Best Text to Give Platforms for Nonprofits 2023

April 19, 2016
8 minutes

Whether you’re the one in the group chat with the perfect GIF for every situation or the one who ends every text with LOL, texting has become part of the rhythm of our daily lives—and the same is true for nonprofits. If you’re ready to hop on the text-to-give bandwagon, here’s your guide to the best text-to-give platforms for nonprofits. We’ll cover:

  • Funraise
  • Snowball
  • Rally Corp
  • Tithe.ly
  • HandBid
  • OneCause
  • GiveWP
  • Double the Donation
  • Shopify
  • MailChimp

Text to donate services comparison chart (top 10 highest rated)

When it comes to text-to-give fundraising, there are many fish in the sea—some might say too many fish, in fact. To help you wade through this veritable ocean of text-to-donate services, we’ve compiled the nifty comparison chart below, so you can choose a text-to-give platform that's right for you. With these platforms, your supporters can do their mobile giving with a simple text. Plus, we've included our favorite integrations to make sure text-to-give works for all your nonprofit needs.

Get the top T2G service—and so much more!

What are the different types of text-to-give platforms for nonprofits?

It’s all well and good to talk about getting in on the text-to-give action, but before you can choose the best option, you need to know what’s out there. Here’s your summary of the different text giving technologies and mobile giving tools that are out there, so you can enter the text fundraising arena cool and confident.

  • Direct text messaging is where you send a direct text to each donor rather than using a text-to-donate platform.
  • Short codes are 5-6 digit numbers used to send texts to your constituents. They’re used for high-value campaigns and are easy to remember. There are shared short codes, where you share a code with other businesses, and dedicated short codes, where you have your own unique mobile giving number.
  • Long codes are standard 10-digit phone numbers used to send messages to your donors. Thanks to its format, this text-to-give tool is recognizable and feels more personal.
  • One-way messaging is a text-to-give service that refers to a nonprofit’s pre-written asks to donors. Each campaign includes a custom keyword or code, and when the donor responds with said code, they get a link to the mobile giving page, peer-to-peer site, or event ticketing site, where they can use the donation form to give.
  • Two-way messaging allows nonprofits to have a conversation with donors via text. Donors can text to ask a question or get help with the donation process, and you can text to provide updates or just send lots of unicorn emojis. (Don’t do that last one unless you’re really friendly with your donors!) And psst … this feature’s on Funraise’s roadmap, along with a number of amazeballs text features, so keep an eye out!
  • Text-to-give through your cell service provider lets donors make direct donations to a nonprofit with the charge appearing on their phone bill rather than their bank statement.
  • Outbound messaging is when an organization reaches out to an individual by text.
  • Inbound messaging is where an individual reaches out to an organization by text.
  • A2P text messaging stands for application-to-person and applies to all texts sent via app, including marketing updates, event reminders, and, of course, codes.
  • P2P text messaging stands for person-to-person (not peer-to-peer in this context!) and refers to two-way mobile communication between two actual people.

What are the best text to give platforms for nonprofits? Here’s our top 7 list:

Next up, it’s what you came here for: the top text-to-donate giving platforms and integrations! If you want to collect donations quickly and easily by making texting and giving a part of your organization’s regular rotation, these are the best T2G platforms for nonprofits (in our humble opinion).

1. Funraise (best text to give platform of 2023)

Funraise offers a plethora of text-to-give tools and features to help you optimize text engagement, build relationships, and rake in the online donations while your donors give by cell. Everything is user-friendly and customizable, and we’re constantly adding new features. Plus, we pride ourselves on having the best customer service in the biz. For any nonprofit looking to choose the best text-to-give tools out there, we wholeheartedly recommend us!

Key features:

  • Create custom text-to-give codes by yourself or let us help you brainstorm
  • Send automated replies for a speedy giving experience
  • Connect with Funraise’s powerful mobile donation forms and fundraising tools
  • Personalize and brand your text messaging to build trust
  • Share custom amount codes, like DONATE30, that trigger prefilled donation forms
  • Receive responses when a donor replies to an outbound SMS
  • Top-tier security, so you know your donors’ info is safe and sound

Why we love it:

Funraise makes it easy to build engagement with supporters of all ages through intuitive text-to-give tools that work seamlessly with our single-solution software. When it comes to text-to-give, we're all about personalized, authentic communication that meets your donors where they are and charges them up for your cause. At the same time, our suite of other cutting-edge fundraising tools ensures every nonprofit reaches their full fundraising potential.

Why we don’t:

Sometimes, we share too many cat memes in our group chats. But besides that, Funraise has it all: text fundraising tools that convert and an exceptional fundraising platform that makes fundraising fun, easy, and, most of all, successful. If you haven’t heard, we have an industry-leading 50% conversion rate. Just sayin’.

