Text Fundraising Glossary: Essential Terms for Nonprofits

Ultimate text marketing glossary for nonprofits

In today's digital age, text messaging gives nonprofits a fast, trusted way to reach supporters and raise more. This glossary defines essential terms for text fundraising and text marketing so your team can plan smarter campaigns, steward donors, and scale results. Nonprofit organizations need to be able to communicate with their audience in a way that is quick, efficient, and easy to understand. That's where text messaging comes in.

Text fundraising, also called text-to-give, or SMS (Short Message Service) is a simple and effective way to engage your supporters and donors and increase your fundraising efforts.

Understanding these terms and how they relate to each other can help nonprofits to effectively incorporate text messaging into their fundraising and marketing strategies, ultimately leading to better engagement with supporters and increased fundraising efforts. Here are the top terms to get you familiar with text messaging and demystify it all.

A/B testing

Testing two versions of a message (A vs. B) to learn which drives higher engagement or conversions. Use on copy, MMS vs. SMS, timing, or calls to action.

A2P (Application-to-Person)

Texts sent from a software application to individuals — broadcasts, triggered alerts, reminders, and automations. Common nonprofit uses include fundraising campaigns, event updates, receipts, and supporter journeys. A2P uses approved sender types like short codes or 10DLC long codes, requires registration and compliance, supports high throughput, and must follow consent rules under the TCPA. momoGood is an A2P messaging platform built for nonprofits.

AI-driven segmentation

Automated supporter grouping using behavioral and predictive signals to send the right message at the right time.

AI-generated copy

Using AI to draft or personalize SMS/MMS content at scale while maintaining brand voice and compliance.

Analytics and reporting

Dashboards and exports that track delivery, clicks, replies, conversions, and revenue attributed to text messaging.

Average gift

The total revenue in donations divided by the total number of donations. Use alongside gift count and donor count to track revenue quality and campaign efficiency.

Broadcast texting

One-to-many texting (similar to email "blasts") where a single message is sent to a selected audience at once. Broadcast texting requires prior consent from recipients and is generally classified as A2P. See also Short code and Long code (10DLC).

Call to action (CTA)

A clear instruction that prompts action (e.g., "Give now," "Reply YES," "Register").

Carrier filtering / spam thresholds

Carrier systems that block or throttle messages based on sender reputation, content, and volume. Warm up numbers, avoid spammy content, and maintain healthy cadence.

Click-through rate (CTR)

The number of click-throughs divided by the number of people sent a text message (often expressed as a percentage). Be consistent in your denominator (sent vs. delivered) when benchmarking.

Compliance (TCPA/CTIA)

Legal and industry rules governing consent, disclosures, and sending practices. The FCC's TCPA enforcement page is the authoritative source for federal regulations, while the CTIA publishes industry best practices that carriers use to determine whether to deliver or filter messages. See TCPA nonprofit exemption guide.

Consent (opt-in)

Permission required before sending messages, obtained via web forms, keywords, or written agreements.

Conversion rate

The number of donations divided by the number of people sent a text message (often expressed as a percentage). Teams may also track other action conversions (e.g., registrations).

Conversion pixel / postback

Tracking methods (client-side pixel or server-to-server postback) that attribute a donation or action to a specific send.

Conversational AI

AI-powered, two-way text flows that answer questions, qualify interest, and guide supporters through next steps.

Cultivation text

Texts that do not ask for a donation but build the relationship — thanking, updating, or reporting back on impact. Examples: thanking donors on awareness days, sharing outcomes, or telling a story made possible by donors.

Delivery rate

The percentage of messages successfully delivered to recipients' devices.

Drip / automated series

Pre-built sequences (e.g., welcome series, win-back, event reminders) triggered by time or behavior.

Dynamic content / merge tags

Personalized placeholders (e.g., {{first_name}}, {{last_donation}}) resolved at send time.

Engagement rate

Aggregate measure of interaction (clicks, replies, conversions) relative to messages sent.

Engagement text

Texts that drive non-financial actions such as signing a petition, volunteering, taking a survey/quiz, or learning more about the mission. Use to grow participation and deepen involvement between appeals.

Fallback messaging

If a device or carrier can't receive your intended format, the platform sends a compatible alternative. Example: when an MMS isn't supported, automatically send an SMS version.

Features

Core platform capabilities such as automation, segmentation, inbox, integrations, analytics, and compliance controls.

Fundraising text

Texts that ask recipients to make a donation (one-time or recurring). Can include urgency, matching gifts, or event-to-donate follow-ups. Related: Text-to-give, Personalization, and AI-driven segmentation.

Inbox (messaging inbox)

A centralized workspace for viewing and responding to supporter replies for stewardship, service, and follow-up.

Integrations

Connections to CRMs, donation platforms, analytics, and marketing tools to sync data and attribution. See momoGood integrations.

