2010 nonprofit text messaging benchmarks
DESCRIPTION
Presented by Katrin Verclas at Net Change Week 2010 http://mobilebenchmarks.orgTRANSCRIPT
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