Sep 26, 2025
In today’s digital age, text messaging gives nonprofits a fast, trusted way to reach supporters and raise more. This glossary defines essential terms for text fundraising and text marketing so your team can plan smarter campaigns, steward donors, and scale results. Nonprofit organizations need to be able to communicate with their audience in a way that is quick, efficient, and easy to understand. That’s where text messaging comes in. Text fundraising, also called text-to-give, or SMS (Short Message Service) is a simple and effective way to engage your supporters and donors and increase your fundraising efforts.
Understanding these terms and how they relate to each other can help nonprofits to effectively incorporate text messaging into their fundraising and marketing strategies, ultimately leading to better engagement with supporters and increased fundraising efforts. Here’s the top terms to get you familiar with text messaging and demystify it all.
A/B Testing
Testing two versions of a message (A vs. B) to learn which drives higher engagement or conversions. Use on copy, MMS vs. SMS, timing, or calls-to-action.
A2P (Application-to-Person)
Texts sent from a software application to individuals—broadcasts, triggered alerts, reminders, and automations. Common nonprofit uses include fundraising campaigns, event updates, receipts, and supporter journeys. A2P uses approved sender types like short codes or 10DLC long codes, requires registration and compliance, supports high throughput, and must follow consent rules under the TCPA. Tatango is an A2P messaging platform for nonprofits (learn more).
AI-Driven Segmentation
Automated supporter grouping using behavioral and predictive signals to send the right message at the right time. See Tatango Power Segments.
AI-Generated Copy
Using AI to draft or personalize SMS/MMS content at scale while maintaining brand voice and compliance.
Analytics & Reporting
Dashboards and exports that track delivery, clicks, replies, conversions, and revenue attributed to text messaging.
Average gift
The total revenue in donations divided by the total number of donations. Use alongside gift count and donor count to track revenue quality and campaign efficiency.
Broadcast texting
One-to-many texting (similar to email “blasts”) where a single message is sent to a selected audience at once. Broadcast texting requires prior consent from recipients and is generally classified as A2P. See also Short code and Long code (10DLC).
Call-to-Action (CTA)
A clear instruction that prompts action (e.g., “Give now,” “Reply YES,” “Register”).
Carrier Filtering / Spam Thresholds
Carrier systems that block or throttle messages based on sender reputation, content, and volume. Warm up numbers, avoid spammy content, and maintain healthy cadence.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The number of click-throughs divided by the number of people sent a text message (often expressed as a percentage). Be consistent in your denominator (sent vs. delivered) when benchmarking.
Compliance (TCPA/CTIA)
Legal and industry rules governing consent, disclosures, and sending practices. See TCPA.
Consent (Opt-In)
Permission required before sending messages, obtained via web forms, keywords, or written agreements.
Conversion rate
The number of donations divided by the number of people sent a text message (often expressed as a percentage). Teams may also track other action conversions (e.g., registrations).
Conversion Pixel / Postback
Tracking methods (client-side pixel or server-to-server postback) that attribute a donation or action to a specific send.
Conversational AI
AI-powered, two-way text flows that answer questions, qualify interest, and guide supporters through next steps.
Cultivation text
Texts that do not ask for a donation but build the relationship—thanking, updating, or reporting back on impact. Examples: thanking donors on awareness days, sharing outcomes, or telling a story made possible by donors.
Delivery Rate
The percentage of messages successfully delivered to recipients’ devices.
Drip / Automated Series
Pre-built sequences (e.g., welcome series, win-back, event reminders) triggered by time or behavior.
Dynamic Content / Merge Tags
Personalized placeholders (e.g., {{first_name}}, {{last_donation}}) resolved at send time.
Engagement Rate
Aggregate measure of interaction (clicks, replies, conversions) relative to messages sent.
Engagement Text
Texts that drive non-financial actions such as signing a petition, volunteering, taking a survey/quiz, or learning more about the mission. Use to grow participation and deepen involvement between appeals.
