30 Years of SMS and the History of Mobile Fundraising

What is SMS messaging?

Before we get into the history of text message marketing, let's review the basics of SMS, another term used to describe text message marketing.

An SMS message (short message service) is a text message that people send to mobile devices. These messages can only contain up to 160 characters and can be made up of text, links, clickable phone numbers, and emojis. There are also MMS messages (multimedia messaging services), which can include additional media content like images, GIFs, videos, and audio files, and have a character limit of 5,000.

SMS and MMS messages are commonly used by brands and nonprofits to create marketing campaigns that target supporters and customers. Organizations also use SMS and MMS as a communication tool to send notifications such as donation confirmations, event reminders, and campaign updates.

The first text message ever sent

It all began on December 3, 1992, when a 22-year-old British engineer named Neil Papworth, a software developer at Sema Group Telecoms, sent the first SMS text to Vodafone Director Richard Jarvis.

The first text message was sent from Papworth's computer to his friend's cell phone at a party across town and consisted of 15 characters which spelled the words "Merry Christmas." Jarvis wasn't able to answer back since his brick-sized Orbitel 901 mobile phone didn't have a QWERTY keyboard yet.

"I had no idea just how popular texting would become, and that this would give rise to emojis and messaging apps used by millions. I only recently told my children that I sent that first text message. With hindsight, it's clear to see that the Christmas message I sent was a pivotal moment in mobile history." — Neil Papworth

Neil Papworth was born and raised in Reading, United Kingdom. At the age of 16, he left school to complete an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in computer studies. In his spare time, Papworth became an expert in dial-up bulletin board systems, the forefather of social media. In April 1991, after finishing a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Computer Sciences, Papworth joined Sema Telecom's graduate program.

By that year, the idea of SMS text messaging was coming into existence — some devices could receive messages, but still, none could send texts. Papworth had been working to create a Short Messaging Service (SMS) for his client, Vodafone. Sema Telecoms was hired by Vodafone to create a text messaging system. The goal was to let secretaries send text messages to directors and technicians instead of phone calls. Little did Papworth know what his invention would become. This successful creation of text messaging brought about the introduction of texting in other industries.

By 1992, mobile phones could receive and send SMS text messages. These first text messages were free and could only be sent between people on the same mobile network, such as AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile.

In 1993, Nokia presented a new SMS feature — a "beep" which meant you had an incoming message — and in 1994, IBM launched "Simon," a mobile phone with a touchscreen, which could be considered the first "smartphone."

It wasn't until 1995 that Papworth himself was able to afford his first mobile phone. After setting up Vodafone's SMS texting service, he established texting systems around the world, from Toronto and Seattle to Sydney and Singapore. That same year, the Tegic system, also known as "T9," arrived with its predictive text technology. The world would never be the same.

Texting becomes a modern form of communication

In 1997, Nokia introduced the Nokia 9000i Communicator — the first mobile phone that came with a QWERTY keyboard. Since text messaging had a 160-character limit, early adopters invented their own text language, also referred to as text speak or "txt spk." This contained terms like LOL (laughing out loud) and ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing) as well as emoticons — symbols made from keyboard characters such as :'-) and :-* to show emotions. Later on, this would inspire the invention of the first official emojis.

In 1999, seven years after Papworth's first text message, affordable phone contracts and smaller phones were introduced, and texting could be exchanged between different networks, which increased text messaging's popularity more than ever before.

By 2002, more than 250 billion SMS messages were sent all around the world.

Around 2003, 5- and 6-digit short codes for use with SMS marketing were introduced. With this, major brands started to launch huge SMS marketing campaigns. Short codes are easier for consumers to recall and are easier to text into versus a 10-digit phone number.

Four years later, in 2007, Apple launched the iPhone in the United States. This revolutionary mobile phone included a virtual keyboard, which became the standard design pattern for modern smartphones. In this same year, the average number of text messages per month exceeded the monthly phone calls made, and the number of active text message users reached 2.4 billion worldwide, making texting the main form of mobile communication.

In 2010, the Cambridge Dictionary officially added "text" as a verb, meaning to send a text message. One year later, in 2011, Apple's iMessage was introduced — an instant messaging service that works exclusively on Apple platforms: macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS.

