Text to Give vs Text to Donate: Which Is Right for You?

There is quite a bit of confusion regarding the terms “text to donate” and “text to give.” While they’re often used interchangeably, sometimes they are not. When that’s the case, it really matters. The difference affects your donors’ experience, how quickly you’ll receive your funds, what type of donor data you’ll collect, and what compliance requirements you’ll have to meet.

This guide goes through the difference between text to give and text to donate, what each one is, and how each one works so that you can determine which one works best for you. We will also explore when broadcast messaging through SMS provides more flexibility for nonprofits.

What Is Text-to-Give?

Text-to-give is the first of those two donation systems, being a carrier-based donation system where the donation amount is charged directly to an individual’s phone service account instead of going through a payment processing service or Merchant/Vendor account.

To donate, you simply text your keyword (GIVE, HAITI, etc.) to a short code (usually 5-6 digit number) provided by your cell carrier; each carrier has pre-associated a specific donation amount to that individual short code, which will show up on your next mobile phone bill as an additional charge.

After receiving the donation, the carriers will send the money to the charity once all items have been billed and collected.

The Red Cross used text-to-give famously after the 2010 Haiti earthquake  donors texted HAITI to 90999 to donate $10. It raised over $5 million in under 48 hours  eventually reaching $22 million in total via text alone.

That speed is text-to-give’s biggest strength. No form. No payment details. One text and it’s done.

Text-to-give works through mobile carriers. The donation amount is preset by the nonprofit. The gift appears on the donor’s phone bill. Funds can take weeks to arrive after carrier processing.

How Does Text-to-Give Work?

Here is a six-step process on getting started with text-to-give fundraising using (limited) mobile payment processing.

1. Your nonprofit must register for a text-to-give service provider and receive a shortcode & keyword.

2. Through your provider, you will set a fixed amount ($10, $25), which is the donation amount that can be collected through the text-to-give service.

3. You can promote the keyword through all your channels, including event signage, social media, email and announcements.

4. A donor sends a text to the shortcode.

5. The wireless carrier adds the donation to the donor’s next monthly phone bill.

6. The carrier processes and transfers the funds to your nonprofit (typically within 30 – 90 days).

The service does impose some restrictions:

1. Custom donation amounts are not an option.

2. Most donor relationships cannot be followed up on due to the lack of access to donor contact info or restrictions placed on how this service is used.

3. In order to utilize this fundraising option, you must be a 501(c)(3) for at least one full year AND generate at least $500,000 in revenue. This significantly limits the use of this service for many smaller nonprofits.

What Is Text-to-Donate?

Text to donate is the most commonly used method for nonprofits today. This system processes donations through a standard payment gateway rather than using a phone carrier to process donations, which is how text-to-donate was originally created.

The donor flow still looks the same  by texting a keyword to a phone number. However, instead of receiving a carrier charge after the initial text, the donor will receive a link to an online donation form. Once the recipient opens the link, they enter their donation amount, input their payment method, and make a donation.

The extra step of having to visit the URL and complete the online form does create a new level of friction; however, it has several major advantages: the donation amount is not a fixed amount; contact information may be captured for the donor; funds are typically received within 1-3 days; and there are no carrier eligibility requirements for nonprofits to use this new system.

Text-to-donate works through a payment processor. Donors choose their own amount. You collect full contact details. Funds arrive within 2–5 business days. No eligibility restrictions.

How Does Text-to-Donate Work?

Step one: Register for service with a text-to-donate platform and acquire your phone number.

Step two: Define the keyword for donors to text into your number (ex: donate, give, etc.)

Step three: The donor will text the keyword to your number. 

Step four: The donor will receive an automatic reply with a link to your mobile-optimized donation page.

Step five: The donor will choose their gift amount and complete their payment on your donation page.

Step six: Your donation will transmit via the payment gateway and be processed within a few business days.

Step seven: You have the donor’s name, email address, and phone number to reach out to them again for stewardship.

The final step is the key to creating value long-term through text-to-donate. You not only receive a donation but also establish donor relationships.

Text-to-Donate vs Text-to-Give: Which Is Better?

Neither is universally better. They serve different purposes. Here’s a direct comparison:

	Text-to-Give	Text-to-Donate
How it works	Charged to phone bill	Link to donation form
Donation amount	Preset by nonprofit	Donor chooses
Donor data collected	Rarely	Yes – name, email, phone
Speed for donor	Instant  one text	2–3 minutes to complete
Speed to receive funds	30–90 days	2–5 business days
Eligibility	501(c)(3), 1yr+, $500K+ revenue	Any nonprofit
Processing fees	Carrier fees (varies)	Standard payment gateway %
Best for	Emergency appeals, events	Ongoing campaigns, stewardship

Which Is the Right Fit for Your Nonprofit?

Text to give is an appropriate vehicle to use when:

There’s an emergency situation (e.g., disaster, crisis, urgent need for funds) – It’s quick to set up and requires no additional friction on behalf of the donor to give.

You’re having a time-sensitive fundraising event in person (e.g., gala, charity run, church service) and want to enable attendees to make donations on-site and not have to fill out a paper form.

You’re eligible – you must be a 501(c)(3) with $500,000+ in annual revenue to be eligible for text to give.

Text to donate is appropriate when:

You’d like to create donor relationships and have full donor contact information associated with every donation (so you can follow up and thank them personally and reach out to them again).

You have ongoing campaigns that you will be utilizing text to donate for throughout the year, not only in emergencies. It will be integrated into your CRM and will track and report all donations on your behalf.

You want to allow donors to donate the amount they wish (e.g., $5, $50, or $500). This provides flexibility and maximizes the generosity of your donors, as opposed to having a preset donation amount, which may limit giving.

