Resolutions, Reminders and the Mobile Revolution

What about mobile? Do you own a smartphone? Nearly half of the adult population in the U.S. does, according to several sources. And that means nearly all of them check their e-mail on their phones. The growth in the number of smartphone and tablet users who read e-mail on their mobile devices is substantial — more than 50 percent in 2012 alone, according to Litmus.

By the end of 2012, 43 percent of e-mails were opened on mobile devices. And that figure is projected to grow to nearly 80 percent in the next four years. Per a study from TailoredMail, men open 20 percent more e-mails on mobile, but women click 10 percent more often on mobile e-mail — a good sign for charities with female-dominated donor bases.

With our nonprofit clients, we find 30 percent to 50 percent of opens on mobile devices are typical — and these are growing quickly. Donations via mobile are much lower still, but this area is growing, too. (And growing faster for those who’ve mobile optimized their donation forms. Hint, hint!)

Ready for mobile?
So, are your e-mails mobile-optimized? How about your donation forms? Since, according to comScore, four out of five smartphone owners have used their phones to shop — via an app, an online store or with a virtual wallet — it’s only a matter of time before mobile phones become a powerful donation tool too — and not just for text-to-give campaigns! (Anyone care to share how much of your year-end fundraising came in via mobile? E-mail us!)

Mobile can be a great platform for engaging with your donors (and constituents) too: reminding them to take action (or give) via text, giving them updates on event logistics, registering votes in an insta-poll, and bonding them to your work with an app (like the cool hiking app from the American Hiking Society) or making them aware of your footprint (like the YMCA Finder app). That’s another column though. But if you are looking for info on developing an app, you can start here.