Nonprofits have many fundraising channels they can use—email, phone, direct mail, social media, and SMS/texting. And if your nonprofit wants to reach supporters quickly, mobile giving is one of the easiest ways to spark action. 

But here’s where it’s easy to get tripped up. Text-to-give and text-to-donate sound like exactly the same thing! And most of us in the industry can use them interchangeably...but they work very differently and can bring you very different results. 

Choosing the right one affects donor experience, the data you capture, reporting, fees, follow-up, and long-term fundraising. So a tiny wording difference can have a real impact on your revenue strategy. 

This article will break down the difference between the two, show you when to use each option, and help you make the choice that will support sustainable growth. 

What is Text-to-Give? 

Text-to-give is the older, carrier-based version of mobile giving. Supporters text a keyword to a number (a short code), and the mobile carrier adds a fixed donation amount to their phone bill. The donation is processed through the phone company, not your CRM. 

The donation amount is usually preset. So the message is something like, “Give $10 now and get your gift matched! Text DONATE to 11111.” 

How it Works 

• The donor texts a keyword to a specific short code. 
• The donation amount is usually preset. 
• The gift appears on the donor’s phone bill. 
• Funds are transferred to the nonprofit through a carrier payment system. 

Why it Works  

Text-to-give is a popular choice for many nonprofits.  

• It’s very easy for donors to use. 
• It works well when you need a rapid response. This can be a final year-end push, a response to a sudden need, or even a campaign to enroll monthly donors. 
• There’s no form to complete. You send a text, and you’re done. 

Why it’s Not Always the Right Choice 

The idea behind this strategy is to raise a lot of money, fast. 

It’s not to grab donor data. It’s not to nurture donors. In fact, unless it’s a campaign to increase monthly giving, you might never see these donors again. 

Payment to your nonprofit can take a while because it’s coming from the phone carrier. 

When is Text-to-Give the Best Choice? 

When there’s urgency. This can be national and news-worthy or unique urgency tied to your mission. It’s best when speed and number of donations matter more than personalization or nurturing. 

What is Text-to-Donate? 

This is the more modern version of text-to-give, and it’s what you’ll use if you’re running the campaign through a nonprofit CRM or fundraising platform. Donors text a keyword and get a link to your online donation form, which they complete on their phone. It processes through your payment processor. 

How it Works 

• The donor texts a keyword to a number. 
• They receive an automated link to your online donation form. 
• They complete the form on their mobile device. 
• The gift flows right into your CRM, with all the donor data. 

An example of text-to-donate is the Red Cross. If you text REDCROSS to 90999, you get an automated text reply with a link to the online donation form. 

Why it Works 

If your nonprofit uses a CRM, this is likely how you’ll raise funds on mobile devices. It works because: 

• You capture full donor data and can send a heartfelt thank-you email, as well as ongoing stewardship communications. 
• The data is all kept within your CRM. 
• If your donation form includes an option for monthly giving (which it absolutely should!), it’s easy to get monthly donors or get the data that will help you identify their likelihood to become monthly donors. 
• Rather than a preset gift amount, you can suggest donations (ask strings personalize this) or supporters can enter their own gift amount. 
• Because these are processed like regular donations, the payment is faster...and you have better data for reporting. 

Why it’s Not Always the Right Choice 

There aren’t many reasons you wouldn’t use text-to-donate. If your donation form isn’t optimized for mobile devices, it won’t work. And if your goal is as little donor friction as possible, this does require a form fill. 

When is Text-to-Donate the Right Choice? 

Pretty much any type of fundraising, except those fast, urgent pleas you’d make. It can be used for events, monthly giving campaigns, peer-to-peer campaigns, and any outreach that relies on strong donor engagement and clean data. 

The Difference for Nonprofits

If you’re using a CRM, you’ll be using text-to-donate, even if it’s called text-to-give. And that’s not a mistake unless you have the specific use case that calls for the technical definition of text-to-give. 

Now that you know that text-to-give doesn’t include a donation form while text-to-donate does, it’s easy to see the difference: 

• Data Quality. Text-to-give gives you almost no donor information. Text-to-donate gives you everything you need for stewardship, segmentation, reporting, and attribution. 
• Flexible Donation Amounts. Carrier giving usually has a relatively low pre-set amount, and the lift comes in the sheer number of one-time donations. Text-to-donate lets you offer suggested amounts and lets the donor enter any number they want. They can also set up recurring gifts, right on your form. 
• Payment Speed. Carrier payments will be slower than donations processed through your CRM. 
• Stewardship and Automation. Without donor data, it is hard to thank people, trigger workflows, or nurture new relationships. With text-to-donate, everything flows into your existing automation strategy. 
• Long-Term Value. Recurring revenue, retargeting, and donor retention all depend on unified data. Text-to-donate supports these strategies. Text-to-give does not. 

How to Choose the Right Approach 

Ask your team: 

• Do we need donor data for follow-up and stewardship? 
• Do we want recurring donors? 
• Do we want the gift to integrate with our CRM? 
• Do we want to control the donation form? 
• Do we need fast payouts? 
• Do we want one system for reporting and analytics? 

If the answer is yes to most of these, text-to-donate is the stronger choice. 

If the moment is urgent, highly public, and focused on one-time gifts, text-to-give can work as a temporary tool. 

Key Takeaways for Text-to-Give and Text-to-Donate 

Both options can play a role in your fundraising strategy, but they are built for entirely different goals.  

• Text-to-give delivers speed and simplicity, which makes it useful in urgent, high-volume moments.  
• Text-to-donate delivers data, flexibility, recurring revenue potential, and stronger long-term donor relationships.  

Once you understand how each one works, you can match the right tool to the right campaign and avoid missed opportunities.  

Those who see the strongest results are those who use mobile giving as part of an overall fundraising strategy, not just a quick tactic to drive donations. Strategically using these tools will drive higher, more sustainable revenue and more engaged donors.