Should Charities Say Yes to SMS?, Ep #48

Episode 48

With Benjamin Johnson and Megan McCaffery

Have you ever paid a bill via text message? What about using SMS to send donations to your favorite charity? On this episode, Ben and Megan explore the pros and cons of using SMS in fundraising, the benefits of micro-influencers, and how charities can make a real impact for the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

  • Catching up on dodgeball, Sabbath, and return envelopes with Megan McCaffery [0:34]

  • More fun with QR codes [7:36]

  • Is SMS a marketing miss? [13:25]

  • Charities and cybersecurity [20:24]

  • What is a micro-influencer? [27:56]

  • LinkedIn lessons and developing an ecosystem [33:54]

  • Going beyond performative virtue signaling [37:48]

Text me maybe

The charitable world has just begun to consider text messaging as a viable option for interacting with donors and receiving donations. When it works, it works well. However, there are serious ethical concerns about using SMS in this way. Text-based phishing scams are becoming more popular and intricate than ever. It is increasingly difficult to verify if communications are actually coming from the organization they claim to be. Especially if you have never interacted with this organization before. When organizations that handle other people’s money use new and unfamiliar mediums to contact them, it can create confusion and distrust that will need to be addressed, or it could potentially end the relationship. Legitimizing SMS messaging as a financial platform also conditions people to be more vulnerable to text-based scams. Charities should develop a way to ramp up SMS authenticity before developing strategies around it.

Small influence, big results

Using influencers and celebrities to promote your charity can be a really effective fundraising strategy. However, unless you have Ryan Reynolds on speed dial, employing such a resource may prove more difficult than practical. That’s why Megan recommends focusing on influencers with smaller, more personal circles. Micro and nano-influencers are typically people with less than a thousand followers. They tend to be 40% more effective than mega-influencers or celebrities because their followers already know, trust, and care about them. On average, user-created content is 85% more effective than branded content because people resonate with a real person over a marketing department any day. Allowing micro-influencers to share your message in their words can be a powerful marketing tool with a meaningful return on investment.

Mean it like you say it

Charities are at their best when they lean into authenticity. June offers the specific opportunity for companies and charities alike to offer their public support for the LGBTQIA+ community as a part of Pride Month. And while outspoken allyship is necessary and should be celebrated, organizations should steer clear of performative virtue signaling. If your charity is passionate about queer rights and issues, look to partner with local or national LGBTQIA+ organizations to bring a real impact. Megan summarized it best by saying that if you are going to advocate for a marginalized community, you need to be an advocate to them as well.

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect With Frontier

Follow Frontier.FM on
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts

Ben Johnson