5 key ways to capture mobile phone numbers & 4 reasons why you need to

Are you doing all you can to capture mobile phone numbers? Here why you should be

1. Mobile phone numbers are increasing every year and landline use is declining. If you don’t have mobile numbers, not only will you not be able to text your donors, eventually you won’t be able to phone them either, losing a key tool of fundraising and donor engagement.
2. There is no look-up service for mobile phones in Canada, unlike landlines. If you don’t capture them, you simply won’t have them.
3. Over 95% of text messages are read within 2 minutes of sending, which is higher than any other form of communication. Due to its low cost, return on investment of text fundraising can be as high as 3:1, or better
4. You have your donors inbox (almost) all to yourself. Under CASL regulation, business and commercial enterprise cannot use text without an explicit opt in. Charities, unions, associations, and political parties are exempt from this rule and don’t need opt-in.

Here are a few strategies you can use to build the number of mobile numbers you have on file.

1. Run a check and flag how many mobile numbers you already have from donors in your database, and flag them for future text use. Stratcom offerings this identifying and flagging service for free.
2. Prioritize collecting and verifying mobile numbers when telemarketing or doing face-to-face fundraising. It’s an easy, additional ask. If your agency or teams aren’t doing this, they should be.
3. Include a mobile phone number field in all forms. Your online ads, direct mail response coupons, website landing page should all include a dedicated field for mobile phone numbers. Don’t listen to the advice that says requesting phone numbers on landing pages depresses response – that is outdated and incorrect.
4. Short code. With a short code and key word (e.g. “Text Join to 90993”), you can automatically collect the mobile phone number of everyone who participates. This short code can be put on all communications, used on advertising and promoted at events to capture participation, interest and phone number data very quickly and easily. Contact Stratcom to find more about how is easy it is to use our short code for your work.
5. Broadcast Voice Message. Send an interactive broadcast message to your supporters, and ask them to a key in their mobile number (another new service offered by Stratcom). You could use this for a campaign that was about to start, offer free tickets for an event, or ask people to join your network of grassroots activists and so on.