10 Automatic Text Message Sequences for Your Nonprofit

We’ve now got automations to make your life easier. You can send a sequence of text messages, ringless voicemails, or emails to connect with donors, follow up with volunteers, or get event RSVPs.

You’re busy: We get it. Nonprofit staff are overwhelmed. There’s so much to do and not enough time to do it. That’s why we built automations to save you time while still helping you reach your goals.

Here’s How Automatic Text Message Sequences Work

You can build any kind of marketing sequence you want. Here’s how it works:

1. Start with a text message: Kick off your series with a text message. 
2. Add the next step: Then set up your next message. It could be another text message, a ringless voicemail, or even an email (for eligible clients). Include as many steps as you need.
3. Set the delay: Choose the time between each step. It could be hours or days.
4. Trigger a stop: Automatically stop the sequence at any time if someone replies to a message, clicks a link, or takes some other action.

OK, that explains the mechanics of our new Rally automations. But how would a nonprofit organization actually use it?

10 Ways Nonprofits Can Use Automations

Here’s how your nonprofit could actually use these automations to save time and connect with your supporters:

1. Donor Follow Up

Send a donation pitch with automatic follow ups and reminders:

• Tell supporters about your new campaign and ask for their support. Send a link to your optimized donation form.
• Follow up with more details that illustrate the need. It’s important to show why financial donations are so important.
• Up the stakes with a voicemail from your leadership team. This is an opportunity to humanize the ask.
• Send a last-chance reminder.
• Set it up so the series stops as soon as they donate.

2. Volunteer Recruitment

Send a plea for volunteers to your supporters:

• Send a recruitment message asking for volunteers for your next big event.
• Follow up with quotes and photos from previous volunteer events. That human angle can be a strong incentive for people to sign up. It’s also a good way to show what volunteering entails—send the message that ‘this is easy and you can do it too.’
• Then send an email with more details about what you need and how it helps further your cause. Emphasize that impact. People are more likely to help when they understand how their involvement will further your mission. 
• Send a reminder text closer to your event. People tend to forget and a simple reminder can boost turnout.
• When someone signs up it will automatically stop the series.

3. Peer Fundraising Reminders

Any nonprofit that empowers supporters to do fundraising knows the importance of equipping and encouraging those individual fundraisers. Special Olympics Virginia does this with their polar plunge. An entire sequence of messages could be automated:

• Start with a text thanking them for participating and letting them know you’ll be sending a series of updates and reminders.
• Next send an email that gives them all the tools and resources they need to raise funds for your cause.
• Send a text reminding them of the email with all the details.
• Send a series of text messages that focus on different aspects of fundraising and pointing to helpful tools. Remind them about deadlines and keeping on track with their goals. Include a lot of encouragement and gratitude—you know how hard it is to do fundraising!
• Pause the series whenever you receive a reply so you can manually monitor and see what the issue is. In most cases you can keep the series going, but if they’re opting out or getting frustrated you’ll want to stop the series and step in to respond personally.

4. Event RSVPs:

Invite supporters to your next event:

• Send an event invite via text with the basics.
• Follow up with an email that offers more details. Include engaging photos and bullets listing why someone would want to attend.
• Make a more personal invitation with a ringless voicemail. It could come from your executive director or someone impacted by your event.
• Send a text reminder to make sure the event is on their calendar and ask if they’re signed up.
• As soon as someone signs up the series automatically stops.

5. Donation Thank Yous:

Take gratitude to a higher level with a series of thank yous when someone donates.

• Send a thank you text to new donors.
• Follow up with another text showing the impact of donations. Use numbers, quotes, and/or photos to make it tangible.
• Next you can send a heartfelt thank you from your founder. Emphasize human connection and why their donation makes a difference.
• Build a longer delay that sends another thank you several months down the road. Focus on gratitude—don’t ask for another donation.

6. Campaign Deadline:

Automations are great for any fundraising campaign with a hard deadline. This can work for your own campaign or something broader like Giving Tuesday.

• Send your initial text message to make the case and ask for a donation. Create a sense of urgency by reminding them of the deadline.
• Follow up with a series of text messages that count down to the deadline. Depending on the details of your fundraising campaign and how long it lasts, you could do daily reminders or make them every few days. Just make it clear that time is ticking.
• Once they make a donation the reminders stop.

7. Welcome Series: 

When you make a connection with a new supporter, you can start a welcome series to introduce them to your organization. This works well for nonprofits who do a lot of different things or have a complicated story to tell.

• Send an initial text message welcoming them to your team and explaining what you do. Make it human by introducing yourself. Let them know you’ll be sending a series of messages telling them more about your work.
• Create a series of short text messages that each focus on a different aspect of your work. Keep it short, but tie each message back to your overall mission. For example, a food shelf might talk about their food distribution, packing events, deliveries, and fundraisers, but it all ties back to solving hunger.
• You can pause the series any time a reply comes in. Manually check to make sure the response is positive—then continue the series.

