Everson Museum launches campaign to raise money via phone texts

By Melinda Johnson

Everson Museum of Art is tapping into the potential of technology to help raise money and to send news on its programs and events — all through mobile phone text messages. 
It is the first arts organization in Syracuse to begin a text campaign, said Sarah Massett the museum’s assistant director. 
At least two Central New York nonprofits, Say Yes to Education and the United Way, have used text messages to raise funds in the last year. This strategy has been used nationally by the Red Cross and other nonprofits for major disasters, such as the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti and Hurricane Sandy. 
Everson launches its campaign today and invites supporters to make donations using their cell phones to text the word “Art” to 277-22. Each text will make a $10 donation to the museum for general operation and special exhibitions, Massett said. 
A text with the word “Everson” sent to 277-22 will sign up a user to receive museum text messages via mobile phone about its activities and reminders about class registrations and events. 
Massett said the museum hopes to extend its reach to a broad spectrum of followers as well as a specific group. 
“We are particularly looking to reach our tech-savvy audience and better connect with our under 40 crowd,” she said. “We know that mobile is one of the fastest growing technologies and that most people have their cell phones within arm’s reach 90 percent of the time. So we know this is a good way to connect with people.” 
Everson’s idea originated with Samara Hannah, director of development. Massett said she researched the text-to-donate strategy, looked at the successes of other organizations and developed the local campaign. 
The museum has an “aggressive financial goal,” said Massett who did not want to be more specific with a dollar amount. 
With each $10 donation, the cell provider takes 70 cents as a processing charge, she said. Everson receives $9.30 from the text donation. 
Text-fundraising campaigns are in their infancy, said Kelly Gaggin, director of marketing and communications at United Way of Central New York. “It’s buzzy” right now, she said of its new popularity. 
The local United Way initiated a text-fundraising campaign during the Syracuse University and University of Connecticut football game at the Carrier Dome in October. Gaggin didn’t want to reveal the tally for donations received. 
She said reaching supporters and donors through text messages follow the path of email campaigns, which took some time to catch on. It still comes down to cultivating relationships with donors, she said. 
Gaggin believes text donations are most successful on a national level when it’s a disaster — such as the Haiti earthquake in 2010 or Hurricane Sandy last year— and people are suffering and a celebrity is making a plea for donations. 
“It’s about that immediate ... that sense of urgency,” she said. 
The Red Cross raised nearly $33 million in text donations for the Haiti earthquake. The relief agency said it set the record for the largest amount ever raised in a text donation program. In 2008, the Red Cross used this strategy after hurricane disasters in the United States. 
Say Yes to Education Syracuse also used texting for donations during a basketball game in the Dome in 2011 and raised $5,000. 
Besides the debut of its texting campaign, Everson also connects with supporters through its website, everson.org, Facebook, facebook.com/EversonMuseumOfArt and Twitter, twitter.com/EversonMuseum.

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