Easy Mass Texting Service for Nonprofits

Does the following sound familiar?

🔹 Your nonprofit organization offers a great product or service, or hosts some awesome events, but sometimes no one seems to care. And no one shows up.

🔹 You fulfill some need or fill some void, but no one notices. And you think, “Why can’t I get people to take advantage of this?”

Here’s one answer: people just don’t know... or they forget!

❌ People don't always check their email, and they hate getting phone calls. Social media is unreliable, and snail mail is a thing of the past.

❌ Plus, people’s lives are incredibly busy and hectic, and it’s easy for things to slip through the cracks.

A group texting service for nonprofits helps by pushing updates to the one place people pay undivided attention to: their phones.

Discover how Nate Lewis uses texting software for nonprofits to communicate with donors, volunteers, & coaches.

Step 1: Create an Account

Getting started with a group texting service for nonprofits is as easy as a few clicks! Just head on over to the Sign Up page and type in your info to create a free trial account.

Once it’s created, it will log you right in so that you can send your first test message.

Step 2: Load in Existing Numbers, or Have People Opt In

As a nonprofit organization, you may already have a database of contacts who have agreed to receive texts. If so, you can load it in via a spreadsheet import.

This will save you the time and hassle of having to add people in individually, or of recollecting their opt-in consent.

If you haven’t collected your opt-ins yet, you can utilize our free sign-up options (such as text-in keywords, QR codes, and an online sign-up page) to get people to subscribe to your texts.

Learn more about how to add contacts here.

Step 3: Plan Your Reminders, Check-Ins, and Follow-Ups

In order to properly plan your messages, you have to first think of your goal.

Are you trying to drive up attendance for your next conference or meeting? Do you want to let people know about an upcoming program you’re hosting in their community? Do you need to simply let people know about important information such as changes in your hours of operation or weather-related closures? Or maybe all of the above?

Step 4: Send or Schedule Your Messages

Once you’ve decided how you want to use the system, in many cases you can go ahead and schedule some of your messages then and there.

Or if your notifications are regarding events that are unpredictable (such as unexpected office closure notifications), you could set up templates in advance so that when the need arises, your message content is already there ready to be sent.

Otherwise, you can log in to the online site or access the mobile app and send messages whenever you need.

Step 5: Watch Engagement Soar

Since people will actually be seeing and paying attention to your messages, you’ll see engagement rise!

Whether you use it for reminding people to come to your events, to communicate important information with members, to update staff on office announcements, or for whatever other reason, text alerts can help drive that engagement you’re looking for.

So one important question to ask is, "How can I actually get people to subscribe to receive my nonprofit-related texts?"

Here are some insights on how finding the best mass texting service for nonprofits can help you get people to subscribe.

Reduce Friction

Make subscribing to your texting software for nonprofits as easy as possible for your recipients - remove all points of friction that you can.

Some common strategies include:

• Text-In Keywords: Encourage your audience to text a specific keyword to a designated phone number. (This is a feature that's included with almost all SMS platforms.) For example, “TEXT JOIN to 12345."
• QR Codes: Include QR codes on flyers, brochures, or event materials. When scanned, these codes can direct users to a landing page where they can subscribe, or it can pre-fill their text messages on their phone so that all they have to do is hit "SEND" to be automatically subscribed.
• Online Sign-Up Forms: Add an easy-to-find sign-up form on your website, social media pages, and email newsletters. Mobile Text Alerts provides you with a free customizable web sign-up form.
• In-Person Events: At fundraising events, meetings, or community gatherings, encourage attendees to subscribe on the spot via a tablet or sign-up sheet.

Make the Offer Really Enticing

People don't just sign up for messaging lists like this unless they have a very good reason to.

It's your job to communicate that value to your audience so that you can convince them to sign up for your texts - and, of course, to actually offer something they find valuable.

This offer can vary widely depending on the type of nonprofit that you are but some examples of how it could look include:

• Regular content delivered directly to their phone
• A discount or a free item (if your nonprofit sells products)
• Reminders about valuable events so that they don't miss out

Incentivize

Beyond simply making the offer enticing, you can consider providing an immediate incentive so that people have a more pressing reason to subscribe to your texts.

That could be an immediate (or near-future anticipating) discount or free item or valuable piece of content that they're able to access without much friction.

Besides the obvious best practices (such as making sure people actually want to receive messages before you send them and keeping messages brief whenever possible) - what other best practices should nonprofits keep in mind as they use texting services for nonprofits?

Text sparingly

While texting is a good idea for nonprofits since it's such a convenient way to reach people, you don't want to overdo it.

For example, I use SMS for my church's small group Bible study that meets every other week. We send out reminders regularly, whenever our Bible study meets, but this is only once every 2 weeks. We don't bombard people with other updates throughout the month.

That way, the texts remain valuable (because they remind people to come to the Bible study) without being overbearing.

Open up a "text to donate" option

Using a texting service for nonprofits can be a convenient way for people to show their support for your organization by submitting a donation.

There are a few different ways you can go about submitting a donation via text, but one simple way is to use an SMS platform to have a donation link automatically sent to someone's phone when they send in a text indicating their interest in donating.

When they receive the donation link, they'll then be able to easily submit a donation.

Use every opportunity to grow subscribers

This was touched on briefly above, but most nonprofits have regular events of some kind. Any event involving your nonprofit, including virtual events and even social media posts, can be an opportunity to grow your subscriber list.

