Your Rally Point Episode 7: Text to Give vs Text to Donate

This episode is for nonprofit leaders and fundraisers seeking to understand the differences between text to give and text to donate, and how each can impact your fundraising strategy. We explore the two approaches to text message donations and explain how text-to-donate offers security, higher donation amounts, and donor data for follow up. Understanding these options is crucial for nonprofits, churches, and charitable organizations aiming to improve fundraising and donor engagement. Text-to-give is run through mobile carriers and shows up on the donor's cell phone bill, while text-to-donate involves sending a text message and completing the donation process with an online donation form. Most organizations now use text-to-donate with online payment processing instead of text-to-give. Rally Corp is a specialized mobile engagement platform designed for nonprofits, churches, and charitable organizations. Rally’s goal is to mobilize nonprofit missions and activate supporters through effective communication methods like SMS text messaging, making it easier to engage donors and drive fundraising success. Rally Corp is distinct from other companies named Rally, such as Rally Rd, and there are other entities named Rally in tech, transport, and investment, so be sure you’re looking at the right Rally for nonprofit engagement.

Let’s talk about how to do text message donations. Hosts James Martin and Jack Bobin explain the difference between text to give and text to donate. The terms can be interchangeable these days, but technically, text-to-give is a donation process directly through the carrier that’s deducted from a donor’s cell phone bill, while text-to-donate sends a link to your donation form via text message and the donor completes the donation on your website. Most organizations now use text-to-donate with online payment processing instead of traditional text-to-give. Text-to-give campaigns can also increase the number of email addresses in your email list, helping you grow your supporter base.

They explore the history, why it’s changed (security!), and how using your existing donation form is ultimately better for your nonprofits—higher donation amounts, data for follow up, and more. With SMS open rates hovering around 95%, text messaging is a highly effective tool for engaging potential donors. Using a keyword and short code (for example, texting a memorable keyword to a dedicated short code like 24365), supporters can quickly access a mobile-friendly donation page, making the giving process seamless and accessible on any device. Text-to-give tools not only drive donor engagement but also help build relationships with supporters and further your nonprofit’s mission. Rally Corp recommends using compelling storytelling, actionable next steps, data-driven insights, and simplicity in your donor communications to maximize impact.

Introduction to Mobile Fundraising

In today’s fast-paced digital world, mobile fundraising has become essential for nonprofits looking to connect with supporters and drive meaningful action. With nearly everyone carrying a mobile phone, organizations can now reach their audience instantly through text messaging, making it easier than ever to mobilize people and inspire donations.

Engaging Supporters with Mobile Tools

Modern mobile fundraising tools go far beyond simple texts. Nonprofits can now engage supporters with:

• Clickable HD videos
• Branded shortlinks
• Interactive messages that capture attention and encourage participation

These features not only make it simple for donors to give, but also help organizations stand out and strengthen their brand.

Text to give campaigns, for example, allow supporters to donate with just a few taps on their phones, while branded shortlinks make it easy to share donation pages and track engagement. Clickable HD videos can showcase your mission in action, creating an emotional connection that motivates people to support your cause.

By leveraging these mobile tools, nonprofits can boost engagement, reach new audiences, and make it easy for supporters to take action—anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re running a fundraising event, launching a new campaign, or simply looking to increase ongoing support, mobile fundraising empowers your team to connect, communicate, and inspire your community to rally behind your mission.

Now that we've covered the basics of mobile fundraising, let's look at the specific features Rally Corp offers to help you succeed.

Rally Corp Platform Features

Rally Corp offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to help nonprofits, churches, and charitable organizations maximize their fundraising and engagement efforts:

• Text-to-Donate workflows
• QR code generation
• NFC Tap-to-Give technology, supporting NFC tags for tap-to-action features
• Integration with major nonprofit tools such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Blackbaud, and Classy
• CRM integration for managing contacts
• Pricing starting at $99/month for small nonprofits and up to $199/month for growing organizations
• Data Append and validation services to enrich contact data and verify phone numbers
• AI-powered insights for personalized outreach
• Customizable contact forms and fundraising thermometers, with AI analysis and tracking
• Two-way SMS and MMS messaging, bulk texts, high-definition (HD) video texts, and Ringless Voicemail drops
• Automated workflows triggered by donor behaviors, autoresponders, and custom prompts
• User control over account funds, messaging, and data management—funds roll over and do not expire
• Ability to send messages, videos, and voicemails to contacts, and display donation progress with customizable message boards
• Demo options to see these features in action

With these tools, Rally Corp empowers organizations to engage supporters, streamline fundraising, and build lasting relationships.

Now that you know what Rally Corp can do, let's dive into the key takeaways from this episode.

