mobile Fundraising 101: Benefits and Tips for Success

8 min read
October 17, 2024
Shannon Whitehead headshot
Shannon Whitehead
Content Strategist, Neon One

The time when mobile phones existed only for talking and texting is long gone. We do almost everything on our phones—they’re where we see what our friends had for lunch, check in for flights, watch videos of babies trying lemons, and, yes, even donate to our favorite causes.

It’s no wonder mobile fundraising is on the rise! Raising money for important missions is one of the best ways to utilize the mobile devices in everyone’s hands or by everyone’s side for most of the day.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of mobile fundraising, plus tips and best practices to make it work for your nonprofit and potential challenges to keep in mind.

What Is Mobile Fundraising?

Mobile fundraising refers to using any type of mobile device to raise funds for a charitable cause. Simply put, mobile fundraising puts our modern smart devices to good use to generate funds for mission-driven organizations.

There are many ways to take advantage of mobile fundraising. Common mobile giving options are:

  • Text-to-give, in which donors can send a text message to a specific number (often including a specific keyword) to donate
  • Mobile donation pages, which are mobile-optimized website pages where supporters can quickly make donations through a mobile-friendly donation form
  • Fundraising apps, either third-party or developed by the organization to process donations
  • QR codes that allow supporters to scan the code with their phone to be directed to a mobile donation page or other platform
  • Text-to-communicate, which uses text messaging to engage with donors and send quick updates or reminders—including fundraising campaign updates or donation page links.

Check out the article below to learn more about our text-to-communicate tool, which is built right into Neon CRM and empowers you to reach your constituents conveniently and quickly and send highly relevant, targeted messages.

The Rise of Mobile Fundraising

With the growing popularity of mobile everything else, mobile fundraising has also seen a boost. In 2023, online donation pages had an average conversion rate of 8% on mobile devices, and the number of transactions completed through mobile devices increased by 50%. That’s huge! 

And it’s even more reason to offer convenient mobile giving options for your supporters. They do everything else on their mobile device—they should be able to donate to your organization with ease, too.

The Benefits of Mobile Fundraising

If you’re leading an organization that wants to raise funds efficiently and effectively (and of course you are!), mobile fundraising will be a huge help.

A few key advantages of mobile fundraising include:

  • Accessibility. You’re equipping your supporters to make donations anywhere, at any time. Using mobile fundraising tools means giving both your organization and your donors a lot of flexibility, and you don’t have to rely on physical events or even traditional computers to get donations. 
  • Convenience. Like using the Target mobile app to buy laundry detergent for later pickup, mobile fundraising is super convenient for donors. By sending a text message or making a few clicks, they can quickly and easily donate at their convenience.
  • Reach. Mobile fundraising extends your reach. Mobile device use is so widespread that offering mobile giving options instantly broadens your audience, which can lead to increased donations and engagement.
  • Engagement. Many mobile tools allow organizations to connect directly with their supporters through instant text updates, reminders, push notifications, and personalized messages.

The increased accessibility, convenience, reach, and engagement of mobile fundraising make it a powerful tool for modern fundraising efforts.

5 Mobile Fundraising Tips and Best Practices

Are you convinced of the power of mobile fundraising? Great! Here are a few ways you can leverage that power to help reach your fundraising goals.

1. Optimize Your Website for Mobile Devices

We briefly mentioned the importance of mobile-optimized donation pages above, but we can’t overstate how crucial they are to your mobile fundraising success. When people donate from a mobile device—whether they click a link in a fundraising email, text message, or social media profile—you want them to have a seamless experience. 

Ensure that your supporters are met with fast load times, user-friendly navigation, and mobile responsive design. This reduces any friction in the giving process, builds credibility, and allows donors to complete their donation with minimal effort on their part.

Not only does an optimized donation page (and website overall) satisfy donors in the moment, but a smooth experience can also encourage repeat donations.

2. Simplify the Donation Process

One of the most important questions you can ask about your mobile fundraising practices is: How simple can I make the donation process?