You’re a small or new nonprofit. No eligibility restrictions. Any registered nonprofit can begin a text-to-donate campaign today.

For most nonprofits today  especially those focused on building long-term donor relationships  text-to-donate is the better default choice. It’s more flexible, captures more data, and works for organisations of any size.

What Are the Advantages of Text-to-Donate Over Text-to-Give?

Look how fast the benefits of these tools add up when you consider how nonprofits utilize them daily:

– Contact information for the donor. With text-to-give, the majority of carriers do not send donor information when the donation is received which means you cannot thank the donor, follow up, or build a relationship with that donor when you have no information about them. With text-to-donate you receive the donor’s name, email and phone number each time.

Read More on SMS for Non-Profits and Campaign

– Donors choose the amount they want to donate. If the donor wants to donate $100, they do not want to be restricted to a maximum donation of $10. Text to donate has no maximum donation amount. According to research done by the Nonprofit Texting Commission, the average donation received by nonprofit organizations in response to a fundraising text message is approximately $71, which is substantially greater than what is usually pre-set for maximums on a text-to-give message ($10 or $25).

– Receive donations faster. Depending on the carrier that processes a text-to-give donation for a nonprofit organization, there can be between a 30-90 day turnaround from the time the donation is made until it is deposited into the organization’s bank account. Text-to-donate funds are deposited into the Nonprofit’s bank account 2-5 business days after the donation was made through typical credit card payment processing. For many nonprofits, this time difference is a key factor due to their limited cash flow.

There are no restrictions on who can use this tool. Any nonprofit organization has the ability to launch a text-based donation campaign immediately. There are no minimum revenue requirements, years of operation, or carrier approval processes required to use the service.

Text-to-donate is designed to facilitate long-term donor outreach, not just in times of crisis. Text-to-donate is intended to integrate with your overall donor communication strategy; therefore, you may utilize it for all your donor communications throughout the year, including appeals, event promotion, thank-you notes, and impact reports.

Read More on Two way SMS

How ZeepText Helps With Text Fundraising for Nonprofits

ZeepText is not a text to donate service as it does not handle donations directly. Rather, it is an SMS/MMS broadcast service that allows you to communicate with your supporters in a personalised (and compliant), mass way, delivering information about your organisation.

ZeepText will act as the outreach layer to propel potential donors to your donation page via text message, regardless of whether your donation page is text to donate only, standard online donation page or peer to peer fundraising page.

Here is how this works in real life:

Donation appeals: you can send a personalized text message to your entire donor database which is addressed to each individual by first name and includes a link to your donation page. This will allow your supporters to view it within minutes versus days.

Campaign launches: you can send out a text to announce that you are launching your text to donate campaign and provide supporters with the keyword to text and link to your campaign. This is the fastest way to distribute that information.

Follow up messages: after a donor makes a contribution, send them a warm thank you text message. Most donors do not receive a personal follow up from the organisation so this one support message can dramatically improve your donor retention.

Reconnect with donors who have stopped donating. While lapsed donors may not open emails anymore, they will still read text messages. Send a short and to-the-point text message to these individuals at the appropriate time and it may just be enough to bring them back to making a donation after a few months.

ZeepText has been designed specifically for nonprofit and community organisations, with no ongoing platform fees; simply pay $0.039 for each text message you send (and nothing else). Plus, when you refill with your first $25, you receive 2,064 complimentary credits! All messages sent through ZeepText comply with 10DLC regulations, meaning that your messages will go directly into recipients’ inboxes instead of being blocked as spam.

ZeepText pricing: $0.039/SMS outgoing · $0.015/SMS incoming · $0 monthly fee · First top-up of $25 unlocks 2,064 free SMS credits. Founding members lock in this rate forever. Start free at zeeptext.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What is text-to-donate?

Text-to-donate is a mobile fundraising method where donors text a keyword to a phone number and receive a link to an online donation form. They complete their gift through a payment gateway choosing their own amount and the nonprofit receives the funds within a few business days. Unlike text-to-give, which processes donations through mobile carriers, text-to-donate works through standard online payment processing. It gives nonprofits full donor contact details and flexible donation amounts, making it the preferred method for ongoing fundraising campaigns.

What is the difference between text to give and text to donate?

Text-to-donate is a way for people who want to donate using their phone. They send a text message with a specified word to the designated phone number of the nonprofit, and they will then receive a link to fill out an online donation form (on a secure web page) for the requested amount or whatever amount they choose. The donation amount is charged to the donor’s credit card/used through a payment gateway and the grantee will receive donation funds in a few business days – the nonprofit will receive a list of all donors and their contact details.

Which is better for small nonprofits  text to give vs text to donate?

In contrast, with the text-to-give method, donations are charged directly to the donor’s phone bill through their mobile phone service; it is an instantaneous process, as there is no form to complete. When using the text-to-donate method, donors will receive a link to an online donation form where they will fill in their own amount in addition to using their credit card via a standard processor. The main differences between the two methods can be summed up as follows: text-to-give has a quicker process, but the funds take longer to make it to the grantee; text-to-donate collects donor contact information; and text-to-donate is available for any type of nonprofit, while text-to-give has strict eligibility requirements.

Can I use ZeepText for text-to-donate campaigns?

ZeepText is an SMS broadcast service that helps organizations promote their text-to-donate campaigns. The service is not a payment processor, but instead helps organizations create text-to-donate campaigns, send personalized requests for donations, distribute a link to your organization’s donation page to potential supporters, and follow up with supporters after they have made gifts. Basically, ZeepText is a way to generate traffic for your text-to-donate page using outreach efforts by sending SMS text messages