7 Kinds Of Mobile Fundraising

When the Red Cross raked in $41 million for Haiti relief from text message giving alone, the nonprofit world saw dollar signs.

Perhaps even more stunning was that 95 percent of these were from first-time donors.

According to Ben Rigby, an author and the co-founder of The Extraordinaries who specializes in Internet management for nonprofits, there’s never been a better time to start a mobile campaign.

The good news for agencies that thrive on donations, he said, is that the Red Cross used only one of several possible methods o generate revenue from mobile phone owners. In addition to text message donations, like the Red Cross used, it’s also possible to use text-to-voice donations, text message warmers, mobile website donations, app sales, in-app sales and sponsored apps.

1) Text message donations: Donors send a text message to this number indicating that they would like to donate. Your nonprofit receives a check in the mail 30 to 90 days later.

The biggest headache is that your nonprofit needs to have earned $500,000 in the past year to qualify.

2) Text to voice donations: When a potential donor sends a text message to this number, your automated system will forward this message directly to your staff who then calls that donor back to collect a credit card number.

3) Text message warmers: Use a mobile phone to fundraise without collecting funds over the mobile phone. By sending just a couple of text messages per month, you can keep potential donors excited about your cause and primed for your big yearly ask.

4) Mobile Web site donations: Depending on the configuration of your current website, it may be a relatively simple process to publish a “mobile friendly” version. You can ask for donations using exactly the same system that you ask for money on your web site: via a big red “Donate Now” button.

5) App sales: If you’re willing plunge into developing a smartphone application, you can sell it and collect the revenue. Thousands of for-profit enterprises are making billions of dollars selling apps.

6) In-app sales: For-profits often use in-app transactions to sell digital goods, such as a new barn for your virtual farm acres or a shiny new sword for your favorite pirate game.

7) Sponsored apps: Develop apps that promote businesses in exchange for donations.