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Nonprofit software

10 Best Text-to-Give Platforms for Nonprofits in 2024

November 19, 2024
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Text-to-give or text-to-donate is an easy and effective way for nonprofits to collect donations. Supporters can donate with just a few clicks on their mobile phones, making this method convenient for both donors and organizations. 

Text-to-give allows nonprofits to reach a wider audience as they can engage with younger supporters and simplify the donation process.

Many platforms offer text-to-give services. Choosing the right one can be difficult. 

In this guide, we have listed the 10 best text-to-give/text-to-donate platforms for your nonprofit in 2024.

Our top 10 picks of text-to-give platforms for nonprofits

  1. Qgive
  2. Donorbox
  3. Snowball
  4. OneCause
  5. Handbid
  6. Funraise
  7. Tithe.ly
  8. Trumpia
  9. Tatango
  10. GiveWP

Why nonprofits should opt for text-to-give fundraising

Text-to-give or text-to-donate is an essential strategy for modern nonprofits as it allows organizations to accept donations quickly and easily through mobile phones. This method increases accessibility for donors who can give anytime and anywhere.

Mobile giving donations have increased by 205% from 2023 to 2024. Over half of the visitors to nonprofit websites access them via mobile devices. Many donors, especially younger generations, prefer this method due to its convenience and speed.

Nonprofits using text-to-give can expand their audience, engage supporters, and enhance fundraising efforts.

Best for small to medium-sized nonprofits

1. Qgiv

Qgiv is a text-to-give platform designed for small to medium-sized nonprofits seeking mobile giving capabilities.

Key features:

  • Custom keywords for campaign identification
  • Automated donation confirmations and receipts
  • SMS outreach for fundraising campaigns
  • Donation amount customization
  • Mobile-optimized giving forms

Pricing:

  • $25/month for the giving essentials + $159/month or $387/quarter for 2,000 outbound messages, plus processing, eCheck, and AMEX fees

2. Donorbox

Donorbox is a text-to-give solution that integrates with broader fundraising tools for comprehensive donor management.

Key features:

  • Keyword-based donation triggers
  • Automated donation acknowledgments
  • Text message campaign scheduling
  • Custom donation amounts
  • Two-way messaging capabilities

Pricing:

Donorbox offers three plans: 

  • Standard at $0/month with a 1.75% platform fee
  • Pro at $139/month with a 1.5% flat fee and additional features
  • Premium with personalized support and advanced tools at a custom price

Text to give: $19/month & $50/month for standard & custom keywords, respectively (available on Standard and Pro plans; Custom pricing for Premium plan)

Note: Donorbox payment processor fees may vary depending on the payment method.

3. Snowball

Snowball provides a text-to-give platform offering basic functionalities with a free entry-level option.

Key features:

  • Standard text-to-donate keywords
  • Automated receipt generation
  • SMS donation confirmations

Pricing:

  • Starter Plan:  $0; two keywords accessible
  • Premium Plan: $549/year; includes unlimited text-to-give and after-hours support
  • Professional Plan: $849/year; text to give features and unlimited keywords
  • Enterprise Plan: Starts at $99/month, offers custom integrations and dedicated support, plus all Professional Plan features

Best for event-based fundraising

4. OneCause

OneCause is a versatile text-to-give platform specializing in event-based fundraising integration.

Key features:

  • Real-time text donation tracking
  • Event-specific keywords
  • Automated donor follow-up
  • Text pledge capabilities

Pricing:

Multiple software packages are available for various budgets; contact the team for details

5. Handbid

Handbid integrates text-to-give tool features with auction platforms for a streamlined experience.

Key features:

  • Text bidding notifications
  • Automated outbid alerts
  • Instant winning notifications
  • Text-to-bid functionality
  • Pledge tracking via SMS

Pricing:

Starting at $1,396 plus a credit card processing fee of 3.5% + $0.30

6. Funraise

Funraise is a text-to-give platform that offers tools with comprehensive campaign management capabilities.

Key features:

  • Automated text receipts
  • Custom donation amounts via text
  • Keyword campaign management
  • SMS engagement tracking
  • Donor segmentation for text campaigns

Pricing:

Contact for pricing

Best for faith-based organizations

7. Tithe.ly

Tithe.ly text-to-give platform is ideal for churches and faith-based organizations. The tool offers a giving insights & ministry health dashboard.

Key features:

  • Designated giving via text
  • Recurring donation setup by SMS
  • Text campaign scheduling
  • Congregation-specific keywords

Pricing:

  • Giving: $0 + transaction fee (text to give feature for an additional $19)
  • All-Access: All features available at $119/month

Best for large nonprofits and enterprises

8. Trumpia

Trumpia is an enterprise-level text-to-give platform with advanced automation capabilities and targeting capabilities.

