Fundraising text messages (SMS) please think about it!

source: flickr

May be this is another italian issue written in english, or may be in some other part of the world there is a fundraiser wondering why text messages (SMS) fundraising campaigns are so attractive for little organization.
For this poor guy and for the others like him (or her), I’d like to write down my opinion, even if, as usual, it’s not request

I’d like to start saying that I’m not against SMS fundraising campaign at all (campaign that use cell phone and text messages as medium of donation).
I think that if there is full media coverage (television, radio, internet, adv, ecc.) a good brand (or a good campaign), testimonials pushing for donation and an organization able to manage every different aspects of the campaign in the right times (not only the process of request to the tlc company) this kind of fundraising rocks.
But if the organization has not this requairements, as happen for the 90% of the association (in Italy), maybe is better to think about other instruments of fundraising.

Many times I read on fundraising’ blogs questions….… coming from very, very little organization on “how can I access to sms fundraising campaign?” or “My organization is start thinking about fundraising and I’d like to use SMS to increse the income of donations… how can I do?”…
My dear friend Francesco (”how to do fundraising” italian king ) always with patience answer explaining the praxis to obtain the authorization (needed in Italy) to start this kind of fundraising… luckily for this naive fundraisers Francesco is very good tempered, if he is not may be he would answered as I do:
“My dear fundraiser, are you crazy??? Before SMS you have to think hundreds of things… organization, strategy, objectives, etc. please if you don’t have a very huge television or radio coverage take care of finding donors that you can get in touch even after the campaign (SMS campaing don’t provide adresses and name of donors) individual or corporate one is the same but stop thinking about easy way to fundraising, it doesn’t exist!.”

Let’s close this post with a little “how to do” in Fundraisers’ diary way: fundraising SMS is an high complex instrument, it has to be plan very carefully and it can’t live alone.
It need many instruments to support it and a lot of time and a lot of knowledge to be done properly. So please, if you work in a little organization whitout fundraising structure and a low base of knowledge on fundraising instruments, think twice before entrust your income and you efforts on it and above all, as I already write, an easy way to fundraing does’t exist, stop looking for its and prepare for a very hard and long work.

P.S. as you can see Fundraiser’ diary change. A new blogger, Ioana, join me in this trip. She write in italian so, english reader, you’ll find a post every two week in english and for the others articles you have to trust in google translator .