List Size
List Growth
Because mobile programs are relatively new endeavors for many nonprofits, text list growth is currently quite rapid, occurring at a median rate of 49.5 percent annually. The smaller an organization's initial list is, of course, the easier for that organization to grow its list at a rapid rate, especially if it can draw from existing pools of subscribers (such as via email or direct mail). The median monthly mobile list growth rate was 2.6 percent, but growth rates increased dramatically when organizations ran recruitment campaigns, in some cases exceeding 10 percent (and sometimes upwards of 30 percent).
Each of the organizations that participated in the study already had a robust email messaging program that fueled the early growth of its text messaging list. Most of these organizations have added a field to their online forms to collect mobile numbers, opting existing email supporters into receiving text messages from the organization.
In most cases, the primary source of new recruits to a text messaging program was the organization's existing email program. In turn, many groups have built their email lists through successful advocacy campaigns. With each new action alert, these organizations were able to generate a steady stream of new mobile text subscribers by including a field for mobile phone number in a standard advocacy form.
But even absent a large email list, text messaging can be a useful recruitment mechanism for organizations with a strong off-line presence. Television ads and events can provide opportunities for text list-building when computers aren't close at hand. And though many organizations build their text lists through their online programs, some groups have used text messaging to grow their email lists.
Click here to read a case study by Mobile Commons to see how Chicago's Shedd Aquarium did just that.
Where Do Subscribers Come From?
Among the organizations that participated in this study, all of which are advocacy-oriented and have established email programs, more than 80 percent of text subscribers joined an organization's text program by entering their mobile phone number on advocacy, donation or text message sign-up pages on a website managed by the organization. New subscribers attributed to "data sync" in the chart above are those who at some point entered their mobile phone number into an organization's online database, which was then synchronized with the text program.
A substantial number of subscribers – 17 percent – joined the text programs via uploads from offline lists, which may have been generated at events or via canvassing. Only about two percent of subscribers joined a list by texting in a keyword to a "shortcode," which is a five- or six-digit number leased by an organization that is used in lieu of texting to a telephone number (e.g., to sign up for The Humane Society of the United States' mobile alerts, one can text HUMANE to 30644).
Among the organizations participating in this study, between 73 and 87 percent
of text subscribers were also signed up to receive email. Hence, for the organizations
in this study, text message is primarily being used to communicate with email supporters
through an additional channel, not as a way to communicate with a different set of
supporters. Conversely, relatively few email subscribers (ranging from 0.8 to 2.7 percent)
were opted-in to receive text messages.
Though many organizations build their text lists via online channels, keyword recruitment can be effective, especially when an incentive is provided for people to sign up. For example, in December 2009, The Humane Society of the United States grew its list by over 750 new text subscribers and 650 new email subscribers in a matter of days through social networking outreach that asked people to join the list and enter a contest for a free sweatshirt by texting HOODIE to 30644. Similarly, in June 2008, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh acquired over 1,300 text subscribers (1,024 also provided an email address) by asking television viewers to text WTAE to 69866 to enter a contest to win tickets to a Titanic exhibition.
Text-to-give fundraising can also help an organization build its list. After making a donation to an organization, the donor receives a text message allowing him or her to opt-in to future texts messages. Text-to-give list building works best for organizations with a strong "offline" presence, like events or television and print advertising. For an example, find out how Keep a Child Alive generated over 90,000 new donors through their "Text ALIVE challenge" which was promoted by Alicia Keyes on American Idol.
List Churn
As we have seen across many technology media, fast list growth often means high list churn rate. As large numbers of people join text messaging lists by accident or to try something new, they often drop out of text programs in similarly large numbers, perhaps over concerns about the cost of incoming text messages. As a consequence, the 2010 benchmark annual mobile churn rate was 30.7 percent. Compared to typical email churn rates, this figure is relatively high. In the 2009 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study, for example, the email churn rate was 19 percent.
Annual list churn, or the rate at which mobile numbers "go bad" in a given year, was calculated by taking the total number of deliverable subscribers at the start of the year, adding the total number of new subscribers that joined the list over the course of the year, and dividing that figure by the actual size of the deliverable list at the end of the year. A mobile number may go bad due to subscriber opt-out or because the number is flagged as undeliverable (i.e., because it is a landline, does not accept text messages, and so on).
One likely reason for the high mobile churn rate is the prominence of opt-out language. Industry best practices strongly encourage including opt-out language regularly in text messages. Unlike in emails, opt-out language is prominently displayed in a text messages and cannot be inserted into footer and shown in a smaller font. In fact, the opt-out text can take up a large percentage of a message that contains only 160 characters to begin with.
Another important factor contributing to churn is that whenever a text subscribers switches phone numbers, or keeps phone numbers but switches carriers, he or she will be opted out of an organizations' list automatically.