2010 Nonprofit Text Messaging Benchmarkshttp://mobilebenchmarks.org/

This study was sponsored by:

Thank you to participating organizations

• Introductions• Overview of the field• Review of Findings• Q&A

• For orgs in the study: 80% of subscribers = existing supporters recruited from online programs

• Mobile list growth = 49.5 percent annually

• Annual churn rate for text lists = 30.7 percent.

• The benchmark text message unsubscribe rate = 0.69 percent.

• The response rate for call-in advocacy SMS was 4.7 percent. Six times as high! (0.82 for call-in advocacy emails)

Outbound MessagingMessaging Types

• Fundraising messages: Respond to a text with a special donation keyword (such as “PLEDGE” or “GIVE”).

• Advocacy messages: Sign a petition or call a given decision-maker/advocacy target by either replying to the message with the text “CALL” or calling a special phone number that tracks all calls.

• Informational messages: Issue, event or other breaking news relevant to an organization, but do not require subscribers to reply to the message.

• Go-to-Web messages: Visit a given web page.

• Text Reply messages: Respond to a text message, but are not fundraising or advocacy appeals.

Between 73 and 87 percent of text subscribers could be matched to a subscriber in the email database.

Relatively few subscribers (ranging from 0.8 to 2.7 percent) were opted-in via keyword / shortcode to receive text messages.

List Churn• The annual list churn rate (rate at which mobile numbers “go bad” in a given year) 30.7 percent.

• If opt-out language is featured in a message, it can make up a sizeable portion of the total text.

• If text subscribers switch phone numbers or keep phone numbers but switch carriers, they are opted out.

Fundraising MessagingDonations

• Donations can be given by texting a special keyword to a donation short code (such as “WOLF” or “HAITI” to 90999).

• Organizations can send direct, “reply-style” solicitations to subscribers who are opted-in to receive messages from an organization’s donation shortcode.

• e.g. “DEFENDERS UPDATE: Safari Club Intl, a rich trophy hunting group, is fighting us in court so they can hunt Yellowstone Area wolves. Reply WOLF to give $5 to help”

• Gifts must be confirmed - but organizations can send one “ask message” per month.

• “Reply-style” donations cannot be solicited from a non-fundraising list.

Fundraising Messaging• Fundraising response rates are currently difficult to

track

• Conversion rates for the two-step process ranged from 52 to 79 percent

• Carriers permit organizations to send one “ask style” message per month, which only requires that the recipient reply “YES” to give

Fundraising Messaging• Text-to-call fundraising messaging: Call a special 800-number

or reply “CALL” to be connected with a call center that can take donations.

• Email subscribers who receive a text solicitation during an email campaign may give at a higher response rate (TEST!)

Advocacy Messaging

Unsubscribes

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http://mobileactive.orghttp://mobileactive.org/mobile-fundraising