Integrating text messaging into a comprehensive crosschannel marketing strategy

Abstract

In our fast-paced world, annual giving offices are often looking for ways to cut through the noise and reach out to constituents while maintaining a personal touch. Peer-to-peer texting, as part of a comprehensive marketing campaign, is a tool that can enhance giving, especially for young alumni, a key demographic at many institutions. This paper provides information about how Amherst College implemented texting as part of a young alumni challenge and is now using texting as part of a larger communications strategy. The reader will gain an understanding of how to integrate texting into their annual fund’s outreach and how to track data to determine the effectiveness of their texting efforts. Finally, the paper will provide thoughts on areas of enhancement for the future of texting at Amherst College, which can translate to other institutions.