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How to implement Text to Donate

Customers can create a seamless "Text to Donate" experience by leveraging keywords, autoresponses, and mobile-friendly donation pages.

Updated over a month ago

Some customers may be familiar with “text-to-give” offers that allow donors to donate to organizations and have it charged to their phone bill. Text to Donate is a similar offering where donors can give via text message or mobile web. Customers can create a seamless "Text to Donate" experience by leveraging keywords, autoresponses, and mobile-friendly donation pages with Apple Pay and Google Pay or browser-saved cards. This guide walks you through the steps to set up this feature.

Things you’ll need

Step 1: Set up a keyword for your campaign

Keywords allow supporters to interact with your NationBuilder account through text. To enable donors to initiate a donation, set up a keyword they can text to your NationBuilder phone number.

  1. Go to your Website > choose any Signup page type.

  2. Click Signup Settings > Text Keyword.

  3. Enter a word related to your campaign, like "GIVE" or "DONATE."

  4. Customize the keyword response with a message directing donors to your mobile-friendly donation page. For example:
    “Thank you for the support! Click here to donate now: [link to your donation page].

  5. Specify the Broadcaster whose phone number you want this to come from.

  6. Save your keyword.

Step 2: Customize your settings

After setting up the keyword, configure an autoresponse to enhance the donor experience.

  1. Navigate to Communications > the Broadcaster you used in the previous step.

  2. Under Settings > Texting, configure the data you want to collect from new donors

    1. Best practice is to uncheck “ask for name, email, and address” since these will be collected on the donation page.

  3. Save changes.

Step 3: Optimize the donation page for mobile wallets

  1. To make donating quick and easy for supporters using mobile devices, ensure that “enable express payment options” is enabled on your donation page.

    1. Please note: If this is your first time using express payments, make sure you’ve followed the documentation first.

  2. Test the donation flow on a mobile device to confirm compatibility with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and saved card features.

Step 4: Test the Text to Donate flow

Before launching, test the full donation process to ensure smooth functionality.

  1. Text the keyword from a mobile device to your NationBuilder number, including numbers that don’t already exist in the nation.

  2. Verify that the autoresponse message with the donation link is received.

  3. Tap the link and complete a test donation using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or another saved method.

Tips and best practices

  • Clear calls-to-action: Make sure the autoresponse message has a clear and direct call-to-action, encouraging donors to tap the link.

  • Test on multiple devices: Check the donation page’s functionality on various mobile devices to ensure compatibility.

  • Track keyword performance: Use NationBuilder’s reporting tools to monitor how many donors engage with the keyword to evaluate campaign success.

With these steps, you can implement a simple yet effective “Text to Donate” solution that provides supporters with a smooth donation experience on their mobile devices.

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