Key features:

  • Advanced SMS automation
  • Custom keyword management
  • Segmented text campaigns
  • Text donation analytics

Pricing:

  • Lite Plan: $49/month or $39/month billed annually for 1,000 SMS messages
  • Core Plan: $118/month or $94/month billed annually for 3,000 SMS messages
  • Advanced Plan: $199/month or $159/month billed annually for 5,000 SMS messages

9. Tatango

Tatango text-to-donate software focusing on large-scale campaign management. It excels in advanced segmentation, marketing, and data analytics.

Key features:

  • Mass text campaign capabilities
  • Advanced donor segmentation
  • Text donation analytics
  • Multi-keyword management

Pricing:

  • $1,000/month for vanity shortcode
  • $500/month for non-vanity shortcode

Best for tech-savvy nonprofits

10. GiveWP

GiveWP is a WordPress-integrated text-to-give solution for website-based fundraising.

Key features:

  • WordPress-native text donations
  • SMS receipt automation
  • Text campaign tracking
  • Keyword management

Pricing:

  • $79/year for text-to-give add-on, powered by Twilio and Stripe
  • Monthly phone number fee: $1 for Twilio
  • SMS message cost: $0.0075 per message (both sent and received) for Twilio
  • Stripe Fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction

5 key features to look for in a text-to-give platform

1. SMS campaign setup

A great text-to-give platform makes it easy to set up SMS keywords and manage shortcodes. You can create different keywords for each fundraising campaign, which helps track your efforts. Custom auto-response messages guide donors through the giving process.

2. Mobile payment processing

Text-to-give systems need to process mobile payments smoothly, and they should let donors choose different donation amounts via text and handle payments right away. Quick confirmation texts reassure donors that their transaction is secure.

3. Text message management

Effective platforms provide tools to manage all your text communications, including sending reminders, confirming donations, and thanking donors. The system should keep track of messages and maintain conversations with each donor.

4. SMS donor experience

Donors should be able to complete their donations entirely through SMS while setting up one-time or recurring gifts with simple text commands. The platform needs to give clear instructions and handle any errors, keeping everything within the text chat.

5. Text analytics

Text-to-give platforms should offer analytics for your SMS campaigns, allowing you to track the number of people who respond to your texts, the number of donations they receive, and the donation amounts that are most popular to improve your fundraising strategies.

Final thoughts on text-to-give platforms for nonprofits

Text-to-give platforms are helpful for nonprofits looking to raise more funds as it is easy for people to donate on mobile. Choose a platform that allows for creative campaigns to enhance your text-to-give efforts.

Mixing fundraising methods, including text-to-give, amplifies your donations and attracts more supporters. Each platform in this guide offers unique features to match your organization’s needs.

Zeffy offers a 100% free fundraising platform with several fundraising and donor management tools to grow your nonprofit.

FAQs on text-to-give

Setting up text donations is a straightforward process. Follow these steps to get started:

  1. Choose a text-to-give platform that fits your nonprofit's needs
  2. Create an account and follow the setup instructions
  3. Select a keyword for donors to text
  4. Get a unique phone number for donations
  5. Customize your donation page for donor transactions
  6. Promote your text donation campaign through social media, newsletters, and events

Text-to-give platforms let people donate using different payment methods. Most often, donors use credit or debit cards, but some platforms also accept digital wallets like PayPal or Apple Pay.

After texting a special keyword, donors enter their payment information on a secure page. It is important to choose a service that offers various payment options so everyone can donate in their preferred way.

To successfully promote your text-to-give campaign, use a mix of marketing channels. Share your message on social media, in email newsletters, and on your website. During donor events, demonstrate how easy it is to give through text.

Team up with community leaders and supporters to spread the word. Keep donors updated on the campaign's progress and its impact to keep them engaged throughout your fundraising efforts.

Text-to-give platforms have set donation limits based on rules from payment processors. These limits apply to each donation, not the total a donor can give.

Most platforms cap donations between $5 and $25 per text, and common amounts like $5 or $10 are often added to the donor's phone bill.

Organizations must check these limits when picking a platform. This way, they can align their fundraising goals with what donors can easily contribute through text messages.

Keep reading :

Nonprofit guides
Text-to-Give for Nonprofits: The Ultimate Mobile Fundraising Guide

Text-to-give is a simple way for nonprofits to accept donations via mobile. Explore the benefits, setup process, and expert tips to streamline mobile giving.

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Link your supporters directly to your giving page with QR codes for donations. We’ll cover QR code creation, implementation, and best practices for nonprofits.

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