Fallback Messaging
If a device or carrier can’t receive your intended format, the platform sends a compatible alternative. Example: when an MMS isn’t supported, automatically send an SMS version.
Features
Core platform capabilities such as automation, segmentation, inbox, integrations, analytics, and compliance controls.
Fundraising Text
Texts that ask recipients to make a donation (one-time or recurring). Can include urgency, matching gifts, or event-to-donate follow-ups. Related: Text-to-give, Personalization, and AI-driven segmentation.
Inbox (Messaging Inbox)
A centralized workspace for viewing and responding to supporter replies for stewardship, service, and follow-up.
Integrations
Connections to CRMs, donation platforms, analytics, and marketing tools to sync data and attribution.
Keyword
A word or phrase (e.g., “GIVE”) texted to a short code or 10DLC to opt in, trigger workflows, or receive info.
List Segmentation
Dividing your audience into targeted groups (donors, volunteers, event participants) for relevance and performance.
Long Code (10DLC)
A 10-digit number for A2P messaging. In the U.S., A2P use requires brand/campaign registration (10DLC). Unregistered or misuse can lead to carrier filtering. See also A2P.
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)
Messages that can include images, GIFs, short video, or audio, plus longer text (often up to ~5,000 characters depending on platform/carrier). MMS typically drives richer engagement. See also Fallback messaging.
Mobile Carriers
Networks that enable message delivery and enforce policies on throughput, content, and sender reputation.
Omnichannel Messaging
Coordinated outreach across SMS, email, social, and push to maintain consistency and maximize response. See Email + SMS strategies.
Open rate
The percentage of recipients who open/read a message. SMS has extremely high visibility compared to other channels.
Opt-Down / Subscription Tiering
Let subscribers stay but reduce frequency (e.g., weekly/monthly) instead of fully unsubscribing.
Opt-Out
The process by which subscribers unsubscribe (e.g., reply STOP). Platforms must honor opt-out immediately.
Opt-out rate
The number of opt-outs divided by the number of people sent a text message (often expressed as a percentage). Track at the message and program level. See TCPA.
Personalization
Tailoring content based on supporter data and behavior (merge tags, dynamic segments, individualized offers).
Peer-to-peer (P2P) texting
Texts are sent one at a time to recipients. This is also known as one-to-one texting. Each text to each supporter requires a separate click to send and allows for extended back-and-forth conversations with supporters.
RCS (Rich Communication Services)
Enhanced messaging that supports rich features like branded sender IDs, larger images and video, carousels, suggested replies/buttons, and read receipts. Availability depends on device and carrier support for RCS by both sender and recipient.
Send
A single outbound message (or blast) delivered to a selected audience at once.
Sender ID
The displayed number or name the message appears to come from (short code, 10DLC, branded sender where supported).
Short Code
A 5- or 6-digit number used for high-volume nonprofit SMS with strong deliverability and throughput—especially helpful for time-sensitive or MMS-heavy campaigns.
SMS (Short Message Service)
Text-only messages that are universally supported across devices. Standard SMS allows up to 160 characters per segment; using Unicode (e.g., emojis) reduces the characters per segment (often to 70). No images, video, or subject lines in SMS. See also MMS.
SMS Gateway
Technology that enables SMS to be sent/received between mobile networks and applications.
Supporter Journey
The lifecycle of engagement from opt-in → first gift → recurring giving → advocacy/loyalty.
TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)
U.S. law governing text marketing and fundraising (consent, disclosures, opt-outs). Learn more in this compliance guide.
Text Marketing/Messaging Platform
Software that enables organizations to create, manage, and send SMS/MMS campaigns. Tatango is a Text Marketing/Messaging Platform.
Throughput
The rate at which your messages are transmitted and processed (messages per second). Impacts speed of large sends.
Zero-Party Data
Information that supporters voluntarily share (preferences, interests, survey responses) for deeper personalization.
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