Young people keen to give by text, says survey
Howard Lake | 5 November 2008 | News
The ability to give to charity by text message is more popular among younger people than previously thought, according to research from nfpsynergy.
According to the survey, 38% of 25-34 year olds and 31% of 16-24 year olds said they would be likely to give to charity via text message.
However, only 5% of all people surveyed said they had given by SMS in the last month with 25-34 year olds most likely to have done so (11%). Current charges put off 58% of people surveyed from doing so.
The survey was commissioned by a coalition working to break down barriers to fundraising and donating by text. The coalition is led by Joe Saxton of nfpSynergy, on behalf of the Institute of Fundraising, and Hannah Terrey of the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
According to the survey, 28% of 16-24 year olds said that they would like to receive free information from charities if they had given permission.
Joe Saxton said: “This latest research shows that, whilst the fundraising potential of SMS texting may be substantial, not least amongst the young, many donors find current costs, just for collecting donations in this way, prohibitive.
Terrey added: “Charities are missing out because the potential of text donations isn’t realised. We need to encourage the next generation to start giving small amounts now and in a way that suits their lifestyle”.
The coalition said that they are keen to hear from more charities who have run text campaigns or are interested in using SMS for fundraising in the future.
http://research.nfpsynergy.net/s/I7SNBdPj1G9eONn
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.