New Year, New Donors: 5 Texting Strategies to Jumpstart Your Fundraising In 2025

A new year brings fresh opportunities to connect with donors and drive your mission forward. Texting has become a game-changing tool for fundraisers, offering a personal and effective way to reach supporters.

Here are five proven texting strategies that will ensure 2025 is your most successful fundraising year yet.

1. Build Stronger Connections with Personalization

Every donor deserves to feel valued and part of your mission. Personalizing your fundraising outreach can transform casual supporters into loyal advocates.

• Adopting Dedicated Numbers: Sending text messages from the same phone number each time builds trust with your donors and reduces opt-outs.
  
• Recognize past contributions: Mention previous gifts or involvement to show donors they’re making a difference.
  
• Tailor your approach: Send messages that align with donor interests, such as updates on projects they’ve supported.
  

Example: “Hi [Name], your support last year helped us deliver 1,000 meals to families in need. Will you join us again this year to make an even bigger impact?”

2. Pair Texting with Other Fundraising Channels

Texting pairs nicely with email and social media campaigns to create a personalized and engaging donor experience.

• Boost campaign visibility: Follow up on fundraising emails with a short text reminder to encourage action.
  
• Drive immediate results: Use texting to highlight time-sensitive campaigns, like Giving Days or matching gift opportunities.
• Encourage cross-platform engagement: Share links to campaign pages, donation forms, or social media posts to amplify your message.

Example: “Don’t forget to check your inbox for our latest campaign update! Act now to double your impact before midnight.”

3. Inspire Action with Storytelling

Compelling stories are essential for effective fundraising. Texting enables you to share impactful, concise narratives that motivate donors to take action.

• Share real-life impact stories: Show donors how their support is changing lives by sharing quick, heartfelt examples.
  
• Add visual elements: Use MMS to add videos, photos, or GIFs to further personalize your outreach and make your stories even more memorable.
  
• Focus on the donor’s role: Frame stories to highlight how their contributions are fueling your mission.

Example: “Thanks to your generosity, because of you we are able to provide students with the resources they need to be successful. Watch their stories and see how you’ve made this possible: [link].”

4. Create Momentum with a Sense of Urgency

Urgency inspires action! Creating time-sensitive opportunities allows you to keep your campaigns front-of-mind and motivate donors to act now.

• Set clear deadlines: Remind donors how much time they have left to contribute, like, “Only 24 hours left to make an impact!”
  
• Promote matching gifts: Encourage donors to double their impact by emphasizing matching opportunities.
  
• Share progress updates: Keep donors engaged by showing how close you are to reaching your goal.

Example: “We’re just $500 away from our goal, and we need your help to cross the finish line! Every gift counts—let’s make it happen together.”

5. Keep the Conversation Going After They Give

Post-campaign communication is key to building lasting relationships and encouraging future support.

• Send a thank-you text: Show your gratitude immediately after a donation with a heartfelt message.
  
• Update donors on their impact: Share how their contribution has made a difference, reinforcing their decision to give.
  
• Ask for feedback: Show donors you value their input by inviting them to share their thoughts.

Example: “Thank you for your generous gift! Here’s how you’re making a difference: [link]. We’re so grateful to have you as part of our community.”

Start the New Year with Texting Success

As we enter the new year, now is the perfect time to refresh your fundraising approach and strengthen your donor relationships. Peer-to-peer texting is both a personal and effective way to connect with supporters and grow your mission. Tools like GetThru allow you to easily personalize messages, track campaign performance, and share the stories that matter most.

Here’s to a year of growth, generosity, and impact!

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