What non-profits may lack in financial resources, they may make up for in passionate supporters.

Supporters are the ones who embrace the non-profit's efforts toward whatever cause or charity they feel strongly about. They can be donors, or, even if they can’t assist financially, they can offer other assistance such as volunteering, attending events or general advocacy.

The membership is a great group to market to, since they’re already generally receptive to your cause, if not your organization – it’s also easier to push them to take larger action rather someone who you’re approaching for the first time.

Non-profits looking for new outlets to communicate with members – or potential members interested in your cause -- can benefit from a mass text campaign. Here’s how:

Better outreach

Texts are more direct and easier to notice than email and more likely to be looked at quickly. Someone heavily involved in a particular political or social cause that your non-profit is involved in may receive dozens of similar-themed emails from various groups so it might be a challenge for your message to stand out from the crowd.

But a text will get attention – more and more people have smartphones, and they also respond quickly when a new message comes in. You can also use your texts to educate people about what you do, since part of the reason people support your group is to learn more how they can help. So regular – but not to the point of too many – texts about what you do and a particular issue might be educational.

Better fund-raising

Struggling non-profits often walk a fine line between regularly asking for money and not wanting to bother their core supporters. But texting can make it easy to make them aware of a cause or how easy it is to give. A text can drive recipients to the “donate” page of your site.

Or some new programs now offer the ability for people to pledge by responding to your text, such as entering a certain code or keyword. The price of this service can vary depending on the audience or program, but some non-profits may contract for a certain amount of time.

Or, considering partnering/splitting the cost with another non-profit which may have a larger reach – the American Red Cross or a local United Way.

Brand building

Any non-profit can give recipients the classic message “we need help to keep doing what we’re doing.” But a text can show that the non-profit is trying to be responsive and progressive, rather than an organization that follows traditional approaches.

TheNonProfitTimes suggests that showing you can connect via text will improve your perception among members and potential members. It’s partly an age thing – younger people tend to be more community-minded and socially conscious, but they also are more inclined to communicate via text more than older.

It has never been easy for non-profits, but the shaky economy has made it even more of a challenge So that’s why it’s important for outreach people to use whatever tools at their disposal, including the new world of bulk texting to get the word out.

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