Why Mobile Giving Needs to Be Part of Your Fundraising Strategy

Mobile giving enables donors to contribute effortlessly and to connect with your nonprofit from anywhere at any time. Is your fundraising strategy harnessing the power of mobile donations? If not, now is the time to integrate this impactful approach into your fundraising efforts.

What is Mobile Giving?

Mobile giving is a fundraising activity that allows donors to donate from their cell phones. Mobile donations can be collected via payment gateways, text messages, mobile-optimized websites, and more. The versatility of mobile giving empowers your supporters to connect with your organization from the palm of their hand. The primary benefit? Meeting donors where they are to boost your fundraising efforts.

Numbers Speak Louder

To really grasp the magnitude of the impact of mobile giving, consider the following:

• 1 in 4 donors discover nonprofits through mobile devices.
• 25% of donors complete their donations using a mobile device.
• Mobile giving donations have increased by 205% in the past year.
• 51% of nonprofit website visitors originate from mobile devices.
• A mobile responsive website can increase donations by an average of 126%.

Mobile Giving: How it Works

Mobile giving leverages mobile devices – like smartphones or tablets – to facilitate easy and convenient giving. There are many ways that your nonprofit can leverage mobile giving to enhance your fundraising efforts and engage supporters effectively.

The most common form of mobile donation is a direct donation on your website, making mobile responsiveness extremely important. Your organization must ensure that your donation forms are easily read and used on smaller screens, like a phone or tablet. However, that’s not the only way to give, so let’s dig in.

Mobile-Friendly Donation Pages

When creating any donation form, it is important to think about the payment elements on the form. A mobile-friendly credit card donation form is simple, only asks for necessary information, and is easy to read on small screens.

If you are directing individuals to contribute to your cause through email or social media, it’s crucial to prioritize mobile-responsive donation forms.

GiveWP is made to work effortlessly with the mobile-friendly features of your WordPress theme, making mobile giving a breeze. Your organization can create appealing and adaptable donation forms that look great on any device, including smartphones and tablets. With our native mobile-responsive donation forms, your donors can easily navigate and contribute, ensuring a user-first experience. No more clunky interfaces – just a smooth and seamless mobile giving experience.

Text-to-Give Campaigns

Text-to-give has seen increased adoption among nonprofits as a fundraising strategy because many donors, especially younger demographic groups, prefer mobile-based methods. Often employed during live events, campaigns, and fundraising drives, text-to-give provides an instant and convenient way for supporters to contribute.

Using the Twilio service, Text-to-Give helps your organization cultivate a sense of urgency and responsiveness to drive higher donation rates and foster a stronger donor relationship.

Mobile Payments

If your organization doesn’t offer mobile payment options like Venmo, CashApp, and more, you’re leaving money on the table. More than 40% of Americans use mobile payment options, and this number is expected to double by 2025.

We made a big move in GiveWP 3.0, bringing Stripe Payment Element to core. It’s free to use and empowers your organization to provide flexible and user-friendly payment options. You can now engage supporters through their preferred payment platform without additional add-ons or payment method configuration. Activate the desired payment method(s) in your Stripe account, and it’s ready to use.

Venmo, from PayPal

Harness the ease and appeal of Venmo for nonprofits to enhance your connection with contributors and unlock the full potential of your fundraising efforts. Donors enjoy a smooth donation process, and you get to improve and increase donor engagement.

Your organization can also opt to utilize PayPal donations. PayPal is a well-known and trusted platform for online payments. Nonprofits that use PayPal on their donation forms saw a 32% increase in donations and a 79% increase in recurring gifts.

Introducing Cash App Payments

Cash App is a handy platform that, like Venmo, allows users to send and receive money and make purchases on their phones. By including Cash App as a payment option, your organization can reach a wider audience, potentially increasing donations. As of 2023, there are around 53 million monthly users, with 40% in the 18-29 age group and 33% in the 30-49 range.

Cash App is making a play for older users by adding more banking-like features such as direct deposit, savings accounts, and physical cards. The straightforward transactions on Cash App improve the overall donor experience. Don’t forget that Cash App is only available through Stripe Payment Element and only for forms created using the Visual Donation Form Builder.

