Nonprofit Fundraising Guide: SMS and MMS Donations

The launch of Apple's first iPhone in 2007 opened the way for a new era of nonprofit fundraising and communications. Since then, many 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations have been using text messaging to connect with donors and volunteers. Over the past three years, online giving has grown 42%, according to data tracked by the M+R Benchmarks Report, which surveys hundreds of nonprofits annually on their digital fundraising performance.

With more than 10 million non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide, competition is tough. Raising funds for your nonprofit organization is quite challenging, and standing out in the crowd and attracting committed donors isn't easy.

While not everyone has access to the internet, there are more than 5 billion people around the globe who own a mobile phone, which means they're able to send and receive text messages. Plus, 90 percent of text messages are opened within three minutes and SMS messages have a 209 percent higher response rate than other communication channels such as email, phone calls, and social media like Facebook and Twitter.

Text messages have a 99 percent read and open rate compared to other communication methods, such as email, which only has a 20 percent open rate.

That's why text message marketing is the most effective tool for your nonprofit to engage with donors, recruit and coordinate volunteers, share updates, and much more. In this guide, you'll learn how to use text message marketing for your nonprofit fundraising, and you'll see examples of real text messages from top nonprofit organizations.

Why Text Message Marketing Can Help Nonprofits Increase Donations

First of all, what is text message marketing? Also known as SMS marketing, text message marketing is a combination of commercial text messaging-related practices. In general, text message marketing involves sending mass SMS text messages to a specific audience.

There are two types of messages that can be sent to supporters: SMS (short message service) and MMS (multimedia messaging service). SMS text messages are short messages sent to mobile devices. They generally contain only text, up to a maximum of 160 characters. In comparison, MMS can contain up to 5,000 characters and additional media such as images, GIFs such as countdown clocks, donation thermometers, videos, and audio files.

The distinction between SMS and MMS matters because each format serves different strategic purposes. SMS is ideal for time-sensitive, action-oriented messages: a donation deadline, a quick reminder, a thank-you. MMS is better suited for storytelling: a photo of a beneficiary, a short video from the field, an infographic showing campaign progress. Research from the Nielsen Norman Group on mobile content consumption shows that visual content on mobile devices captures attention more effectively than text alone, which helps explain why MMS messages consistently drive higher engagement than SMS-only campaigns.

momoGood Messaging is the text messaging marketing industry leader, enabling nonprofit fundraisers to increase donations, reach out to volunteers, and communicate with their supporters through text message campaigns.

Nonprofit and mission-driven organizations' fundraising campaigns are in constant competition with many other charitable causes and groups. Even though donors are passionate people always willing to help the causes they love, there's a limit to how much they can give to those causes. Building strong relationships with your supporters is a way to stay top-of-mind when it comes to fundraising. Never underestimate the power of small donors!

Text message marketing enables you to send captivating bulk text messages to stay connected with all your subscribers, as well as to communicate with donors, event participants, and volunteers. While most nonprofit organizations use email, phone, and newsletters to stay in touch with their audiences, most people prefer receiving text messages. 75% of donors prefer short, self-contained content.

Additionally, twice per month is how often donors want to receive text messages.

With momoGood Messaging, you can send up to 5,000 characters in MMS messages, so you have plenty of room to explain your cause and share updates with your subscribers. You can also include attractive subject lines and eye-catching images and GIFs to gain your supporters' attention and increase your engagement.

Tips for Nonprofits to Generate Donations Via Text Messages

Regardless of what type of text messages you're sending, here are a few tips that can help guide your nonprofit mobile fundraising in the right direction.

Include One Clear Call To Action in Every Message

As text message marketing experts, we recommend that you always consider adding a clear call to action (CTA) in every text message your nonprofit campaign sends. Subscribers should always know exactly what you want them to do. Do you want them to donate, register, or sign up? Besides being a great communication channel, SMS messaging is also an effective method for generating action. Text message ROI is 5x higher than social and digital ads (2021 M+R Benchmark Report).

Whether you use SMS or MMS messages, always tell your subscribers why you're texting them and how they can support your nonprofit organization in every message.

The best CTAs are the ones created around your campaign's key functions, such as call to give, attend an event, or volunteer. Nonprofit fundraising campaigns are generally time-sensitive. That's why it's essential to create a sense of urgency in the text messages you send and inform those you are trying to reach about important fundraising deadlines to achieve your goals.