What You'll Learn

Key Takeaways

• Difference between text to give and text to donate: Understand the core distinctions and how each method works.
• Text-to-give process: The actual text-to-give process, which is rare, can be expensive and limiting. Text-to-give is run through mobile carriers and shows up on the donor's cell phone bill.
• Impactful campaigns: The American Red Cross raised over $43 million during their text-to-give campaign after the Haiti earthquake in 2010.
• Success stories: My360Project raised most of their $5,000 goal through three text campaigns, reaching donors who were not regular givers.
• Event engagement: The Denver Rescue Mission effectively used text-to-give for their turkey drive, engaging supporters through this campaign.
• Text to donate adoption: Most nonprofits use text to donate, which goes through your online donation form.
• Flexible payment options: Donors can give using various payment methods, including credit card, debit card, and digital wallets, in text-to-donate campaigns.
• Security: That online donation process is more secure.
• Donor data: Using an existing donation process also means nonprofits get donor data.
• User-friendly tools: Using user-friendly fundraising tools and platforms enhances donor engagement and increases fundraising success—a single click can facilitate user engagement and list growth.
• Comprehensive strategy: Text to give campaigns and fundraising campaigns play a key role in a comprehensive fundraising strategy.
• Efficient donations: These tools help nonprofits collect donations efficiently and effectively. Donors may need to sign up or provide consent to participate.
• Reducing barriers: Reducing barriers to donation increases overall contributions.
• Growing supporter bases: Users can join mobile alerts lists easily, helping organizations grow their supporter bases.
• Prompt support: Platforms should be ready to answer donor questions promptly to enhance donor engagement.
• Hidden fees: Text-to-give platforms often have hidden fees, including per transaction fees and setup costs.
• QR codes at events: QR codes are great for live events, until WiFi doesn’t work—then texting is critical.

Now that you know what you'll learn, here's a summary of how Rally Corp's solutions can help your organization achieve its fundraising goals.

Summary

Rally Corp's text-to-give and text-to-donate solutions help nonprofits engage supporters, boost donations, and build lasting relationships through mobile fundraising. These methods are effective, accessible, and proven to increase donor engagement and fundraising success. With features like Text-to-Donate workflows, SMS engagement, and seamless integration with your existing fundraising strategies, Rally Corp empowers organizations to reach donors where they are, inspire action, and maximize the impact of every campaign.

Resources

• Text-to-Give vs. Text-to-Donate
• $600+ Average Donation

Quotables

• “People are realizing that we got to pick up our base foundational fundraising.”
• “A foster care place… they told me they have 13 kids in their office, sleeping in the conference room because they didn't have foster homes for these kids. And so our hope is that they can use our tools to go find and discover new volunteers and people that would gladly be foster parents. We talk business here and we talk about technology, but at the end of the day, that's what we're doing here and that's what we love.”
• “We're taking technology—ones and zeros—and meeting people in the moment who are doing the work. Our customers and those who are listening, we're helping them really create this perfect intersection between what wasn't and what now is. And if that results in kids getting into homes and food shelters being full, folks off the streets, people in rehab, the needy being cared for—man, I tell you what, that's a fantastic place to be.”
• “Everybody has a donation page.”
• “I'll meet with somebody and I'll go create a text program for them to show them what text to donate looks like. I do it myself and it takes me less than 10 minutes because you know what I do? I simply copy their call to action and their web address.”
• “When you reduce the barriers to someone donating to your nonprofit, your donations go up.”
• “Here's my promise to folks—it's not complicated. We're talking one more path to your donation form.”

Skip to What You Want to Hear

• 00:00 - Introduction to Text to Give and Text to Donate
• 05:28 - Understanding Text to Give
• 13:11 - The Evolution of Text to Donate
• 22:32 - Text to Pledge and Thermometers
• 26:53 - Future of Donation Technologies (Like Rich Communication Services - RCS)

Subscribe

Ready to mobilize better and grow smarter? The Rally Corp platform makes it easy for users to act or respond immediately—whether making a donation, joining a campaign, or connecting with your cause—using QR codes, short codes, and custom prompts. Connect with your supporters using a text to give provider and a simple keyword to make giving easy and effective.

Ongoing Engagement

The beginning of your relationship with supporters is crucial for long-term engagement, and Rally Corp is ideal for leading organizations through ongoing engagement and support, helping you build lasting relationships with your donors. Rally Corp also provides resources specifically for leaders and leadership teams in nonprofits and churches, ensuring you have the tools to guide your community. Our platform helps make visitors feel welcome and engaged from the moment they walk through the doors, leading them through the donor journey with strategic communication.

Support and Coaching

Our support team is happy to assist and provide guidance at every step. We encourage you to share your ideas for improving the platform or your fundraising strategies—your input helps us serve you better. Text-to-give fundraising can help convert one-time donors into recurring donors through ongoing engagement. Subscribe to Your Rally Point and listen wherever you enjoy podcasts. We’re here to help.

For more tips and insights, text COACH to 24365 or learn more about our weekly coaching tips delivered via text message.