4 Methods to Capture Donor Phone Numbers

Four methods to build your donor text ready lists

You’re probably already familiar with capturing mobile numbers and sharing messages or announcements with Rally by texting a keyword, phrase, or emoji. But did you know you can also have people kick off a Rally workflow with their camera or by clicking a link?

The fact is, there are several ways to build your opt-in lists and get prompts & messages delivered to your supporters. To get started, people can:

• Text a KEYWORD, phrase, or Emoji to short number like 24365.
• Point their phone’s camera at a QR code.
• Click a link (e.g. giv.now/demo)
• Use the Rally API to connect to a form or a third-party application like your Donor CRM.

Each option may be better suited for specific contexts and use-cases, so we’ll share some ideas here to help you pick what’s best for you.

Moving Contacts from Email to Texting lists

Let’s say you’re sending a monthly newsletter to an email list, and to increase your contact and participation rates, you want to have people opt-in to get updates on their mobile phones as well. Simply include a link in your newsletters or on your subscription signup forms to encourage people to opt-in. You can provide a specific message, prompt, or resource to incentivize people to make the switch. For example, recently, I offered a free resource that was downloadable to a phone once they signed up for mobile alerts.

Include a Special Graphic in Your Mailers

If you are mailing physical materials, consider including a simple barcode graphic like the one below. I’ve seen this used by our customers in facilities like the YMCA or Kroc Centers to have members opt-in to receive updates or make a donation. A graphic like this is universal and can be an easy way for people to point their smartphone camera at the image to launch a workflow. If you want your own, use the same link above and find a QR Code generator, or just ask us and we’ll make one for you.

During Live Events, Podcasts, or in Videos

This is the most common use of a short telephone number. Simply have your audience text a word, phrase, or emoji to your Rally number. Most of our customers use this method, but few know they can also create custom workflows with multiple keywords on toll-free and local phone numbers. We even support dedicated short-codes if you have your own. You can have as many keywords or phone numbers as you want, and all of them can behave differently and for different campaigns. Just for fun, text 🤠 to 24365.

Integration with Forms & CRMS

Of course, with the Rally RESTful API, you can also trigger workflows or capture campaign signups from any form on your website or from inside your CRM. We even make the data and past conversations available for you if you want to build custom reports or dashboards. Just consult with our team if you’d like to explore this further, and we will provide your developers with documentation or a quote if you’d like our team to build it for you.

Summary & Offer

Well, that summarizes the most common ways to build your list of donor mobile numbers. Remember, Rally is about helping you make a sustaining impact, and we have worked diligently to reduce the friction for your supporters to sign up and engage with you. If there's anything you need to help you accomplish that goal, just let us know. If you need help with any of the options listed above, we're here to help.

Schedule a demo here, and we'll walk through your campaigns and share ways you can accomplish your goal.