Kickstart the Year with Impactful Text Messaging

As the year kicks off and new events and recruitment campaigns are getting set up, it’s important to include clear questions asking participants and volunteers for consent to receive text messages from your organization. In a previous blog post, we discussed how Pinwheel’s Bulk Text Messaging feature helps organizations connect with audiences quickly and effectively. Now, we’re excited to share specific text message examples tailored for sites, volunteers, caregivers, event participants, and donors, to help you discover new and impactful ways to use the Texting tool.

Examples of Effective Text Messaging

For Afterschool Program Sites:

• The new Run To Give Back season is almost here! Don't forget to renew your site for the 2025 program. Register here: www.yourwebsite.org.

For Volunteers:

• Hi from Run To Give Back! Are you planning to volunteer this season? Reply "Yes" to receive the sign-up link. Reply "No" to be contacted for a future season.
• Don’t forget – volunteer training is tomorrow night at 6:00 PM at 600 K Street. Dinner will be provided. See you then!
• Team supply pickup is next week at 500 J Street. Tues 10 to 5, Weds 11 to 6. See you then!
• Golf Tournament volunteers – thank you for helping us tomorrow! Please arrive at the course at 8:00 AM with your volunteer shirt on. Check your email for details.

For Caregivers:

• Stoneridge Elementary practice is CANCELLED for today! Please check your email for more info. We apologize for any inconvenience!
• Summer Camp registration closes tomorrow! Sign up today! www.yourwebsite.org

For Event Participants:

• Reminder! Don’t forget The Giving Gala is next Saturday at 6:00 PM. We can’t wait to see you there! Visit www.yourwebsite.org to get tickets!
• URGENT - the 5K has been cancelled because of severe weather in the area. Check our website for details and a rescheduled date!
• Thank you for making our event fun and special! Tag us in photos at #runtogiveback & please consider helping refill our scholarship fund: www.yourwebsite.org
• We’d love your feedback! Please take a moment to complete a survey about our season. [INSERT LINK] Thank you!

For Donors:

• DOUBLE your impact for Run To Give Back! Donations up to $10,000 are matched on Giving Tuesday to support our mission. Donate here: www.yourwebsite.org
• Exciting news! Our annual fundraising campaign starts now! Join us in making a difference. Visit www.yourwebsite.org to donate!

Real-World Insights from a Pinwheel User

Jacqueline Weber, Development Director at Girls on the Run Northwest Indiana, shares her firsthand experience with the Pinwheel text messaging tool, highlighting its ability to be used for various audiences: "Texting is a great tool. Everyone checks and most importantly, reads their text messages. Emails have a much lower open and read rate. People can easily and quickly delete their emails without even glancing at it. Texting works for board members, volunteers, 5K participants, coaches, GOTR Grown-ups and more! We use it to send out reminders for 5K day, share our sponsor's coupon, reminders to sign up for the BAND app, complete a survey, lost & found items from the 5K, share 5K information in Spanish, recruit volunteers, and more!"

Best Practices for Bulk Text Messaging

• Be clear and concise -  text messages have a character limit, so make sure the message is clear and to the point.
• Include a call to action -  encourage recipients to take action, whether it’s visiting a website, signing up for an event, or responding to a survey.
• Respect privacy - always ensure you have consent to contact recipients via text and provide an option to opt-out.
• Use short URLs - take advantage of Pinwheel's shortened URLS for events, campaigns and fundraisers (available on dashboards) to save characters, keep messages concise, and ensure links are easy to click.
• Monitor engagement - track response rates and engagement metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of your messaging strategy and make improvements as needed.

If you have any questions about how to set up permission questions in events or campaigns, or how to use the Text Messaging Tool, please contact us at support@pinwheel.us.

Happy texting!