Text Engagement that leads to incredible growth

2. Snowball (best text donation service)

There's a profusion of text-to-give players out there, from qGiv to Accelevents, and after a while, they all run together. But Snowball differentiates itself with its nonprofit-first mobile giving platform that makes accepting donations a snap.

Key features:

  • Choose from unlimited text keywords for your donors
  • Fundraising thermometer feature provides a clear visual of how much you’ve raised
  • Easily receive one-time or recurring donations
  • Bilingual support online and by phone

Why we love it:

Snowball is all about convenience, so for small nonprofits looking for a simple giving experience, they make a great product. There’s no clicking around and no extra forms, with the big differentiator being that donors can give through a mobile donation page without re-entering their credit card information.

Why we prefer Funraise:

While Snowball offers a lot of convenience and value when it comes to donating via text message, its CRM isn’t robust enough for nonprofits looking to scale and grow, and it's no single-solution software. Snowball lacks key features that can help you make the most of your fundraising efforts and is slow to implement innovative features. Plus, if you want the unlimited text-to-give feature, you'll need to go premium or higher.

3. Rally Corp (best mobile fundraising method)

Rally Corp is all about that text, so you can bet they do it well. Rally’s goal is to help organizations use text messaging to achieve their goals through simple tools that keep you in constant contact with your supporters' cell phones.

Key features:

  • Simple sign-up forms to embed on your website
  • Mobile templates and widgets to save time
  • Workflows like text-to-donate, text-to-RSVP, and ringless voicemail
  • Numerous integrations to supplement text giving

Why we love it:

Rally Corp makes each text-to-give campaign easy, with clear guidance and a streamlined platform. Because it focuses only on texting, it’s simple to learn, and they offer solid customer service from a small, knowledgeable team.

Why we prefer Funraise:

Rally Corp is great for a text-to-give fundraising campaign, but while text giving is highly effective, it’s not a stand-alone strategy. With Funraise, you get a single-solution fundraising software that provides everything Rally Corp does, along with tools to help you succeed on every front, so you can use text-to-give alongside peer-to-peer fundraising, crowdfunding, automations, gorgeous campaign sites, and even AI appeals.

4. Tithe.ly (number one text-to-give services for churches)

Tithe.ly is the top text-to-give platform for churches. While it includes many of the standard features you know and love from other fundraising platforms, Tithe.ly also includes tools to manage the church itself and engage specific audiences. When it comes to text giving, you can ask for donations for your next fundraising campaign or send over a Bible verse or two.

Key features:

  • Create personalized and automated texts
  • Communicate with congregation members, volunteers, staff, and visitors with segmented lists
  • Two-way mobile communication with unlimited keywords

Why we love it:

Having a platform that gets you is always a great feeling, and Tithe.ly knows its clients. Their mobile communication and email tools are available as a separate package and focus solely on church needs. The feature integrates with the rest of their church online giving tools to help you raise money for your congregation.

Why we prefer Funraise:

Funraise offers everything a church could need—and also everything a non-church could need, making our software the inclusive choice. Furthermore, we find that learning from different people and sectors is the best way to stay on top of the latest solutions. Plus, as Tithe.ly has acquired different companies, it increasingly requires you to switch between different platforms for different product needs, like Elvanto (church management) and Breeze (banking), which can be a slow and frustrating process. With Funraise, it’s all right there.

5. Handbid (best mobile bidding donate by text services)

When mobile bidding is your game, Handbid is the primary name. Handbid’s text-to-give capabilities focus on online fundraising events, specifically auctions. Their powerful auction software, which includes a mobile bidding app, combines with text-to-donate tools to have donors on their phones all night long.

Key features:

  • Run successful online auctions with virtual auction software
  • Pair with their bidding app to increase revenue when donors are already on their phones through push notifications and appeals
  • Receive one free keyword for your donors to text for every event

Why we love it:

Handbid simplifies the process of integrating mobile giving with fundraising events. Rather than raising paddles and yelling numbers, donors simply text using their mobile phones to bid, donate, and stay on top of any event updates. Text-to-give makes Handbid's auction software a double threat, maximizing your event's potential.

Why we prefer Funraise:

In addition to offering fundraising features beyond your wildest dreams, Funraise lets you sell tickets, manage check-in, collect donations, and more, making for super smooth in-person and virtual events. So, you’re getting all those event-forward features + top text-to-give tools ++ a ton of other features, with new ones constantly being added. That’s why we prefer Funraise 🙂

6. OneCause (best text-to-give options for events)

As we’ve established, text giving and events are a match made in heaven, and OneCause makes a great nonprofit event software. Their text-to-give features allow you to collect donations leading up to your event or at any time of the year.