Simplifying the process means removing unnecessary steps and barriers that could prevent potential supporters from completing their donations. Attention spans are short, and patience for technical errors can be low, so it’s critical to ensure that your mobile giving process isn’t too complex or lengthy.

To simplify the process is to streamline it. Can you offer a one-click donation option? A quick link to your donation form in a text-to-communicate message? Easy integrations like Apple Pay or Google Wallet?

Free your donation process from unnecessary forms or information requests—people are more inclined to donate if the process is fast and straightforward.

3. Use Mobile-Friendly Content

Organizations often add videos, graphics, photos, and text headings to their donation pages to jazz up the look and encourage people to complete their donations. These visual elements are all fantastic ways to engage potential donors, but…they’re not as effective if mobile device users can’t view them properly.

If you use visual content on your donation page (and think it’s a good idea!), make sure it’s mobile-friendly. Is all of the content optimized for smaller mobile screens? Do the images stretch beyond what a mobile user can see? Is the text unreadable on mobile? Do videos play properly, or are their frames too wide for mobile viewing?

4. Leverage Social Media

Social media is often where new donors discover your organization—especially on popular giving days like GivingTuesday. Use it to drive mobile donations! 

Social media is the ideal place to share impact stories, post real-time fundraising campaign updates, and use interactive features (polls, live videos, etc.) to connect with donors. These platforms integrate well with mobile fundraising tools like QR codes and donation buttons, and they also make it easy to direct users to your mobile-optimized donation page. Some are even mobile fundraising tools in their own right, allowing social media users to donate directly inside the platform!

5. Run Text Messaging Campaigns

Want a direct and immediate way to reach current supporters and potential donors? Text them! We’re big fans of email, but SMS open rates are much higher and those messages are more likely to be seen. 

Send concise, targeted text messages with clear calls to action to prompt instant donations. Used sparingly and strategically, text messaging can be one of your most effective mobile fundraising tools.

Beware the Challenges of Mobile Fundraising

Mobile fundraising is an incredible tool that allows you to meet your donors right where they are much of the time—on their mobile devices. However, it comes with a few potential pitfalls you’ll want to watch out for.

1. Data Security

When people give online, they’re exchanging a lot of sensitive information with your organization, such as their credit card details and personal contact information. Unfortunately, doing this exchange through mobile devices can expose both donors and nonprofits to data security threats.

Make sure that your mobile fundraising tools comply with security standards: implement encryption, secure payment gateways, and other measures that will protect people against data breaches and fraud.

2. Donor Fatigue

Direct access to donors is one of the top advantages of mobile fundraising, but it can also lead to donor fatigue. With mobile fundraising tools like text messaging, email campaigns, and social media posts, donors can be overcommunicated by many nonprofits, and this stream of appeals can become overwhelming.

To combat this, try to find a good balance and space out your appeals. Ensure that your communication is thoughtful, and you only send messages—especially text messages—when truly necessary.

3. System Integration

Mobile giving can happen in many ways, but they don’t always integrate seamlessly with all of your organization’s systems. If you use multiple technologies to manage donations, communication, and donor data, it can be tricky to avoid issues like duplicate records and lost information.

For example, mobile donation tools, CRM systems, email marketing platforms, and payment processors all need to sync effectively to accurately track donations coming in from mobile devices. It can be technically complex to make all of your systems work together, but it’s a crucial step. 

Mobile fundraising offers many benefits, making it well worth setting up your systems to support it. With thoughtful planning and attention to potential obstacles, you can harness the power of mobile fundraising to drive greater impact and achieve your mission.

Reach More Donors With Text-to-Communicate

Whether you’re sending donation appeals, event reminders, or thank-you messages, Neon One’s Text-to-Communicate tool can streamline outreach and help keep your supporters connected and motivated to give.

To see how Text-to-Communicate can transform your fundraising strategy, learn more about it below and take a self-guided tour (click the orange button at the top!) to explore it firsthand.

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