Keyword

A word or phrase (e.g., "GIVE") texted to a short code or 10DLC to opt in, trigger workflows, or receive info.

List segmentation

Dividing your audience into targeted groups (donors, volunteers, event participants) for relevance and performance.

Long code (10DLC)

A 10-digit number for A2P messaging. In the U.S., A2P use requires brand/campaign registration (10DLC). Unregistered or misuse can lead to carrier filtering. See also A2P.

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)

Messages that can include images, GIFs, short video, or audio, plus longer text (often up to ~5,000 characters depending on platform/carrier). MMS typically drives richer engagement. See also Fallback messaging.

Mobile carriers

Networks that enable message delivery and enforce policies on throughput, content, and sender reputation.

Omnichannel messaging

Coordinated outreach across SMS, email, social, and push to maintain consistency and maximize response. See direct mail vs. mobile marketing.

Open rate

The percentage of recipients who open/read a message. SMS has extremely high visibility compared to other channels. See SMS open rates.

Opt-down / subscription tiering

Let subscribers stay but reduce frequency (e.g., weekly/monthly) instead of fully unsubscribing.

Opt-out

The process by which subscribers unsubscribe (e.g., reply STOP). Platforms must honor opt-out immediately.

Opt-out rate

The number of opt-outs divided by the number of people sent a text message (often expressed as a percentage). Track at the message and program level. See TCPA.

Personalization

Tailoring content based on supporter data and behavior (merge tags, dynamic segments, individualized offers). See personalized SMS marketing.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) texting

Texts are sent one at a time to recipients. This is also known as one-to-one texting. Each text to each supporter requires a separate click to send and allows for extended back-and-forth conversations with supporters.

RCS (Rich Communication Services)

Enhanced messaging that supports rich features like branded sender IDs, larger images and video, carousels, suggested replies/buttons, and read receipts. Availability depends on device and carrier support for RCS by both sender and recipient.

Send

A single outbound message (or blast) delivered to a selected audience at once.

Sender ID

The displayed number or name the message appears to come from (short code, 10DLC, branded sender where supported).

Short code

A 5- or 6-digit number used for high-volume nonprofit SMS with strong deliverability and throughput — especially helpful for time-sensitive or MMS-heavy campaigns. See SMS short codes for nonprofits.

SMS (Short Message Service)

Text-only messages that are universally supported across devices. Standard SMS allows up to 160 characters per segment; using Unicode (e.g., emojis) reduces the characters per segment (often to 70). No images, video, or subject lines in SMS. See also MMS.

SMS gateway

Technology that enables SMS to be sent/received between mobile networks and applications.

Supporter journey

The lifecycle of engagement from opt-in to first gift to recurring giving to advocacy/loyalty.

TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)

U.S. law governing text marketing and fundraising (consent, disclosures, opt-outs). Enacted in 1991 and enforced by the FCC, the TCPA requires organizations to obtain prior express consent before sending marketing or fundraising texts. Violations can result in penalties of $500 to $1,500 per message. Nonprofits receive certain exemptions under the TCPA, but the scope of those exemptions varies and is subject to ongoing FCC rulemaking. See TCPA nonprofit exemption guide.

Text marketing/messaging platform

Software that enables organizations to create, manage, and send SMS/MMS campaigns. momoGood Messaging is a text marketing platform built for nonprofits.

Throughput

The rate at which your messages are transmitted and processed (messages per second). Impacts speed of large sends.

Warm-up (number warm-up)

The practice of gradually increasing sending volume on a new phone number or short code to build sender reputation with carriers. Sending too many messages too quickly from a new number can trigger carrier filtering. A structured warm-up plan — starting with small sends and scaling up over days or weeks — helps establish trust and maximize deliverability from the start.

Zero-party data

Information that supporters voluntarily share (preferences, interests, survey responses) for deeper personalization. Unlike first-party data (which is observed from behavior) or third-party data (which is purchased), zero-party data comes directly from the supporter and tends to be more accurate and privacy-compliant. Examples include survey answers about giving preferences, interest areas selected during opt-in, and communication frequency preferences.

Why understanding these terms matters

Text fundraising is both a marketing discipline and a compliance-sensitive communication channel. Knowing the difference between A2P and P2P, understanding why deliverability depends on sender reputation, and recognizing when to use SMS versus MMS are not just academic distinctions — they directly affect how much money your organization raises and how effectively you engage supporters.

As the text messaging landscape continues to evolve — with developments like RCS, AI-driven personalization, and tighter carrier filtering — the organizations that invest in understanding the fundamentals will be best positioned to adapt and grow their programs.

Ready to learn more?

If you're ready to see how text messaging can amplify your nonprofit's mission and raise record donations, contact us to learn about momoGood Messaging.