[GUEST POST] The Three Keys to Unlocking Your Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Program’s Mobile Potential
Over the last 15 years, our lives have become shaped more and more by our mobile devices. Think about it: the ways in which we communicate, shop, learn, and entertain ourselves have all evolved a great deal in a very short time – and it all fits right in our pocket.
Mobile technology has impacted our lives in ways we couldn’t have imagined even 20 years ago. As peer-to-peer fundraising professionals, that means our programs and strategies need to embrace and prioritize mobile tools and tactics in order to stay relevant and be successful.
Need a little convincing (or perhaps a little data to convince your boss)? The average American spends 3 hours and 15 minutes every day on their mobile device, and roughly 90% of that time is spent in apps rather than mobile browsers. Plus, up to 70% of web traffic today occurs on a mobile device. Mobile is the primary way that supporters access nonprofit websites, so it’s imperative that we roll out the mobile welcome mat.
For peer-to-peer fundraising, creating an effective mobile strategy goes beyond creating a mobile-friendly donation form and email campaign. A mobile-first strategy assumes that supporters will primarily use a mobile device to register and fundraise for your peer-to-peer fundraising program and look for ways to further engage with your mission. It includes tools like mobile messaging (SMS/MMS and push notifications), mobile payment options, and dedicated mobile apps to help participants fundraise.
To develop a winning mobile-first strategy for your peer-to-peer program, use the three keys outlined below:
- Create a Frictionless User Experience
First and foremost, it has to be easy for your supporters to engage with you on mobile. They need to know what tools are available to them, and those tools need to work – period.If you haven’t already, start capturing mobile phone numbers and opt-ins so you can text participants and link them directly to your mobile experience. We highly recommend using a platform that allows text recipients to reply and engage with staff or volunteers, should they need anything.
Once your fundraisers know where to go, your mobile app or website needs to welcome them in – quickly and painlessly. Thanks to standards set by multibillion dollar for-profit companies like Amazon, Apple, and Netflix, user expectations are extremely high these days. Fast load times and mobile login features like Face ID are key to getting mobile users in the door.
And when the time comes to donate, mobile payment options are a must. How many times have you started to purchase something on your phone and abandoned it once you realize you have to key in your credit card information… and your wallet is waaaay across the room? Accepting payment from mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or integrations with digital apps like Venmo or Zelle will ensure a much higher donation conversion on mobile. - Provide Opportunities for Participant Engagement
Once we get users in the door, we need to make sure they know what to do next. Start by prioritizing and simplifying Calls-to-Action (CTA). While we all want to share every single tool we’ve worked hard to create for our fundraisers, we need to be careful not to overwhelm them with too many choices. Think of the one main thing you want people to do on each page or screen, and that’s your CTA.Then we need to offer timely and valuable information to our supporters. Mobile App Push Notifications can be especially useful here, letting fundraisers know when they have received a new donation or when a new teammate has joined, and even event day details.
Last, but certainly not least, fundraising for your organization should be – dare I say it? – FUN! We need to create experiences that our fundraisers enjoy. This could be as simple as offering challenges and gamification to reward fundraisers at certain milestones, or offering a custom animated or augmented reality mission moment in your app or mobile website.
- Look for Ways to Optimize Efficiencies
Let’s not forget why we love technology so much: it makes our lives easier (most of the time). The final key to unlocking your program’s mobile potential is to use mobile technology to automate and digitize processes, freeing up staff from administrative headaches so they have more time for what’s important: building relationships with supporters.For example, you can lessen the volume of personal outreach required of your staff by using marketing automation tools to send emails or text messages, or scheduling push notifications to coach participants to their next fundraising milestone. Or adopt mobile app features like mobile check deposit so participants can deposit check donations directly to your bank account – and their fundraising total – without having to mail, wait, process, and key in donation information.
Think about the administrative tasks that consume your team’s time, and dream of ways mobile technology could help you solve it.
By meeting participants and supporters where they are – on their mobile device – and optimizing their experience, we can increase participant engagement, and, in turn, increase participant retention and fundraising. Embracing a mobile-first strategy is not merely a trend but a critical step to ensuring our programs continue to thrive.
Learn how Nuclavis helped boost Walk to End Alzheimer’s mobile app revenue 30% using the key strategies above.
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By Noel Beebe, Director of Client Strategy, Nuclavis
Noel Beebe is Director of Client Strategy at Nuclavis. When she’s not helping organizations use technology to raise funds and change the world, Noel enjoys hiking, baking, and spending time with her family in Austin, TX.
