Resources for your Mobile Donations Campaign

The current landscape can be daunting to any nonprofit embarking on (or expanding) a mobile strategy. But no matter what your needs or goals, there are certain best practices we’d like to share with you. Click here for a list of GoGo’s mobile do’s and don’ts and for a link to GOGO’s presentation on the benefits of a mobile-donation program.

For more information on the mobile industry, how mobile can work for nonprofits and what to expect from a mobile-donation strategy, please visit these links: [resource links]

Do’s and Don’ts

• DO be realistic with your fundraising expectations. Mobile donations are as much about expanding your donor base for the future as they are about boosting donation totals in the short term.
• DON’T engage in a mobile-giving strategy if your organization is uncomfortable with small-denomination donations, or is looking for mobile to provide a huge, one-time funding boost.
• DO make sure your organization meets the minimum requirements of the Mobile Giving Foundation, and be sure to understand and apply the consumer best practices outlined by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), the carriers and consumer groups when reaching out to your donor base.
• DON’T assume that all mobile solutions providers are the same as GoGo. Many use individual short codes for each client, which can increase expenses, sometimes without benefiting the underlying organization.
• DO explore strategies with your existing staff and donor base for information that will help you assess the potential benefits of implementing a mobile strategy.
• DON’T send any SMS communication without the express consent of your intended recipients, or within the scope of their previous authorization. At best, unsolicited messaging squanders goodwill; at worst, it’s a violation of individuals’ protected privacy rights.
• DO begin assembling an “express consent” list of mobile numbers from your donors to provide a launching pad for future mobile marketing, fundraising, or informational initiatives.
• DON’T use all 160 characters in a text message simply because you’re allowed to. Likewise, don’t insist that your donors enter lengthy or complicated messages when trying to donate. Simple words that identify your organization or your campaign work best.
• DO use all available channels and media to improve your fundraising efforts. Just as mobile can be an excellent complement to other means of communicating with your donors and prospects it’s also used effectively in conjunction with a multi-pronged messaging and donation approach, where mobile is integrated into each channel your organization uses.