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6 easy steps to getting started with mobile donations using Obopay

Target audience: Nonprofits, NGOs, cause organizations, businesses, brands, communications managers, business development managers, chief technology officers.

Guest post by Brannon Cullum
Movements.org

The past few years have seen a sharp increase in the popularity of text-to-donate services. Using mobile phones, users can text a keyword to a short code number in order to make a charitable donation. The text-to-give donation is then typically added to the user’s monthly phone bill.

The majority of previous text-to-donate campaigns have been largely the work of well-established organizations and corporations like the Red Cross. In particular, the campaign to raise funds for Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake drove a lot of attention to mobile giving. But mobile giving is no longer limited to large, well-known organizations.

In October 2010, mobile payment provider Obopay launched a new service that enables nonprofits of any size to access mobile donations. Obopay touts two benefits of its new service: users can donate as much as they like (previous services were limited to values under $100) and the money is transferred much faster (previous services usually required 90 days to process donations).

Note: Right now, Obopay’s service is only available to organizations in the United States. Also, Benevity Social Ventures, Obopay’s software partner, charges a 7% transaction fee for all charities using the service. This means that for every dollar donated, your group will receive $0.93.

In this how-to guide, learn how to set up a text-to-donate program for your organization. Have you used one before? Give us your feedback in the comments section!

Decide if mobile donations make sense

1With your team, brainstorm about why you want to launch a text-to-donate service. What added benefit will you and your supporters get from it? How will you promote the campaign? Will your supporters be more likely to donate via their mobile phones than through more traditional means?

Understand how Obopay’s system works

2 You first must apply for a keyword on Obopay. Once you’ve received your keyword, you can start promoting it to your supporters. A supporter then sends a text with your keyword to a short code and receives an SMS reply with a link. Then, the supporter clicks on the SMS link and donates to your cause using their debit card or by entering their mobile number and PIN. All payments (minus the transaction fee) are then auto-deposited into your organization’s bank account.

Sign up with Obopay

3 Point your browser to http://www2.obopay.com/merchant/text_to_donate.php and click the “Apply for your Keyword” button. You will need to provide your name, phone number, e-mail address, a description of your business or purpose for your keyword, and the keyword you are requesting. You will then be asked to verify your phone number. You have the choice of either answering an automated call from Obopay or receiving a text message from Obopay with a code that you will be asked to enter on the website.

Tip! Your keyword doesn’t have to be something generic like “Give” or “Donate”; it can be a word related to your cause. For example, the keyword “GORILLA” is used to donate to the Conservation Through Public Health in support of efforts to save endangered mountain gorillas in Africa. What keyword best represents your cause?

Confirm your account

4A representative from Obopay will receive your application and get back to you with more information and to set up your account. You will have the option of connecting your organization’s bank account or credit card to your account for the receipt of donations.

Tip! Obopay mentions that a small monthly fee to set up a keyword may apply (but does not provide further details on their website). Contact Obopay customer support for more details at 888-862-6729.

Plan your mobile campaign

5Once you are ready to go, plan your campaign for promoting the text-to-donate option. See Movements.org’s related how-to guides on e-mail advocacy, crafting a social media campaign strategy and using Facebook to promote your cause for some ideas.

Tip! Remember to remind your supporters that mobile operator may charge its own standard fees for SMS (text messaging) and data transfer when using Obopay from their mobile phones. No one likes surprises!

Track outcomes

6Regularly review how your mobile giving campaign is going. What percentage of your supporters is using the service? Is it worth the cost and effort? Do you need to tweak your campaign strategy to increase awareness about the campaign?