# Nonprofit Mailchimp SMS: 632% Return on Spend | OVERTOP [Home](/)›[Success stories](/success-stories/)›[Mailchimp](/success-stories/mailchimp/)›WLRN Mailchimp success story · Public media nonprofit # How South Florida's public media station earned a 632% return on SMS spend during a fundraising drive. WLRN, the PBS and NPR affiliate for South Florida, had reached the ceiling of what email alone could raise. Adding text messages to its email appeals, on one Mailchimp platform, raised an extra $34,450 in a single fall drive. BusinessWLRN MarketMiami, Florida GoalMore donations during fundraising drives ## The results. The extra donations compare the fall 2025 campaign with SMS added against email alone; the click-through rate is compared with the average Mailchimp customer. - **632%**return on SMS spend - **$34K**more in donations from adding SMS - **47%**higher SMS click-through rate than the average Mailchimp SMS user Fall 2025 fundraising drive. The station credited more than $100,000 of its $1 million fall drive to Mailchimp. Figures as reported in the story; Mailchimp does not publish how they were measured. ## The challenge. WLRN never charges for its journalism, so it depends on underwriting and two major fundraising drives a year. As traditional funding tightened and audiences moved to social and streaming, those drives had to work harder. By 2024, email had hit a ceiling: open rates were flat and donations had plateaued. Email also lacked the urgency a live drive needs. The station’s previous email platform did not offer text messaging at the time, and outside SMS vendors were slow, expensive and hard to connect. - **Merge the lists**Email and SMS subscribers become one audience. - **Segment the donors**High-value donors targeted, recent donors left out. - **Send email and text together**Each appeal reaches supporters in both channels. - **Test and refine**Subject lines, SMS formats and images tested for clicks. ## What they did. SMS marketing · Email · Segmentation · Embedded forms · A/B testing One audience, two channelsThe station merged its email and SMS lists into one audience and planned every message in one place, using [Mailchimp SMS](https://mailchimp.com/solutions/sms-marketing-tools/) alongside email.The right ask for each supporter[Segments](https://mailchimp.com/features/segmentation/) targeted high-value donors and automatically left out people who had just given, so the extra messages during a drive did not wear out loyal supporters.More sign-upsEmbedded forms on the station’s pages brought in more contacts to reach during the next drive.Testing what worksA/B tests tuned subject lines and SMS formats. Text messages with an image drove more clicks than those without. ## Why it worked. Our read on the decisions behind the numbers, and what any business can take from them. Text creates urgencyA drive has a deadline. A text is read within minutes, which is exactly what a time-bound appeal needs and what email struggles to deliver.SMS added to email, not instead of itThe gain was measured against email alone. Supporters who ignored one channel answered the other, so the two together raised more than either would.Respecting donors keeps them givingSuppressing recent donors meant more messages did not mean more annoyance. Relevance protects the list for the next drive.Pay as you goBuying the minimum SMS credits each month and topping up during drives kept costs in line with the station’s uneven sending. ## How we would run this play for your business. You do not need a national budget to use the same ideas. This is how Overtop Media Digital Marketing puts them to work in our [mailchimp email marketing](/mailchimp/). Plan the drive as a sequenceAnnouncement, reminders, matching-gift moments and a final push, across email and text, with dates set before the drive starts.Segment donors by valueMajor donors, monthly givers, lapsed donors and new subscribers each get their own message and frequency.Grow the list between drivesForms, landing pages and [Meta lead ads](/meta-ads/) build the audience you will need for the next campaign.Report in dollars raisedEvery message is tied to donations, so you know what each channel and each send was worth. ## Who this play fits. You do not have to be a public media nonprofit to use the same approach. It is a strong fit for: - Nonprofits and public media - Churches and faith organizations - Schools and alumni associations - Membership organizations - Event and festival organizers - Any business with time-limited offers ## Want results like these? Tell us about your business and your goals. We will show you where Mailchimp can bring you customers, and what it would take. [Start growing with Mailchimp](#audit) [Or call (704) 237-0707 ›](tel:7042370707) [See how we run Mailchimp for our clients ›](/mailchimp/) ## More Mailchimp success stories. - [ Health and wellness **43%** higher average order value ### JungKwanJang Read the story › ](/success-stories/mailchimp/jung-kwan-jang/) - [ Financial services **18x** conversion rate of automated emails ### Willful Read the story › ](/success-stories/mailchimp/willful/) - [ Restaurants **16.1%** average SMS click rate ### Birdcall Read the story › ](/success-stories/mailchimp/birdcall/) [See all Mailchimp success stories ›](/success-stories/mailchimp/) Results as published by Intuit Mailchimp in its WLRN customer story (February 2026). Results for other organizations will differ. Analysis by Victor Bubuioc, MBA, Digital Performance and Growth Expert, published October 10, 2026.