{"id":79704,"date":"2025-10-17T14:06:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T14:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.givergy.com\/?p=79704"},"modified":"2025-10-17T14:06:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T14:06:47","slug":"sms-for-alumni-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.givergy.com\/uk\/blog\/sms-for-alumni-events\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use SMS to Increase Alumni Event Attendance"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a powerful thing when alumni give back to your school, whether they donate to <\/a>fundraisers<\/a>, volunteer to mentor students, or speak at a career fair. Alumni are a vital part of your school community, but their busy lives can prevent them from staying involved.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>To engage former students and motivate them to attend your events, you need to meet them where they are\u2014on their phones.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Double the Donation\u2019s alumni giving <\/a>statistics<\/a>, 75% of alumni said they would engage more with their school if their options were mobile-friendly. Think virtual or hybrid events, accessible websites, and mobile-first messaging.<\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ll focus on engaging alumni via SMS, or text messaging. Follow these steps to tap into the power of SMS and boost attendance for your next alumni event.<\/p>\n

1. Ask alumni to opt in.<\/h2>\n

Before you start texting alumni, make sure you review and understand SMS laws and <\/a>regulations<\/a>. Any mobile messages sent from an application (known as Application to Person, or A2P messaging) must comply with laws like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)<\/a>, which requires recipients to opt in before you text them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>This means that if you use a <\/strong>school texting <\/strong><\/a>app<\/strong><\/a>, you need to collect opt-ins. <\/strong>Ideally, you\u2019ll build an opt-in list well before your fundraising event, but it\u2019s never too late to start.<\/p>\n

To get your alumni\u2019s consent to text them, add a simple checkbox to important forms on your school or alumni website, such as donation and event registration forms. Then, email alumni about this new opportunity to engage with your school. Explain why they should sign up for your texts\u2014to get quicker updates, hear about important news first, and easily stay connected.<\/p>\n

2. Send personalized invitations and reminders.<\/h2>\n

Once you have a growing opt-in list, start drafting a variety of different messages to send. Each message should be 160 characters or fewer to align with text marketing best practices, and they should include clear calls to action.<\/p>\n

To boost event attendance, plan out text messages like:<\/p>\n