Key features:

  • Set up a custom mobile site
  • Include custom giving amounts and goals
  • Get real-time fundraiser updates with interactive scoreboards, fundraising thermometer, and donor names

Why we love it:

Whether your event is in-person, virtual, or hybrid, OneCause has the tools to get event attendees in the (digital) door so you can reach your fundraising goals. Because events can so easily go awry, it’s focused on balancing flexibility with functionality, including with its text-to-give features.

Why we prefer Funraise:

While OneCause has events down, setup can be tricky, and the platform can be a bit clunky. Additionally, they have a lot of different products that don’t always work smoothly together. At Funraise, it’s all for one and one for all, all the time, whether it's your next event or a mobile giving campaign.

7. GiveWP (favorite text-to-give software for WordPress sites)

GiveWP’s our second-favorite WordPress donation plug-in (besides Funraise's, but of course!), and its text-to-give add-on allows donors to give straight from their phones. If you have WordPress website, this is an easy integration with basic text-to-give functionality, so donors can text a keyword to make a donation.

Key features:

  • Text donations to GiveWP forms using Stripe donations
  • Accept payments through numerous platforms
  • Create and customize SMS text donation forms

Why we love it:

You'll need a WordPress site to take advantage of GiveWP, but assuming you have one, choosing this plug-in as your text-to-give provider gives your nonprofit the ability to solicit text-to-give donations, connect them to your giving forms, and build your strategy on those insights. There aren’t a lot of bells and whistles, but it’s easy to set up and easy to use.

Why we prefer Funraise:

Sometimes, you want a few bells and whistles, and Funraise has ‘em … and trust us, once you use them you won’t believe you went this long without them for so long. Plus, with GiveWP, you have to install the text-to-give add-on individually, and that’s true for every add-on. If you’re hoping to build out a more robust solution, that’s a lot of time spent adding-on.

You've got this! (Or, you're about to get it. Funraise's Text Engagement, that is.)

Are there any text to donate free services?

As you can see, there are many T2G platforms, but are there any free text-to-give services out there? The answer, technically, is yes. But you won’t get a lot of bang for your buck, and you’ll be subject to a whole lot of hidden fees. There are per transaction fees, text limits, set-up fees, and more. So, when it comes to text to donate for free, we don't feel comfortable pointing at any one "free" service—stick with one or more of the solutions above. In the long term, your nonprofit, and its budget, will thank you.

Text to give pricing: the top text to donate platforms compared

You've probably noticed by now that we didn't include any pricing in our evaluations of the options above—and for good reason. In the wild world of text to give pricing, things are always changing. There are new regulations, new rules, and new fees on the daily, making it difficult to say with any certainty what's a deal, a steal, or a rip-off. Furthermore, as we mentioned above, there are all sorts of hidden fees that make it hard to know what your final bill will be.

Your best bet is to decide which features are essential for your fundraising strategy and future growth, and start by eliminating platforms that don't offer those. We'd then suggest looking at roadmaps and feature release schedules and releasing (get it?!) platforms that aren't actively keeping their product up to date with privacy policies, emerging technologies, and related legislation. Finally, we'd narrow the list to text-to-give platforms that integrate with other tools and programs that are critical to your nonprofit's growth.

You might just be left with Funraise. If there are other services still on your list, put 'em on ice while you talk to us, and then loop 'em back in if (and it's a big IF) Funraise doesn't work out.

Get transparent pricing on all Funraise's features

Which text donation services are best for me? Our conclusion

If you're ready to utilize text-to-give but are still having trouble making a final decision, we can help. Try Funraise! (Well, you asked!) But seriously, we've worked hard to ensure our text engagement features are flawless, keeping in mind industry best practices, the latest innovations, and feedback from nonprofits just like you. Additionally, we're always adding new features to make our product as useful as possible for our nonprofit users, which allows organizations to grow alongside us. We'd love to ride this texting train into the sunset with you in the months and years ahead. All aboard!

FAQs

What is the best text to give platform?

It depends on your individual needs as an organization, including your budget, number of donors, and industry. Do your research and find a platform that meets your needs ... but you can't go wrong with Funraise!

Is text-to-give effective?

SMS open rates hover around 95% compared to 18% for email. So, yes, given how much time we all spend on our phones these days, T2G is highly effective for engaging and converting donors.

How do you set up text donations?

It starts by finding a text-to-give platform. They'll walk you through setup and help you create a unique phone number and custom codes. Then, it's up to you to promote your new giving program.

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