Text messages can have a big impact. After Giving Tuesday, M+R reported that nonprofits that have consistently invested in growing their mobile subscriber lists are beginning to see meaningful returns from mobile giving—particularly during high-impact fundraising moments such as Giving Tuesday and the December 31 year-end deadline.

Mobile List Growth and Engagement

According to the latest Benchmarks Study, mobile messaging subscriber lists grew by 8% year over year, signaling continued adoption and audience appetite for SMS/MMS communications. Engagement metrics also improved substantially:

• Average click-through rate (CTR): 2.82%
• Average response rate: 0.14%

Both metrics increased compared to the prior year and outperformed average email click-through and response rates, reinforcing mobile messaging’s effectiveness as a high-engagement channel.

Revenue Impact

While mobile messaging still accounts for a relatively small share of overall online revenue—approximately 1% on average—its impact can be significant. Some organizations consistently generate more revenue from a single text message than from a full-file email send, highlighting the channel’s efficiency and potential when strategically deployed. Firms like Moore Marketing found that texting revenue grew 62% on average, with early-afternoon sends on New Year’s Eve performing the strongest.

Growth of Paid SMS Acquisition

One of the most notable trends is the increased adoption of paid SMS acquisition. For many organizations, this channel delivered positive return on ad spend (ROAS) and supported both donor acquisition and list growth. In addition, data append strategies enabled organizations to reach existing donors who lacked mobile numbers on file. In several cases, these combined efforts produced returns as high as 300% ROI.

Importance of Mobile Optimization

As mobile messaging continues to drive a growing share of nonprofit traffic, mobile-optimized experiences remain critical to converting engagement into donations and action.

Paid Peer-to-Peer SMS

This past year M+R noticed more organizations using paid P2P outreach to reconnect with supporters who stopped engaging on other organizational channels. It’s also a great tool to conduct outreach to lapsed donors and sustainers whose credit card information simply needs updating. The number of vendors offering paid SMS options have expanded in the last year, leading to more organizations either trying it for the first time or scaling existing mobile programs to reach certain target audiences. Smart As A Fox is one of those vendors, so if you are interested in using Paid SMS to reach a wider audience, send us a message.

Looking Ahead

Organizations now have the time to invest in building out their mobile program, incorporate a good mix of cultivation and fundraising messaging, and reassess their recent year-end giving performance. If you are interested in taking advantage of the beginning of this year to develop your organization’s mobile program, let’s chat!

We look forward to seeing M+R’s insights in April 2026 when this past year’s benchmarks are released.