Most of the day, your audience is probably not at their computer, but they probably have their cell phone on them. Roughly 90% of cell phones in the U.S. have unlimited texting and 97% of US adults text (Pew Research, 2015 SMS stats, and 2018 stats). That's why SMS is such an important channel to invest in because it reaches people whenever and wherever they are. Luckily, that investment doesn't have to be huge to get started in SMS marketing.
Here are our favorite free (and cheap) mass texting tools for nonprofits. Plus, how to choose an SMS platform for your organization!
1. Twilio.org Pricing volume discounts, $.0075 per message sent, $500 in-kind grants for nonprofits available (https://www.twilio.org/benefits/). Twilio studio allows for custom message flows but requires some knowledge of platform to customize.
2. ExpertTexting Pricing based on $0.0083 per message – so $8.30 for 1,000 messages, unlimited keywords (pending availability). No cost to receive texts.
3. MoboMobix Pricing starts at $50/month for 2,000 messages, 1 keyword. No cost to receive texts
4. Textmarks Low-cost texting, simple web interface with pricing starting at $199/month for 3,500 messages, includes 10 keywords. Credits are used to send and receive messages.
5. Eztext Free messaging tier up to 250 messages per month, then $49/month for 1,000 messages, 1 keyword included. No cost to receive texts.
6. SimpleTexting Low-cost texting platform starting at $45/month for 1,000 messages, unlimited keywords. No cost to receive texts.
7. Burst SMS Pricing volume discounts available, $0.016 per message sent, 3 keywords for a shared short code included and free to receive messages.
Text-to-give/Text-to-donate/Text-to-pledge tools These tools are narrow focused tools that let nonprofits collect donations through texting either via pledge, mobile webform or through direct from mobile bill. Note that giving through cell phone carrier is organized through the Mobile Giving Foundation. Organized by pricing.
1. GiveLively.org FREE. This is not a typo, they offer free text-to-donate tool with keywords against the shortcode 44321. We didn’t believe this so we did a podcast interview with the CEO of Give Lively.
2. Give by Cell Allows for text-to-give through the Mobile Giving Foundation ($675 fee) that deducts from the user’s phone bill. Pricing starts at $149/month for just this service.
3. @Pay Pricing starts at $0/yr and 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. They focus on a seamless and efficient giving experience that lets donors give with two clicks, one to send a text with the donation amount and the other to confirm the payment.
4. Txt2Give Pricing starts at $25/month + 1% donations or $60/month + 0% fee.
5. Qgive Pricing starts at $0/yr + 3.95% + $0.30 per transaction.
6. mGive Pricing starts at $499/year + 2.9% donation + $0.30 per transaction.
7. SecureGive Pricing starts at $69/month + “competitive processing fees”.
High-End SMS Services These providers allow for more dynamic segmenting, messaging, and tools for advocacy. Note that carriers do not charge platforms to receive messages so any cost associated with receiving messages is being added by the vendor.
1. Textit.in Visual interface for structuring texts, pricing starts at $20 for 1,000 credits. Note that credits count for sent AND received texts, most platforms are free to receive messages.
2. Trumpia Pricing starts at $250/month for 10,000 credits (sent and received count as credits).
3. CitizenInsights Offers guided surveying for organizations. Has fixed $99/month for 2,500 sent messages, with customizable message flows.
4. Smart as a Fox Pricing starts $450/month for 5,000 sent messages and includes unlimited keywords for a shared shortcode (free to receive). They also have great activism click-to-call, VoIP #s and segmentation for message targetting.
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