For example, the organization March of Dimes sent a clear, time-sensitive text message to generate action, inviting their supporters to "give right now" to have three times the impact of their donation. See 21 donation message examples for more inspiration.

Keep Your Text Messages Simple and Eye-Catching

momoGood has the ability to send both MMS and SMS messages.

With MMS messaging you can include eye-catching content like images, GIFs, and videos to create more engaging and attractive messages that can have a more significant impact on your small donors.

Traditional SMS messages are limited to 160 characters, so it's imperative that you keep your message simple. Subscribers like to receive short, easy-to-digest text messages. Text messaging, when done legally, is a direct, spam-free channel to your audience. Most people only spend a few seconds opening and reading text messages. To achieve quick responses, your goal should be to send skimmable SMS messages.

momoGood's AI Message Composer can help you craft and preview your message before sending bulk texts so you can deliver a compelling and concise message within the character length.

Messages and visuals that highlight an urgent problem donors can solve create emotion and drive action, which will increase your nonprofit SMS donations. According to a study conducted by Deborah Small, a Wharton School of Business marketing professor, when an organization wants to raise money for a charitable cause, appealing to the heart instead of the head will drive more donations.

For example, the Humane Society of America sent a fundraising message that described an urgent problem donors can solve. A timely text message like this with compelling visuals and a problem to solve can help increase the conversion rate and average gift amount.

Keep It Personal

Personalized text messages boost click-through rates and engagement and help you gain donors' attention efficiently and conveniently. It's important for donors to feel a personal connection with the causes they love and support. With momoGood's donor scoring and segmentation, you can incorporate your supporters' names, last gift amount and more into your text messages. Make supporters feel special and important by sharing exclusive and important updates with them.

For example, Conservation International uses merge tags to personalize text messages, gain their subscribers' attention, and generate action. This kind of personalization makes each message feel like a one-on-one conversation rather than a mass broadcast. See personalized SMS marketing for more strategies.

Examples of Nonprofits Fundraising Via SMS

Below, we share some examples of how nonprofits use text message marketing for fundraising.

The Humane Society of America

The Humane Society of America, founded in 1954, is a nonprofit organization that focuses on ending suffering for all animals. The organization's text message subscribers receive news, invitations to special events, fundraising messages, and information on how they can help protect animals. For example, the organization sent a short, time-sensitive text message to their subscribers inviting them to activate their membership through a direct link.

The thermometer in this type of message adds urgency, and with momoGood Messaging, you can send text messages with animated thermometers for goal-focused campaigns.

Conservation International

Conservation International is an American environmental nonprofit organization that works to spotlight and secure the critical benefits to humanity that nature provides, such as fresh water, food, and a stable climate. Conservation International's text marketing campaign participates in #GivingTuesday and includes updates on its efforts, captivating images, and problems donors can solve.

These types of messages help Conservation International fundraise by keeping their supporters informed and showing them ways to take action each week.

SMS vs. MMS: When to Use Each Format

Knowing when to send SMS versus MMS can significantly improve your campaign performance. Here is a practical framework:

• Use SMS for: Time-sensitive donation appeals, event reminders, opt-in confirmations, brief thank-you messages, and any message where speed and brevity are the priority.
• Use MMS for: Campaign launches, impact stories with photos, fundraising thermometers, event invitations with branded graphics, and year-end appeals where visual storytelling drives emotional engagement.
• Use both together: Send an MMS to launch a campaign with a compelling image and story, then follow up with SMS reminders as the deadline approaches. This one-two combination leverages the storytelling power of MMS with the urgency of SMS.

According to the CTIA, the wireless industry trade association, MMS message volume has grown steadily as carriers have improved support for rich media on mobile devices. For nonprofits, this means MMS deliverability is more reliable than ever, and the engagement premium it offers over SMS-only messages makes it well worth the slightly higher per-message cost.

Getting Started with SMS and MMS Fundraising

To run an effective SMS/MMS fundraising program, you need a platform that supports both message types, handles TCPA compliance, provides segmentation and automation, and tracks donation attribution per message.

momoGood Messaging supports SMS and MMS with AI-powered composition, smart segmentation, and send-time optimization — all in one platform built for nonprofit fundraising. With seamless integrations into your existing tools, you can be up and running quickly.

We'd love to talk to you about how momoGood can help your nonprofit organization communicate with those who stand with your mission and support all the hard work your team is doing. Chat with an SMS marketing expert today.