People do pretty much everything on their phones, from emailing coworkers, tweeting and texting. In fact, nearly 40 percent of Internet time is spent on mobile devices, according to Marketing Land. Keeping this in mind, nonprofits need a mobile friendly website, which adjusts to desktop, tablet and smartphone browsers. Websites that fit onto any device has responsive design capabilities, according to Forbes. Without a responsive design website, organizations may lose constituents, donors and volunteers.
There are pros and cons with mobile technology tools
Mobile technology is becoming a powerful and effective fundraising tool for nonprofit organizations. It’s vital for nonprofits to embrace this innovative technology when it comes to development. According to NTEN, mobile websites are a necessity for nonprofits. It is user friendly, accessible for anyone with a smartphone and Internet connection and is fairly inexpensive. Donation amounts are also unlimited with the option to make recurring donations.
Additionally, there are other tools nonprofits can utilize when going mobile. Texting donations are simple and quick, and easy on the donor, according to Nonprofit Technology Network. About two-thirds of American adults text, and nine percent have donated to a charity by texting, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Donations are just added to the donor’s phone bill. However, there are various drawbacks with texting donations, which include limited donation amounts to $5 to $10, a 30 to 90-day processing turnaround and unexpected fees.
Mobile devices help improve results of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns
Artez Interactive published a white paper, which focused on peer-driven fundraising campaigns. These are nonprofit supporters who raise money on behalf of the charitable organization. Based on this study, mobile fundraisers raised up to 2.95 times more than fundraisers who solely relied on the web. To compound this statistic, those who used two mobile technologies, both the mobile browser and a mobile app, increased the number of donations by 123 percent. Additionally, 30 percent of traffic to fundraisers’ donation pages comes from mobile technologies, such as phone and tablets, and 15 percent of donations are made on mobile web browsers.
According to NTEN, the mobile fundraising campaign increases the “engagement factor.” Organizations can reach out to constituents more frequently with mobile fundraising campaigns. Even when people are on the go, they can still donate. Donors can easily enter in their credit card data and donate using a mobile device.
In terms of peer-to-peer fundraising, fundraisers have access to their donation pages in real-time and the ability to post to their social networking sites. Additionally, people can send emails from the mobile site. This is crucial, as it’s a great way for donors to contribute more by sending their personal fundraising page to family and friends. According to the white paper, these donors are twice as likely to bring in another donation.
Mobile applications are on the rise
For fundraising applications, donation amounts are unlimited, funds are processed in real-time and donors can engage with organizations in the future.
Nonprofits can meet their fundraising goals more quickly than if they didn’t employ mobile giving strategies, which include mobile applications, according to RB Methods. Additionally, mobile devices for nonprofits streamline the donation processes. However, before employing the technology, it’s critical to come up with a mobile strategy.
With mobile giving campaigns, organizations can reach supporters at anytime. Since people are always on their phones, organizations are never too far away from receiving a donation.