Cymba turns 20

Fuelled by ambition and drive, Nevil Coleman and Steve Hanna founded Cymba in 2004 with one clear aim: to enter the mobile messaging sector. 

Having quickly established that short codes - special telephone numbers designed for high-throughput, two-way messaging - had huge marketing potential, the business began generating regular revenue. 

Both owners suspected this approach would appeal to charities looking to boost donations. However, there was one significant hurdle: major mobile operators wanted to retain the majority of the donation - a decision that priced out charities. 

This all changed in 2010 when Vodafone announced that they would give 100 per cent of donations to charity, which meant that SMS messaging campaigns became much more accessible to the third sector. Soon after, other mobile operators followed suit. 

After winning UNICEF as a client - just as it was embarking on the now famous campaign with Ewan McGregor that went on to secure millions of pounds for the charity - Cymba had officially entered the world of charity fundraising. 

Fast-forward 20 years, and Cymba has raised over £70m - £36m of which comes from regular giving - from a supporter network of 436,000 people. In the last 12 months alone, it has raised almost £6m in regular giving donations. 

As Cymba turns 20, let's hear from those who have been with the business the longest, including Rich Mullens, Cymba's Product Director. 

"The watershed moment came when you were able to donate via you phone. The second came when mobile operators agreed to hand over the lion share of a donation rather than holding onto it, the result of which turbocharged charities’ interest in what we did."

“The next big moment came in 2011, when regular giving by SMS came into play. Not only did it make regular giving easier for donors, but it also gave them control by enabling them to skip donations if they wished. Prior to that, regular giving was reliant on Direct Debits, which, once cancelled, are expensive for charities to try and reinstate. This part of the business has grown steadily over the years and today we have 150,000 people giving a combined total of £500,000 a month." 

“Cymba’s biggest achievement is the fact that it took mobile phone-led donations niche to mainstream. We really are trailblazers in what we do. Not only that, but we also make it viable for the smaller charities and not just the large ones." 

“We’re now looking to take the same approach to flexible donations that we’ve achieved with SMS and replicate it with Direct Debits. This will reduce attrition rates and lead to higher levels of engagement."

“Additionally, rather than just building a list of donors, charities will be able to build entire communities, as the pool of potential donors will be much bigger." 

“It’s been an incredible journey over the 16 years I’ve been with Cymba. However, I think the most exciting chapters lay ahead of us.” 

I joined the business as it was about to launch Connected, its regular giving product, as I had experience running regular giving campaigns." 

“In the intervening 10 years, things have changed enormously. In 2014, we had less than 30,000 RG donors but were raising @ 76K in income. These days, one of our charity clients raises over £1m a year via regular giving donations." 

“Connect, the platform we’ve developed that allows our clients to send SMS broadcasts, is incredibly advanced. It enables users to determine data protection, download Gift Aid data and review bounce back text wording. We’re also making further investment in Rich Messaging, which will provide a step change for charities throughout the UK." 

“We’ve generated a total of £70m+ m for charities and it’s just fabulous that we’ve played such a pivotal role in helping those we work with to raise so much money. It’s a huge achievement and one that’s shared by our partners and the agencies we work with. Given the amount of development that’s currently going into Cymba, this is only set to increase and I’m delighted to be a part of it.” 

“Cymba has evolved significantly, even over the last 18 months since I’ve been leading it, as a result of huge investment in our people and the technology that underpins the business. This investment has given us a springboard to the future in the shape of two new products."

“The first is our Rich Messaging suite, which will see us increase the use of platforms such as WhatsApp to boost charitable income and drive engagement through more visual - and therefore more emotive - messaging. The second is being developed to remove barriers to payments. Whilst our history is steeped in SMS-based payments, now, as part of ClearCourse, one of our key priorities is to reduce friction across ALL forms of payments. So, providing our charity clients with the ability to take payments from donors using credit cards, direct debits, and, of course, SMS, all from one platform, will be revolutionary." 

“Of course, it’s not just about the money but also about driving engagement, too. By making charitable giving more accessible and helping organisations to meet their supporters where they are, rather than relying on them to come to the charity, we’re facilitating this aspect, too." 

“Our continued investment in artificial intelligence will also transform the charitable giving space. We’re currently exploring how it can play a role in customer journeys by providing charities with insights into the decisions donors are making. As a result, charities will be able to understand, in real-time, what aspects of a campaign work, and those that don’t." 

“Charities are accountable for every penny they spend. If we can provide the tools that enable them to do that, we can provide even more value. The past 20 years have been incredibly exciting for Cymba, and I’m incredibly proud to be able to play a role in shaping the future of the business.”