2015 Fundraising Demands a Mobile App
Peer-to-peer fundraising programs must have a mobile application for participants in 2015. The statistics show that we have crossed from the nice to have phase into the must have era. This post reviews the bellwether signs and why it’s time to add the power of mobile applications to your fundraising program.
Over half of online activity in the U.S. happens on a mobile device[1]. This signals a shift in how people prefer to go online and interact with the content related to your event program. In short, they increasingly start on their phone or tablet, and the more success they find using that device, the better for your program.
This follows the major milestone of 2013, when the majority of email opens happened on mobile devices[2]. In fact, smartphones remain the most common device for reading email at any point in the day.[3]
The data shows people are working more and more on their smartphone, whether consuming your digital messaging via email or just any online content. Responsive design to support mobile must be in place, but it isn’t enough. The demonstrated preference for mobile applications means you need to have a mobile application. You can see this preference by examining mobile behavior on websites that offer both a responsive, mobile friendly experience and a mobile application[4].
This chart lacks some of the granularity needed for a deep dive into why a site like Amazon sees overwhelming application use but ESPN sees slightly higher web access. However, for focused and repetitive experiences, such as checking and posting to social media (Facebook, Twitter) or transactional sites (Amazon, eBay) users prefer the application experience. It makes it easier to access and then complete activities. Applications excel when you have a high value audience that has a handful of frequent access and/or regularly executed activities. Think about it, on your phone, you don’t open a browser and then punch in www.facebook.com, you simply click on your app. Much easier, right?
Peer-to-peer fundraising relies on precisely this user profile. Successful participants ask as many people for support as possible and do so multiple times. It is a small step to equate this to checking for status (fundraising progress = social updates) and then posting out content (donation asks or thank you’s = status updates.) For these focused and repeated actions, applications such as Boundless Fundraising™ deliver a simpler, more efficient and more accessible participant experience. This all leads to more fundraising activity that drives more fundraising success; more dollars for your organization’s deserving cause.
For peer-to-peer fundraising to succeed and grow, you must meet your supporters where they live online and do so in the manner they prefer. As the statistics above show, that means providing them a mobile application for their smartphone.
[1]Millennial Media, Cross-Screen Consumer Behavior: Decoded
[2] Movalble Ink, New Research Shows Mobile Dominates Desktops with 65% of Total Email Opens in Q4 2013
[3] Movable Ink, US Consumer Device Preference Report Q3 2014