For example, my wife and I are members of a homeschool support organization called the Nebraska Christian Home Educators Association (NCHEA). The NCHEA hosts a conference every year open to the entire state of Nebraska (where I'm from).

Now, if the NCHEA were using a mass texting service for nonprofits and had a subscriber list they were trying to grow - this annual conference would be the perfect opportunity to get people to subscribe to their alerts. They could make an announcement from the stage and have a QR code on display for easy sign-up. Or they could have a booth with a tablet that would allow people to sign up. Or they could include sign-up instructions in the conference brochure.

With so many services to choose from, how do you know which group texting service for nonprofits to select?

In other words, what's the best texting service for nonprofits?

Here are some you can consider. (Note that most of the below information is taken from online review sites, particularly G2.)

1. Mobile Text Alerts

• Rating: 4.6/5
• Pros: Ease of use / simple; customer support (also check out our unique iMessage for business feature).
• Cons: Some have reported messaging issues; limited functionality.
• Overview: Mobile Text Alerts was initially born out of a desire to serve nonprofits. When founder and Bible teacher James Pelton discovered that it was difficult to get effective updates out to the college student's in his church's youth group, he decided to build a system that could reach people the best way he knew how: texting. Since then, the business grew and expanded into other markets, but the nonprofit segment is still going strong. Mobile Text Alerts' quality customer support that can really get things done is one of the biggest factors in its favor.

2. Twilio

• Rating: 4.2/5
• Pros: Easy integrations, user-friendly system.
• Cons: Some have reported poor customer service.
• Overview: Twilio’s API makes it simple to integrate with various communication systems, offering robust functionality. However, nonprofits should be cautious of reports of unreliable customer support.

3. Tatango

• Rating: 4.5/5
• Pros: Excellent customer support, ease of use.
• Cons: Issues with reporting.
• Overview: Tatango is praised for its user-friendly interface and segmentation features, which can be ideal for nonprofits that want to run targeted campaigns. Its strong support team is an asset, although by some accounts the reporting tools could be improved.

4. Omnisend

• Rating: 4.5/5
• Pros: Email marketing integration, ease of use, customer support.
• Cons: Missing advanced features, expensive.
• Overview: Omnisend’s ability to combine email and SMS marketing with automation tools makes it a good fit for nonprofits looking for multichannel campaigns (particularly if your nonprofit has ecommerce elements to it). While it excels in ease of use, by some reports more advanced SMS features might be lacking.

5. SlickText

• Rating: 4.8/5
• Pros: Ease of use, great customer support.
• Cons: Higher cost, occasional messaging issues.
• Overview: SlickText is easy to navigate and is well-regarded for its customer service. However, nonprofits should weigh the cost, especially with limited budgets.

6. EZ Texting

• Rating: 4.5/5
• Pros: Simple, user-friendly interface, strong automations.
• Cons: Higher cost, poor customer service.

• Overview: EZ Texting is a good option for nonprofits looking for a simple platform to run automated campaigns. Its ease of use makes it ideal for smaller teams, but the pricing can quickly add up.

7. Textedly

• Rating: 4.6/5
• Pros: Ease of use, helpful customer support.
• Cons: Limited features, higher cost.
• Overview: Textedly is ideal for nonprofits that need a straightforward, user-friendly platform. While it reportedly offers excellent customer support, its feature set might be limited for nonprofits with more complex needs.

8. Emitrr

• Rating: 4.7/5
• Pros: Great customer support, ease of use.
• Cons: Limited advanced APIs.
• Overview: Emitrr is well-suited for nonprofits seeking a simple, user-friendly platform with responsive customer support. It's easy to integrate into daily operations and adapts well to nonprofit models. However, by some reports the platform may not be ideal for organizations needing advanced APIs.

Do you have nonprofit pricing?

Yes! You can receive 10% off any of our plans by entering the promo code “nonprofit” when signing up.

Do you have a “text to donate” feature?

Yes! You can set it up so that when people text in a particular word, they will receive a link to your donation page. (This feature comes for free with all accounts.)

I already have a list of contacts. How can I load them in?

If you already have a list of contacts who have agreed to receive texts, you can add them to your text database by importing a spreadsheet.

How do I get people to sign up for texts?

People can easily subscribe for your alerts by texting in a particular opt-in keyword that you set up for your account. They can also sign up by scanning a QR code, or by visiting your account’s free online sign-up page.

Is there free texting software for nonprofits nonprofits?

While free texting services for nonprofits exist, they will (virtually) always come with some kind of a catch. (In other words, they won't be the best mass texting service for nonprofits.)

Perhaps the "catch" is a poor user interface or a lack of customer support or a lack of functionality.

(And what else could you really expect from a free platform?)

Your best option is to use a fully-featured paid platform if possible.

What is SMS for nonprofits?

SMS for nonprofits allows nonprofit organizations to send out text messages to promote their products, services, or their organization in general.

Since texting is such a prominent way for people to communicate in today's current climate, SMS is an invaluable solution to help you get your messages in front of people.

Should I send text messaging for nonprofits?

The short answer is yes! You should send text messages for your nonprofit.

Everyone reads (or at least sees) their texts, so by sending texts, you'll make it a lot more likely that people will actually see and pay attention to the messages you're sending.

And if more people pay attention, that can lead to more engagement (not to mention more donations).