Short Codes in Action for Charitable Causes

Situation

After a fierce hurricane moved inland, leaving destruction in its wake, families across the community immediately needed food, water, clothing, medical care, and shelter. 

Every second mattered for raising funds and organizing volunteers. But the town’s nonprofits faced a number of challenges. Staff and volunteers were scattered across town. Roads were blocked. Power was down in many neighborhoods. And time was of the essence.

Short codes text messaging offered an ideal solution. 

Results

Nonprofits who were set up as registered short code providers were able to quickly send thousands of appeals straight to potential donors’ mobile phones – more essential than ever in this post-emergency situation. 

Text messages enabled giving with a quick reply. Even more importantly, recipients trusted these messages because they had opted in to receive them in the first place. 

For one community nonprofit, the ability to customize messages paid off. The organization’s CEO reached out to a targeted list of donors with a personal message, which helped increase the emergency campaign’s support. 

Other organizations used short codes to reach out to their rosters of volunteers, coordinating teams for relief activities more swiftly and effectively than any email or traditional phone effort.

Solution

In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, swiftly launched short codes campaigns raised thousands of dollars quickly—funds that were soon channeled into vital resources and community support. 

What’s more, short codes empowered nonprofits to keep the engagement going long after the hurricane was a distant memory. Organizations found several additional ways to use short code text messages to engage donors and volunteers, building upon their consent for future communications to target outreach in a truly cost-effective way.