What's the difference between a shared shortcode and a dedicated shortcode? Which do I have?

 If you've been reading up on text messaging shortcodes, you may be confused about the difference between shared and dedicated shortcodes. You may also wonder which you have if you're using Swell's text-to-donate feature.

Swell uses a shared shortcode (474747) for text-to-donate. Your keyword is unique to you. Note: This feature will be replaced by QR codes in 2022.

Shared

Many organizations use the same 5 digit shortcode (i.e. 474747) but reserve specific keywords to generate a specific text response.  Basically, many organizations use the same shortcode. 

Dedicated

An organization has its own shortcode just like you have your own phone number.   In this scenario, an organization can have many keywords connected to that dedicated shortcode. 

Why Does Swell Use Shared Shortcodes?

Virtually ALL nonprofits are using shared shortcodes (including Swell clients) because a dedicated shortcode is prohibitively expensive for most nonprofits. The reason for the end to shared shortcodes is to reduce fraud and donor error.  If a donor inadvertently types the wrong word or the phone auto-corrects it; then they are at risk of clicking on the wrong nonprofit link.