Nonprofit organizations and churches often need to communicate with many people simultaneously. For example, you may need to tell the congregation that there's been a change in the service time, let them know of a new event happening soon, or ask them to donate funds for a new building.

All of these activities require you to quickly reach as many people as possible – that's where mass texting comes into play. Mass texting allows you to send SMS texts to a large group with one tap, so you don't have to send individual texts to hundreds of people.

Today, there are numerous mass texting services available, but some are more suitable for nonprofits than others. To help you find the best solution, we've compiled a list of the best free mass texting services for nonprofits.

Best Free Mass Texting Services for Nonprofits

Your goal is to find a free mass texting service for nonprofits that's easy to use, affordable, and has many features like automating repetitive tasks, scheduling delivery times, and adjusting the number of texts you want to send. 

Here are the best free mass texting services that meet those criteria. Note that these are platforms with subscription-based models, which are ideal for organizations that have to send a lot of texts frequently.

Clearstream

Clearstream offers free mass texting for churches and nonprofits for up to 50 messages per month, which is enough for most small organizations and churches. Beyond that, there’s a monthly fee depending on the number of extra messages you need (e.g., $29/month for 1,250 messages, $49/month for 2,500 messages, or $99 for 6,000 messages a month). New church plants to many of the largest and most influential churches in the U.S. rely on Clearstream for their text communications. In fact, new church plants can get their first year of Clearstream for free.

POPULAR FEATURES

• Mass Texting
• Text-to-Join Keywords
• Automated Workflows
• Video Texting
• Subaccounts
• Live Polls
• Inbox
• Dedicated Short Codes
• A2P 10DLC Numbers

Eztext

Eztext is an all-in-one text marketing solution that allows you to communicate with an audience, no matter how large. While the platform is most known for its ability to increase sales and convert leads, nonprofit organizations and churches can use it to drive traffic, grow their audience base, and engage with people via SMS texts. 

GiveLively.org

For text-to-give features, use GiveLively.org to reach out to potential donors for free. GiveLively.org is a mobile-first solution where recipients can donate money through a secure page by responding to your message with a code. 

The best thing about GiveLively.org is that the tool is entirely free for nonprofit organizations, as the platform believes that nonprofits "should not sacrifice their means to satisfy their missions." Your nonprofit or church can take advantage of this to generate funds without spending extra money on texts.

Groups such as New York Women's Foundation and Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen have used GiveLively.org's text-to-donate tools to propel their fundraising efforts.

Low-Cost Mass Texting Services for Nonprofits

Alternatively, you can also use paid platforms that charge based on how many texts you send. This means that you don’t have to pay a recurring monthly subscription fee, especially if you don’t plan on using the platform regularly. 

Check out these affordable mass texting options with a pay-per-text model:

Twilio.com

Twilio.com is a scalable business messaging platform that enables you to build relationships across different mediums. You can reach your target audience on the channel they prefer without switching across platforms like SMS, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and more. What's best is that you can test it for free – you pay only for what you send ($0.1699 per message) and get discounts once you scale.

Moreover, Twilio has another website called Twilio.org, whose mission is to "build life-changing communications.” It allows you to integrate text, voice, and video into your communications. Plus, it offers a $500 kickstart credit and exclusive nonprofit pricing for organizations.

ExpertTexting

ExpertTexting is another low-cost option to send mass texts easily. All you have to do is upload your contacts, design your SMS campaign, and schedule when the texts should be sent. Once done, the platform delivers messages to your target audience. 

There are no contracts or setup fees to worry about. Pricing is at $0.0083 per message or a little over $8 for 1,000 messages – a third of the market price for mass texting. Moreover, ExpertTexting offers a free trial and offers prepaid payment plans. 

Tithe.ly Messaging

Tithe.ly’s church text messaging and email newsletter software is built specifically for churches. Since church members have varying communication preferences, Tithe.ly provides an omnichannel solution for your church to connect with the congregation in the medium they prefer, whether via text, calls, emails, or direct mail.

You can create personalized messages, launch automated campaigns, facilitate two-way messaging with the congregation, and send text and email blasts in seconds. A few benefits of Tithe.ly messaging include:

• Increase church engagement
• Retarget first-time guests to convert them into regular members
• Access an organized record of all the conversations between your church and its congregation

The service costs $19 a month but comes free with Tithe.ly’s All Access plan. The solution goes live immediately after you subscribe, so you can start communicating with your members immediately. There’s also no contract, so you can cancel whenever you want. 

Why is Mass Texting Useful for Nonprofits?

Mass texting is an affordable way to reach out to potential donors, connect with your target audience on a personal level, and build relationships that last for years. These benefits are crucial to the growth and stability of nonprofit organizations and churches, making them well worth the investment.

Mass texting allows you to do the following:

Engage With Potential Donors 

By using texting as a form of communication, you open up a two-way conversation for people to talk to you. This builds trust and rapport, making them more likely to donate to your cause, stick with your church, and support your organization. It’s also more effective than other channels like email – SMS texts have a 98% open rate, compared to only 20% for emails.

Track Results 

Most mass texting platforms allow you to see how many people received your texts, how many replied, and what actions they took (e.g., clicked on a link, donated, etc.). With these data points, your organization can get to know people better and tweak your marketing techniques to fit the audience.

Cut Marketing Costs Down

Mass texting is an affordable way to communicate with your target audience. Even if you use a paid service, you can save a lot of money with mass texting and direct those resources to other marketing channels. 

Build Your Brand Name 

Mass texting is a form of content that captures people’s attention. For example, you can use emojis, images, videos, and even GIFs to make your messages more engaging and create a distinct persona for your organization.

Focus on Other More Important Things

By using mass texting services to automate communication, you’ll free up more time to spend on running your nonprofit organization or church. Some platforms also provide drip campaigns so your audience receives the right message at the right time.

Opportunities to Send Mass Texts as a Nonprofit

Whether you want to build relationships with your audience or acquire new donors for fundraising projects, there are various opportunities for nonprofits to take advantage of mass texting.

Once you have your audience’s mobile numbers (which you can ask for via website or the church's Facebook page), you can:

• Announce updates, events, and opportunities in the organization like fundraising campaigns, ministry events, or volunteer programs. We suggest that you create a content calendar to plot all marketing efforts, including mass texting, so you know what and when to communicate.
• Monitor existing volunteers and donors by sending reminders for upcoming shifts, training sessions, or meetings. If the group is large enough, you can also use mass texting to check in on the volunteers and see how they’re doing with their assigned tasks.
• Send personalized messages and surveys. Thank them for their participation, gather their feedback, and ask for any improvement suggestions. Not only will your organization improve, but the data will also help you know when to send out specific messages that are relevant to them. 

The possibilities are endless – it just takes a little creativity to come up with the most effective messages to send. Take advantage of these opportunities to use mass texting to propel the engagement of your nonprofit organization or church.

Mass Texting for Mass Results

There’s no doubt that mass texting is a powerful tool for nonprofits, churches, and other organizations. It’s affordable, efficient, and, most importantly, it gets results. 

So, if you haven’t already, consider adding mass texting to your communication mix and see how it can help you achieve your goals. Just make sure to choose the right platform to maximize the potential of mass texting!