Revolutionizing College Fundraisers: The Untapped Potential of SMS Marketing Software

As everyone should know, a fundraiser is a generalized term used to describe the process of planning and implementing campaigns/events aimed at raising money and other types of donations. College fundraisers do just the same. The only difference is that they raise money for their school instead of an organization.

For decades, many colleges and universities in the US (both public and private) have been running fundraisers. For example, Austin Peay State University reported having its most successful fundraising year ever in 2022, having raised over $27 million in gifts and pledges. And there is a reason why schools do that.

The Value of College Fundraisers in 2024

So why do colleges and universities consistently raise money? The obvious reason is funding. In the era of significant academic underfunding, fundraisers give schools an opportunity to enhance their financial support, invest more money in a school's development, and cover additional costs, such as extracurricular activities.

As we all know, modern college students barely have enough time to handle their hefty academic loads. Needless to say, they don't have much time to participate in fundraising campaigns. So why do they need to seek assistance with their classes, for example, asking expert writers from a professional paper writing service, “Please, make my essay,” to free up time for such activities?

If you are wondering what is in such activities for students, experts indicate two primary benefits:

Stronger community – All fundraising campaigns require plenty of networking – not only among teachers and students but also among parents, partners, etc. The more connected people feel to your school, the more likely they will make donations. So, the first benefit is an enhanced community inside and beyond a school.
Enhanced education – Planning and implementing a successful fundraising campaign requires a wealth of skills, such as communication, organizing, teamwork, goal-setting, leadership, budgeting, etc. Also, it requires solid marketing skills. Hence, running such campaigns can enhance students' socio-emotional development and help them acquire hands-on experience in their majors, for example, in marketing.

What Is SMS Marketing?

SMS (short message service) marketing is a subset of marketing that implies promoting products or services to consumers via text messages. Just like in the case of email marketing, SMS marketing requires consumers to sign up for a list in order to receive advertising messages.

What are the benefits of this type of advertising? First and foremost, it's much more cost-effective than paid promotion. Secondly, SMS has a higher open rate compared to other channels because users typically read all the texts they get. Finally, SMS marketing can be more efficient than other types because it reaches your target audience anywhere and at any time, whether they have an Internet connection or not. Schools can further enhance their communication channels by implementing a specialized text messaging service for schools, which enables instant delivery of important updates, emergency notifications, and personalized messages to keep parents informed.

How Can It Help College Fundraisers?

When it comes to college fundraising, SMS marketing is a revolutionizing option that can help schools achieve greater success. According to statistics, 93% of people with a college degree own a mobile phone, which makes it a perfect channel of communication with a school's alums, who are potential contributors.

Another big benefit is reduced cost. SMS communication requires significantly less investment compared to other channels, such as email. At the same time, it's a much more time-efficient means of communication. Sending texts is fast and effective, which is also a plus.

Last but not least important – SMS marketing is proving its effectiveness. Studies reveal that people across all generations prefer text messages more than face-to-face conversations. Hence, this method of marketing a fundraiser can greatly boost your open rates and engagement. An example of this statement is SAWA-Australia. This non-profit organization switched to SMS marketing in donor communications for the sake of cost-saving. To their surprise, they also enjoyed a growth in engagement and increased attendance at their events after making the switch.

3 Ways to Use SMS Marketing for College Fundraisers

Now that you know more about SMS marketing, the big question is how to leverage it to refine college fundraising campaigns.

There are several ways you can use it:

Advertise your events – Use text messages to tell your audience about upcoming events, including giving days, alum meetups, raffles, auctions, and so on. By advertising such events via SMS, you can rest assured that your recipients will see them, which can boost attendance.
Send notifications – After letting your audience know about upcoming events, don't hesitate to send them additional event reminders to ensure they will show up.
Enhance donors' journey – There are many things you can do to keep your donors engaged throughout the year, and not only when you have some event coming soon. Using SMS marketing, you can follow up with your donors and thank them for their commitment. Also, you can notify them about your news and congratulate them on their news. These and other donor journey tactics can help you build strong and lasting relationships with your contributors. As a result, you may be able to create a year-round donation pipeline.

The Role of SMS Marketing Software in the Success of Your Campaigns

When it comes to marketing your college fundraising efforts via SMS, there is no way to do it without a solid tech foundation. Although SMS marketing can be incredibly cost-efficient and fruitful for college fundraisers, handling it all manually will eventually turn out to be a waste of time and money. However, reliable SMS marketing software can get you on the right track.

What does this type of software stand for? In a nutshell, it's software that helps you plan, implement, and measure your SMS marketing efforts. Here's how it can help:

Customized messaging – In your marketing campaigns, you will have to communicate with different types of audiences and for various purposes. Solid SMS marketing software will let you segment your audience and campaigns and draft customized messages for every recipient group and occasion. This will save you lots of time in the long run.
Automated delivery – Once you prepare your messages, you don't have to bother sending them manually. A reliable SMS marketing tool will let you schedule automatic text deliveries and save even more time.
Mass outreach – Regardless of the school size, chances are that you want your marketing message to reach as many recipients as possible. Sending out bulk texts can be incredibly tedious. Luckily, SMS marketing software typically has mass outreach functionality. It will let you reach thousands of potential donors with a single click.
Smart analytics – Lastly, you will definitely want to keep track of your marketing successes and failures. This will give you a clear image of which tactics work for your campaigns and which don't. Needless to say, analyzing plenty of metrics manually isn't easy. However, with the right SMS marketing software, you will always have customized analytics insights at hand and will be able to quickly refine your course of action to raise more funds.

The Bottom Line

So, you already know about the massive benefits of college fundraising and the ways SMS marketing can revolutionize the process. What's next?

In order to streamline your efforts and ensure that your fundraising campaigns work, all you need is to find the right SMS marketing software that goes in line with your goals and needs. Consider using Eztalks to start sending messages quickly and cost-efficiently and get on the right track with your college fundraisers!