Your donors carry your organization in their pockets — literally. The question is whether you're actually showing up there.
The what
Text messaging isn't just for quick updates anymore — it’s becoming a legitimate fundraising channel. Mobile list sizes grew 8% last year, along with growth in both clickthrough rates and response rates.
But here's what really matters: your donors are already comfortable with text. They use it to coordinate their lives, stay in touch with friends, handle their banking, and manage their schedules. When you text them about your mission, you're meeting them in a space where they're already paying attention.
The why
Think about how you interact with your own phone. Email? That's something you check when you have time. Texts? You read those immediately. That split-second difference changes everything about engagement.
The real power of text messaging isn't just about adding another channel. It's about timing and attention. When someone receives a text from you, they see it. Whether they act on it is another question, but at least you've cleared the first hurdle: being noticed.
Most nonprofits are barely scratching the surface here. Mobile lists are about a quarter the size of email lists, and organizations send far fewer texts than emails. That's not necessarily wrong — texts should feel more intentional, more urgent, more worth the interruption. But it does mean there's significant room to grow without overwhelming anyone.
Should you care?
Texting isn't about replacing or repurposing your email program. Think of it as the tool you pull out when immediacy matters.
The organizations seeing real results from messaging are treating texts like the valuable real estate they are — limited, attention-grabbing, and worth protecting.
Your donors already have their phones in hand. The question is whether you're giving them a compelling reason to respond when you reach out.
Learn how to integrate text-to-give tools with Fundraise Up.