Google Pay and Apple Pay

Empower your donors to give with a touch or a glance with Apple Pay. With its widespread adoption, Apple Pay allows your donors to give in seconds, eliminating a barrier that can deter potential supporters.

Let’s not forget about Android users! With Google Pay, you can make collecting payments on your donation forms more accessible.

QR Codes

Some organizations incorporate Quick Response (QR) codes in their fundraising materials. Supporters can scan QR codes using their mobile device’s camera, which directs them to a specific page to complete an action.

Your organization can leverage QR codes to enhance operations, engage supporters, and streamline processes.

Here are some ways you can implement QR codes:

• Place QR codes on promotional materials, such as flyers, banners, and posters, directing people to a donation page.
• Include QR codes on fundraising event tickets or invitations.
• Use QR codes on event signage to provide additional information to attendees.
• Create QR codes that link to videos showcasing success stories or explaining your mission.

Remember to track and analyze the effectiveness of your QR code campaigns using analytics tools to understand user engagement and optimize your strategies accordingly.

Mobile-Friendly Email Campaigns

Design email campaigns with mobile users in mind, using responsive templates and concise content that encourages action. Many of your supporters access their emails on their mobile devices, so ensuring your emails are mobile-friendly is crucial.

Here are a few tips to ensure your email campaigns are optimized for mobile:

• Use responsive email templates that automatically adjust to different screen sizes.
• Craft clear and concise subject lines that grab the attention of your supporters and provide a glimpse of the email’s content.
• Provide succinct yet engaging content. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and compelling visuals.
• Before sending out your campaign, test it across various mobile devices and email clients to ensure consistent rendering and functionality.

Best Practices to Market Mobile Fundraising

Effective mobile fundraising strategies are crucial for nonprofits to reach and engage their supporters. Here are 15 best practices for mobile fundraising options:

1. Build your website with a mobile-friendly platform, like WordPress.
2. Make donating easy by placing buttons in the header and footer so donors don’t have to search for ways to contribute.
3. Simplify mobile donations with clear instructions, like a QR code saying “Scan to Donate.”
4. Speed up the donation process by suggesting donation amounts on forms.
5. Keep forms simple, asking only for essential information. If necessary, you can collect additional information in follow-up emails.
6. Offer multiple payment options like Venmo and Cash App for easy giving.
7. Promote campaigns on user-friendly platforms like social media or Google Ads.
8. Include an option for recurring gifts, especially at lower amounts.
9. Encourage mobile giving through email promotions with easy-to-use buttons.
10. Use compelling images for campaigns and avoid slow-loading videos on mobile devices.
11. Put Text-to-Give or QR codes on print materials.
12. If you have an app, use push notifications to remind supporters about campaigns.
13. Encourage social sharing by your donors.
14. Ensure your website loads quickly, as mobile users have short attention spans.
15. Don’t forget to express gratitude with timely thank-you messages.

Choosing the Best Mobile Giving Platform for Your Fundraising Success

Ensuring the success of a mobile giving program first requires selecting a platform equipped with essential features that empower your organization to optimize mobile giving campaigns and achieve your goals. GiveWP stands above the rest, offering a comprehensive suite of features to streamline mobile giving and donor management.

Here are some things to consider when choosing a platform:

• Seamlessly integrates with your main donation platform
• Supports Text-to-Give functionality
• Capable of handling Recurring Donations
• Compatible across operating systems
• Includes gift-matching options
• Offers donors the ability to cover transaction fees
• Provides annual tax receipts to supporters
• Offers secure payment processing
• Access to mobile-friendly payment methods like Venmo and Cash App

Maximize Your Mobile Giving Strategy Today

Given the prevalence of mobile device usage, it’s crucial to facilitate seamless giving experiences when your cause is top of mind.

Join Camber, Amanda, and Amy to discuss how your organization can maximize a mobile giving strategy – from small lifts to extensive campaigns. We’ll be live on December 13th at 11 a.m. PST/2 p.m. EST. See you there!