8. Event Reminder:

Send a series of event updates before your next event to boost turnout and engagement.

• Start with an initial text message to your list of event attendees reminding them that your event is coming soon. The timing varies, but you might start a week ahead of the event.
• Set up a series of text messages or emails that give details about the event. Your overall goal is to remind them of the event and make sure they show up. The best way to do that is to anticipate questions and potential roadblocks. Send a schedule of the day’s events, parking directions, what they need to bring, and answer any common questions.
• It could be as simple as a one-two punch reminder: A text saying to check your email for important event updates and then an email with all the details. The HEADstrong Foundation has had success with those kinds of text reminders about an email.

9. Major Donor Outreach:

A huge percentage of nonprofit funding comes from major donors. An automatic series can be an ideal way to engage them and build that relationship. Target your top 10 donors and customize the series so it’s personal for each one. It’s a little more work, but the human element matters. 

• A good way to start is just asking to connect. It’s not about asking for more money—it’s about building relationships. Send a text asking if you can chat and when would be a convenient time. Include a scheduling link so they can pick a time and book a meeting.
• Follow up with a ringless voicemail explaining why it’s important for you to connect.
• Create a few more texts and email reminders asking to set up a meeting. Emphasize that you’re not asking for money but you want to learn from your supporters.
• Stop the series when they reply or click the link to schedule a meeting.

10. Advocacy Campaign:

A series of automatic messages is perfect for an advocacy campaign with a specific call to action. Let’s say you want people to sign a petition or call their legislator.

• Your first message should summarize what you want them to do and how to do it. Include a link to take action.
• Use subsequent messages to explain why it matters. Focus on your overall mission and what this accomplishes, but also clarify why signing their name or making a phone call will make a difference.
• After a few text messages giving the rationale, escalate to a ringless voicemail from your founder or executive director asking them to take action.
• Clicking on the link in your messages will stop the series.

10 Automation Tips

Now that we’ve explored 10 ways your nonprofit organization can save time with automation, let’s cover a few helpful tips as you craft those text messages:

1. Keep it simple: It’s easy for automations to get out of hand. Make your series as short as you can and still accomplish your goals. Make sure you have the proper workflows and triggers in place to stop a series when necessary.
2. Embrace the power of the follow up: A series of messages is a great way to convey a lot of information without overwhelming people. Keep each message short and focused. Rely on multiple messages to cover detail and depth.
3. Timing matters: Pay attention to the timing of your texts. There’s an optimum time for text messages.
4. Overcome fear: If hitting send on one message is scary, hitting send on an entire series can be overwhelming. We get it. We’ve got tips on overcoming that fear. Test and then trust yourself.
5. Tell a story: A series of messages is perfect for storytelling. Make sure you’re communicating a story to your supporters.
6. Be short: Texting is a succinct medium, so keep your texts short.
7. Or go long: Counterpoint, send long messages. In our Your Rally Point podcast, we talk about the power of long messages and call them “unswipeable.”
8. Voicemail examples: Unsure how to use ringless voicemail? We’ve got some real world examples of ringless voicemails from nonprofits who found success with the format.
9. Images: Don’t forget the power of a good photo. Text messaging can include photos, using multimedia messaging service (MMS). If you don’t have a photo, throw in a relevant emoji.
10. Send more: You want your texts to be coherent, consistent, and actually connect. Too often nonprofits don’t send enough messages. You think people heard you, but everyone is so busy they’re missing your messages. Rally founder James Martin said it simply in our Your Rally Point podcast: “I cannot think of a single time when I told a client or customer, you're doing too much. You're usually not doing enough.”

Rally Can Help

If you’re struggling with strategy or not sure how text message marketing can help your nonprofit, we’re here to answer your questions.

• Tools: We offer integrations with your preferred fundraising platform, customer relationship management (CRM) system, donation form, and more. We offer mass texting, two-way texting, MMS, and more. Our functionality and workflows can boost donor engagement, encourage peer fundraising, increase recurring donations, and in general make your mobile fundraising more effective.
• Support: We care about customer experience. We’ve got multiple options for help including FAQs, templates, and webinars. Plus, we’re happy to get on a phone call and talk through any issues. We even offer pre-written text message templates to make it easy. Check out our case studies to see how other nonprofits rave about our support and user-friendly system.
• Not sure: If you’re still not sure about SMS text messaging, we’re happy to show you a demo, walk through strategy, and take a voice call to talk pricing options. 

‍Get started: Sign up now to start using Rally and automate your outreach.