BoosterHub

Is SMS a Good Way to Communicate with Donors and Booster Club Members?

Finding effective ways to communicate with donors and members is a problem as old as your school’s rivalry with the neighboring high school football team. And just like that generation-spanning rivalry, you never seem to be able to maintain the upper hand for long.

During your time as an athletic booster club member, you’ve probably tried a variety of communication techniques, from phone calls to flyers and even email. If that’s the case, you know that none of these strategies are especially effective for relaying information to your membership.

While you’ve probably considered using SMS messaging to talk to donors and booster club members, you may be hesitant to make yet another change to your communication strategy. But trust us — SMS messaging is the way to go.

With the right SMS messaging tools in place, you can effortlessly share information, keep parents in the loop about upcoming events, and make 2023 your most productive fundraising year ever.

‍The Problem with Email

Before we dive deeper into why SMS is one of the best ways to share athletic booster club information, it's important to examine why email just doesn’t work as well as it in previous years.

The biggest shortcoming of email can be boiled down to one word: “fatigue.” Put simply, most people get bombarded with far too many emails and are tired of sorting through seemingly endless messages.

Email fatigue leads to a high unopened rate and an even lower read-through rate. Even if recipients find and open your club email, there’s a good chance they won’t read your message in its entirety. Talk about a huge waste of everyone’s time.

Why SMS Is the Better Option

SMS messages are far superior to email in terms of read rate. In fact, it’s not even close.

According to recent data, 97% of text messages are read within 15 minutes of receipt. This means that for every 100 people you message via SMS, 97 of them will read your communication in 15 minutes or less. Sounds like texting is a much better strategy for relaying important information to your members and donors.

Increasing the read rates of your messages by switching to SMS will lead to better participation among group members. You’ll have an easier time getting enough volunteers to staff events and can ensure that everyone is kept in the loop about ABC activities.

When you can effectively mobilize donors, members, and volunteers, you’ll be able to maximize the fundraising capabilities of your athletic booster club.

How You Can Make the Most of Your SMS Messaging Strategy

Thanks to tools like BoosterHub, adding SMS messaging to your communication strategy is far easier than you might expect.

Our intuitive platform allows you to create and manage custom mailing lists and easily SMS to any group. You can compose communications and quickly send them out to your target group, whether it be donors, members, or a combination thereof.

Ditch that ineffective email list this fundraising season and make the jump to SMS messaging. Everyone will be glad you did — especially your donors.

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Ways to Fundraise for a Booster Club

Fundraising is perhaps one of the most important functions of your booster club. However, it can be tough to build momentum, especially if you are new to fundraising as a whole. You can also get stuck in a rut and feel like you are running the same two or three events on repeat. That’s when it’s important to mix things up to keep club members and donors engaged, ensuring a steady stream of support for your student-athletes. With that in mind, here are a few ways to raise more money for the student-athletes you support:

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Non-Profit Donation Receipt

Whenever someone donates to your club, you must ensure that you send them a clear receipt so they can take advantage of their tax deduction. These receipts are your club’s way of saying, “Thanks for being on the team,” and they’re essential for keeping records organized. Providing a timely and well-documented receipt also makes your club appear professional and organized. In turn, you’ll be able to more easily build trust with donors and encourage them to give again in the future. After all, donors need to be confident that you’re acknowledging and managing their contributions properly. On that note, here are a few tips to help you create compliant receipts:

Booster Club Best Practices

Booster Club Rules

You certainly wouldn’t sign up for a sports league without knowing the rules of the game, so why would you attempt to run a booster club without a clear set of guidelines? In a booster club, the rules take the form of bylaws, which are policies and procedures that are vital in keeping everyone on the same page, helping to avoid misunderstandings, and ensuring that each member understands their part in supporting the club’s mission. In some cases, these bylaws will spell out who can and can’t be members, as well as who is eligible to serve on the board. Some states even have standardized playbooks that you need to follow. The University Interscholastic League (UIL) in Texas, for instance, has a playbook of its own, covering specific bylaws for booster clubs that support school programs. In any case, here are some tips for ensuring everyone in your booster club plays by the rules so you can have a productive year: