Christians For Israel(C4I) had thousands of donors who had gone silent for 2+ years. With one relational texting strategy, Powered By Text helped C4I personally reconnect with them, reactivating 8% of their entire lapsed donor pool and generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in new gifts all by text.
Case Study
Reactivating Lapsed Donors with Text Messaging
The Problem
The Lapsed Donor Problem Facing Nonprofits
Christians For Israel — led by Dr. John Tweedie — had 30+ years of broadcasts reaching millions worldwide. For nonprofits relying on email and broadcast media, lapsed donor reactivation is one of the hardest challenges to crack. As a large international TV and radio ministry, there was one unavoidable problem: their audience knew them, but didn't feel personally connected to them.
Thousands of Lapsed Donors, Gone Silent
Supporters had stopped giving, many for over two years, with no personal channel to re-engage them.
Existing Channels Weren’t Working
Email, mailers, and broadcast CTAs like “call this number” or “visit our website” left donors passive. There was no personal hook.
No Dedicated Strategy
While C4I had the staff to manage operations, they lacked a dedicated strategist to optimize and scale their existing donor relationships.
Missed Opportunities
Dr. John Tweedie was on screens globally, but there was no direct line to supporters’ phones. Broadcasting only provided one-way communication.
The Solution
A Collaborated Text Messaging Plan
After in-depth meetings with their dedicated Powered By Text strategist, together, they built a nonprofit text messaging strategy designed to work with C4I's existing calendar — not against it.
Year-Round Donor Strategy
Rather than one-off blasts, Powered By Text strategists built a year-round cadence covering broadcasts, donor outreach, and evergreen content, keeping supporters engaged between financial asks.
Full Access, Full Picture
The Powered By Text strategists gained access to C4I’s content calendar, broadcasts, and upcoming campaigns to build a strategy around everything they were already doing.
Relational Cultivation Before the Ask
The strategy warmed up lapsed donors first: personal updates from Israel, prayer invitations, and live event alerts before any donation appeal was made.
The Personal Bridge
When a text from Dr. John Tweedie lands on your phone, it feels personal. That shift from broadcast to personal turned lapsed donors back into recurring givers.
The Strategy
A Relational Text Messaging Strategy Built for Donor Reactivation
The resulting strategy was a series of relational text messages created to personalize their founder to each subscriber, give a line-of-sight into what is going on with C4I, provide opportunities for engagement in live streams and prayer, and then follow up with a donation opportunity.
1. Personal Welcome
Dr. Tweedie’s personal welcome message established text as the direct, personal connection lapsed donors had never received from C4I. For the first time, supporters felt personally reached out to—not broadcast at.
2. Live from Israel
Real-time text alerts when Dr. Tweedie went live from the Gaza border drove YouTube views and watch time and kept donors emotionally invested in the mission—all before any financial ask was made.
3. Prayer Invitation
By inviting lapsed donors into prayer via text, PBT helped C4I create the personal, two-way relationship that TV and email never could. Supporters who replied felt seen and personally connected to the mission.
4. The Ask — Giving Tuesday
After months of strictly relational connection via texting was delivered, the soft ask came on Giving Tuesday. The results? Well, let’s just say they speak for themselves.
The Result
Results That Only Text Could Deliver
After months of relational cultivation, C4I’s giving ask achieved an 8% donor conversion rate — more than double the 1–3% industry standard for digital appeals. Every result below is credited solely to text messaging. No email. No direct mail. No phone calls.
Donor Conversion Rate
8
Industry standard: 1–3%
Became Recurring Donors
6
Industry standard: 2–4%
Gave Immediately
94
Average Gift Amount
460
Total $ Raised
200
Hear how a relational text messaging strategy turned two years of donor silence into $200,000 in gifts.
Christo van der Schyff, International Strategic Development Director for Christians For Israel America, shares how Powered By Text helped C4I build a personal, relational connection with supporters they hadn’t heard from in years — and the remarkable results that followed.
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Ready to Reactivate Your Lapsed Donors?
These strategies can be implemented by any nonprofit ready to start using texting to create digital discipleship opportunities, increase engagement, and maximize fundraising. All it takes is a quick meeting to start your texting journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is lapsed donor reactivation?
Lapsed donor reactivation is the process of re-engaging donors who have stopped giving — typically those who haven’t donated in 12 months or more. Effective reactivation strategies meet donors where they are with a personal message, often via text messaging, before making any financial ask.
Can text messaging actually reactivate lapsed donors?
Yes. Christians For Israel used a relational SMS strategy to reactivate 434 donors — 7% of their entire lapsed donor pool — and raised $200,000 from just 1–2 text messages. The key was building personal connection before the ask.
How many texts does it take to reactivate a lapsed donor?
C4I’s campaign used a 4-message sequence over several months: a personal welcome, a live mission update, a prayer invitation, and a soft giving ask. The sequence warmed donors relationally before any donation request was made.
Is SMS fundraising effective for nonprofits?
SMS has a 98–99% open rate, far outperforming email. For nonprofits with lapsed donors, texting creates a personal, direct channel that broadcast media and email cannot replicate. The perceived intimacy of a text from a founder or leader is particularly effective for donor reactivation.