In the subsequent years, many smartphone owners started using other instant messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and iMessage instead of regular texting apps. But SMS messaging remains the most widely used device feature — around 5 billion people can send and receive SMS messages, and more than 200,000 SMS texts are sent every second.

Elizabeth Bruton, the curator of technology and engineering at the Science Museum in London, described texting as "an important development in the history of mobile telephones." Bruton said, "For the very first time, we have mobile phones that are more than just literal mobile phones, moving beyond voice communications to a new application of the mobile spectrum — to sending, literally, text messages." As every smartphone user knows, SMS text messaging is easy to use, and there is no need for Wi-Fi or a data connection.

This makes text messaging one of the most popular, widely used ways to get in touch with friends, family, and brands.

The rise of mobile fundraising (2010–2015)

Apple's iPhone launch in 2007 transformed mobile devices from communication tools into personal computers. Suddenly, a text message could include a link to a fully functional web page — a donation form, an event registration, a petition.

This was the inflection point for nonprofit mobile fundraising. The 2010 Haiti earthquake response became a landmark moment: the Red Cross raised over $32 million through a "Text HAITI to 90999" campaign where $10 donations were charged to phone bills. Text-to-give entered the mainstream vocabulary overnight.

But the phone-bill model had limitations — fixed donation amounts, carrier fees, and no donor data. The industry evolved toward the model used today: supporters text a keyword, receive a link to a mobile-optimized donation page, and give directly. This approach kept the simplicity of SMS while unlocking flexible giving and donor relationship management.

From campaigns to channels (2015–2022)

As texting matured, leading nonprofits stopped treating SMS as an occasional campaign tool and started treating it as an ongoing communication channel — alongside email, direct mail, and social media.

Key developments during this period:

• A2P (Application-to-Person) messaging enabled mass text campaigns through dedicated short codes and registered 10DLC numbers.
• MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) added images, GIFs, and video to text messages, enabling richer storytelling.
• Two-way messaging let supporters reply directly, turning broadcasts into conversations.
• Segmentation and automation made it possible to personalize messages at scale.
• Peer-to-peer (P2P) texting gave campaigns a more personal, grassroots channel for voter outreach and volunteer coordination.

By this period, text messaging had become a multi-billion-dollar fundraising channel. Political campaigns, in particular, demonstrated the power of SMS at scale — raising hundreds of millions through small-dollar text donations.

Today, brands use SMS — commonly called mobile fundraising or text fundraising — to regularly engage with their constituents. By offering supporters incentives to opt in to their SMS marketing campaigns, nonprofits and political organizations grow their subscriber lists and gain support for their mission by engaging constituents and receiving donations.

The AI era (2023 and beyond)

The latest evolution: AI is transforming every layer of text messaging for nonprofits.

• AI-driven segmentation automatically groups supporters by engagement patterns and giving behavior, replacing manual list management.
• AI message composition helps teams draft, rephrase, and optimize messages faster.
• Smart send-time optimization delivers messages when each supporter is most likely to engage.
• Engagement scoring identifies which supporters are most responsive and which are at risk of opting out.

Meanwhile, new messaging formats are emerging. RCS (Rich Communication Services) adds branded sender identity, read receipts, and interactive features. WhatsApp extends reach globally. And iOS 26 is raising the bar for sender trust — rewarding compliant, high-engagement programs and filtering out low-quality senders. See iOS 26 and quality senders.

What 30 years of SMS teaches nonprofits

Consumers now open 99% of text messages they receive from brands, and 90% of those messages are read within just minutes. The technology keeps evolving, but the fundamentals haven't changed:

• Permission matters. SMS works because people opt in. Protect that trust.
• Relevance beats volume. Targeted, personalized messages outperform generic blasts every time.
• The channel is the relationship. Don't just ask for money. Share impact, say thank you, and invite participation.
• Simplicity wins. The best text messages are short, clear, and easy to act on.

SMS started as "Merry Christmas" typed on a computer. Thirty years later, it's one of the most effective tools nonprofits have for connecting with supporters and driving impact. momoGood Messaging combines the reach and immediacy of SMS with AI-powered tools built for modern nonprofit fundraising — so you can focus on your mission while your messages do the work.