While emerging fundraising software makes nonprofit success more manageable, it also leaves nonprofit professionals everywhere wondering how they can keep up with ever-advancing technology.

Here at BidPal, we have one simple answer: embrace the mobile technology revolution!

For nonprofits, mobile tech can make a major impact when it comes to raising funds, engaging donors, and advancing their organizations.

Two key mobile tools that have become game-changers in the fundraising world are Mobile Bidding solutions and Text-to-Give services.  Both have the potential to further grow revenue and engage donors for nonprofits and are cornerstones of BidPal product mix.

We all know that mobile technology has the power to connect individuals around the world and bring together communities and changing demographics. What you might not know? Mobile tech also has the power to more deeply engage people within the same room—namely, a silent auction!

At the most fundamental level, mobile bidding software is a substitute for traditional paper bid sheets. Rather than writing their bids on paper throughout the night, auction attendees can use their mobile phones to update bids, browse items, and make additional mobile donations.

In addition to making bidding more convenient, mobile bidding tools allow nonprofits to reap the following benefits:

Streamlined checkout. Auction checkout lines can often err on the side of exhausting. With mobile bidding software, guests pre-authorize their credit cards to instantly purchase the items they’ve won dramatically expediting the checkout process.

Comprehensive reporting and analytics. Mobile bidding software considerably improves the quality and efficiency of post-event reporting. Organizations can integrate their mobile bidding tools with their CRM to transfer data collected at the event, generate reports on auction success, and follow up with guests using communication tools.

Real-time live auction updates. For fundraising events that include a live auction, BidPal’s Spotter Tool can centralize donation data. Organizations can enter live auction transactions onto a mobile device to maintain an accurate scoreboard and real-time event totals.

Thanks to innovative mobile technology, the silent auction has received a well-earned upgrade in terms of ease of planning and fundraising potential.

Also falling under the umbrella of mobile giving (a subset of the even broader online giving), text-to-give is a growing donation channel that has made waves in the nonprofit sector. Simply put, a supporter texts the nonprofit with a unique keyword, enters their donation amount, confirms the gift on a mobile donation form, and the transaction is all set!

The entire process can take as little as 60 seconds and can be completed from any location, making text giving one of the simplest, most accessible donation methods available.

To get a more in-depth view of text-to-give, BidPal has published a comprehensive guide to text giving. If the convenience of text-to-give isn’t enough to convince you of the tool’s lasting power, consider the following benefits too:

Quick payment processing. BidPal doesn’t tack donations onto donors’ cell phone bills. That means that nonprofits don’t have to wait for donors to pay their phone bills to receive the funds; in fact, organizations typically see funds in only a few business days.

Unlimited donation amounts. You may have heard that text giving is only good for minimal donations, but consider that myth busted. Most text giving providers (including BidPal!) don’t place caps on donation amounts, so donors can give $10 or $10,000.

Wide sharing potential. Because texting is so universal, text-to-give campaigns have the power to reach supporters all over the world when nonprofits pair these campaigns with the power of social media.

Recently, BidPal partnered with TechPoint Foundation for Youth to raise over $23,000 using text-to-give.

The successful campaign—which allocated funds to sixty STEM classrooms in Indiana’s most under-served schools—is just one example of the power of mobile tech to make an impact on our communities.

Nonprofits who utilize text-to-give can reap the benefits of convenience, accessibility, and simplicity to raise major fundraising dollars from donors everywhere.

Mobile technology is a major player in the modern fundraising world, and BidPal is staying ahead of the curve by providing some of the most innovative mobile fundraising solutions available.

If you’re interested in learning more about the different ways that technology can reinvent auction fundraising, check out BidPal’s guide to charity auction software!

About the Author

Karrie Wozniak is an expert on mobile fundraising. She is vice president of marketing at BidPal, the leading mobile fundraising software company that helps nonprofits engage more donors and raise more money. Since 2008, BidPal has helped nearly 2,800 organizations raise more than $1 billion and connect with over one million unique donors.