How to use WhatsApp for fundraising

Learn more about WhatsApp with Cymba

Fundraising is all about innovation. Charities, in recent years, have embraced digital donations, new online platforms, new methods such as lotteries and raffles, and, in 2023, the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). 

But one area of fundraising where charities have only scratched the surface is WhatsApp. The messaging platform, which is owned by Meta (who also own Instagram and Facebook), allows users to make and receive calls, send voice, video, and text messages, update statuses, and make group calls. With more than 2 billion users worldwide, users can access the app via their smartphone or use the web or desktop version.  

What does this mean for fundraisers? At its most simple, it means a new way of engaging with an audience who already use WhatsApp for personal communications. Research shows that messages sent on WhatsApp have an open rate of 98%, with many brands already making good use of the app. 

Some news outlets have used the platform to distribute breaking news to people who sign up to their WhatsApp alerts, while brands have combined AI and WhatsApp to offer users advice on everything from cooking to skincare. 

So the opportunities for charities to share their stories, raise awareness of their cause, and drive donations using WhatsApp are huge. Below, we share ways that WhatsApp can help charities boost fundraising and create a loyal donor base, from sharing important updates to registering fundraisers for events.  

You can find out more about how to use WhatsApp for fundraising by checking out messaging experts Cymba below. 

Updates 

How charities choose to communicate to their supporters is hugely important in fundraising. Even a simple thank you message after a donation can have a significant impact on the number of returning donors, even if they do not donate regularly. Being able to communicate impact of a supporter’s donation and the urgency of your cause helps donors feel connected to a charity, compelling them to continue their support.  

One charity that has been doing this well is Medécins Sans Frontieres (MSF). MSF has used WhatsApp to invite supporters to gain “a deeper insight into the work of MSF by contacting us”. All users need to do is add the MSF number to their contacts, text their name, and ‘MSF NEWS’, and they will start receiving updates.  

Personalisation 

WhatsApp is a platform made for personalisation. Used primarily to share messages with friends and family, WhatsApp helps charities develop a direct, two-way line to their supporters.  

WhatsApp for Business offers a number of key tips to get the most out your WhatsApp messaging. Including a direct and personalised call-to-action, for example, is more likely to perform better than a message that’s generic, boosting donations by helping charities make a direct appeal to engaged supporters who have signed up to their messaging service.  

Similarly, ensuring that your tone of voice while messaging is consistent is important, just as it is with any other type of charity communications. This is where WhatsApp’s message templates can be helpful, allowing charities to answer frequently asked questions quickly, in the appropriate tone.

The donor life cycle 

Messaging apps are helpful for boosting donor loyalty, in the way that they help charities stay in touch with donors at every stage of the giving process. Before a donation is made, charities can use WhatsApp to communicate with potential donors, sharing content and answering questions. Content should be personalised and high-value to demonstrate to users that the organisation messaging is trustworthy and worth staying up-to-date with. 

After a donation has been made, charities can use WhatsApp to follow up, sharing information on where the donation has helped and what work they’re doing to further their cause. Charities can also use insights from how often someone donates, or unsubscribes, or reads messages to revise their WhatsApp strategy, making them more effective fundraisers in future.

How it works 

WhatsApp for Business is a free-to-download app, separate from the usual WhatsApp platform used by individuals. According to WhatsApp for Business, it is intended to feel and work just like WhatsApp Messenger, with all the usual functionality but with added tools to automate, sort, and quickly respond to messages.  

Some of the key features include the ability to list organisational information in your business profile and labels to organise messages according to type and subject. 

The WhatsApp Business platform allows organisations to chat with supporters at scale. It is a secure platform, with end-to-end encryption, and charities can create a verified and branded profile to ensure that any messages sent can be trusted by their recipients.  

The Platform enables businesses to reach millions of customers at a time, send media with their messages, and integrate with the rest of their technology, such as CRM systems. Charities can send videos, images, and call-to-action buttons to encourage donors to visit specific pages on their website that share more information, for example.

Organisations pay per conversation they have with their audiences and the first 1,000 inbound conversations per month are free. That means those started by the donor – any conversations started by the charity are chargeable.   

Fundraising using WhatsApp might seem complex from the outset, but the opportunities borne from being able to message your donors directly are endless. By asking supporters to sign up to receive their WhatsApp messages, charities can ensure they are always talking to people who care about their cause and motivate them to help fund more services that will help.  

To find out more, check out marketing experts Cymba, who provide their own WhatsApp service for charities, and more.