These days, you have a handful of ways to reach out to supporters — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, email, and so on. But with social media engagement rates dropping in recent years and email rates hovering around 20%, how can you ensure you’re really grabbing the attention of your supporters?
That’s where Peer-to-Peer Texting comes in! Peer-to-peer texting, also known as P2P texting, is a powerful tool for advocacy organizations to engage and mobilize supporters. This efficient form of texting allows you to connect and communicate directly with supporters, since volunteers or staff members text contacts individually.
So, peer-to-peer texting might be the best outreach tool to leverage if you’re trying to mobilize supporters. Here are four ways to adopt peer-to-peer texting for advocacy campaigns:
1. Use peer-to-peer texting to invite supporters to your events
Annual galas, rallies, in-person fundraisers, volunteer interest meetings — you're sure to run a number of events for your advocacy organization. While you can (and should) use social media and email to promote these events, you can take your promotion a step further by sending event invitations via P2P text.
Text message promotion benefits both you and your supporters: you can instantly receive RSVP confirmation with one text reply, and supporters may be more inclined to attend due to the personalized nature of the invite.
Here’s an example of what your text could look like:
Hey [First Name], it’s Claudia volunteering with California Coastal Center. We’re hosting our fall volunteer interest meeting next Thursday, and we’d love to see you there. Are you interested in attending?
2. Conduct surveys to gather information on issues of interest
Peer-to-peer texting can be extremely helpful when measuring supporters’ interest in specific issue areas or policies. Because supporters are texting directly with representatives of your organization, they’re more likely to provide helpful insights that can shape your advocacy efforts.
For better engagement, conduct surveys directly in the text. This tactic makes it easier for supporters to provide answers, meaning you'll receive more insights.
Here’s an example of what your text could look like:
Hey [First Name], it’s Claudia volunteering with California Coastal Center. We’re reaching out to our members to learn more about the issues they’re interested in. Could you take a second to let us know what you’re most concerned about?
A. Oil spills
B. Plastic in our oceans
C. Global warming and its effect on the ocean
D. All of the above
3. Launch SMS fundraising campaigns
Peer-to-peer texting for advocacy campaigns is powerful because it allows you to quickly send high volumes of fundraising messages to donors. And for added benefit, SMS outreach has high open rates of nearly 100% — unlike other outreach efforts, such as email.
Fundraising via text is a growing tactic as more and more people are on their phones. In fact, mobile giving donations have increased exponentially (by 205%!) in past years. That should tell you how popular mobile-based giving is.
Here’s an example of what your text could look like:
Hey [First Name], it’s Claudia volunteering with California Coastal Center. We’re preparing for our semi-annual beach clean-up, which leaves our beaches in the best shape for coastal wildlife to thrive in! Can you sponsor a clean-up near you by chipping in $15 today?
4. Onboard supporters to your campaign
First impressions are everything — even for your organization. You need to engage supporters the moment they interact with your organization, and peer-to-peer texts are an excellent option. Emails can be buried in inboxes, and social media posts can be lost in your feed.
You can leverage SMS messaging for onboarding by assigning a group of staff members or trusted volunteers to act as your “onboarding team,” who send a batch of P2P texts after gathering contact information from an event or online form. (Note: you can also use Broadcast Texting, which you can read more about here, to send these messages.)
Here’s an example of what your text could look like:
Hey [First Name], it’s Claudia with California Coastal Center. Thanks so much for attending our Mission Viejo clean-up! We’re excited to have you join us - you can find more volunteer opportunities by joining our Impactive campaign here: [Campaign Link]. Let me know if you have any questions!
Ready to activate peer-to-peer texting for your advocacy organization?
Peer-to-peer texting is one of the best ways to drive supporter engagement and is a favorite outreach tool for many advocacy organizations. It’s quick, easy, and offers a level of personalization essential for successful outreach.
Impactive offers best-in-class Peer-to-Peer Texting for advocacy organizations of all sizes. Whether you’re organizing a grassroots group or a national campaign, you can benefit from our high-speed, high-impact texting tool. Schedule a demo today to learn more!
