In our previous articles we discussed
social media tools and other
applications to help improve your charity’s marketing efforts. We also looked at the technology that was available to improve your
financial accounting and reporting. As part of our 'Charities and technology' series, we’ll be covering one of the most important topics, which is fundraising.
A lot of charities blame the
lack of funds and skills for not being able to implement new technology. However, with the wealth of knowledge available online, and the amount of technology that can be sourced at a low price (or even free), there really is no reason to not take on new technology.
For example, some street fundraisers are still carrying around buckets to collect money from donors who are most likely not to carry cash in the first place. So, an efficient solution would be to invest in a contactless donation box or card reader that deducts a pre-agreed amount from a donor. Having a solution like this would save your team a lot of time from physically counting money and depositing funds at the bank.
Contactless Payment SolutionsBritons’ spending habits have changed over the past few years, and for the first time, spending via debit cards has
surpassed cash payments. Therefore, it’s a good opportunity for charities to start investing in a contactless payment system to collect donations, considering less people are carrying cash. Richard Sagar, policy manager of the Charity Finance Group (CFG) commented that
larger charities are quickly adapting to these changes whereby smaller charities are sometimes slower.
Some good examples of charities that are using this technology include Blue Cross (animal welfare charity) who equipped their dogs with a contactless reader and prompted people to “
pat and tap”! The Church of England has also seen an amazing
97% increase in donations after integrating the technology into churches across London, Manchester and Merseyside.
If your charity wants to invest in these contactless donation boxes, a company to consider would be
GoodBox. They are a reputable company, having worked with many organisations such as the National History Museum, Teenage Cancer Trust and the Museum of London. The company also promises no lengthy contracts and no hidden fees, which means your charity will not have to worry about high expenses associated to using these contactless boxes. They have three main
products including one mini box that can be carried around and a ‘pro’ box, which is a larger unit that can be placed at events and public spaces. Another great feature they have is ‘GoodBox Portal’ which allows you to log in, track and analyse fundraising data.
Online Fundraising PortalsThere are many online giving platforms that exists such as GoFundMe, MyDonate and JustGiving that are very popular amongst charities, however
using them comes at a price. For smaller charities, the transaction fees and processing fees can easily add up and this may put a dent in the donations urgently needed.
One platform that makes fundraising easier and doesn’t take a penny in fees is
Wonderful.org. The organisation has a great mission and they truly believe that everything raised for charities should go directly to the charity. Although new and relatively unknown (fewer charities registered with them in comparison to other platforms), it is slowly becoming a top choice for charities.
Wonderful is a not-for-profit that is funded by corporate sponsors, this allows them to cover costs and not charge charities for fundraising through them. It’s very easy to set up a fundraising page and the platform auto-creates links to share your campaign through social media or via email.
Online ShoppingHave you ever reached the end of your online shopping trip with eBay, and upon checkout have seen an optional request to donate to a charity? This may be down to fundraising platforms such as GoRaise. This platform has partnered with hundreds of retailers, so when a shopper purchases an item, the retailer donates to your charity.
With GoRaise an individual can register a
challenge or a
cause, and a
company can register themselves. After registering, donors can view your fundraising page, look for items to purchase and then a free donation is made. GoRaise has partnered with over 3,000 retailers including Argos, eBay, M&S and Boots so there is a retailer available for every shopping need!
GoRaise is a great solution to raise money for your charity and is already proving popular with over 80,000 registered causes and over £500million in donations. It’s not just for big charities and emphasises on wanting to make funding available for PTAs, sports clubs and churches.
This concludes the fourth part of our ‘Charities and Technology’ series. If you have any questions on the tools mentioned or want advice, contact Ingrid on
ingrid.beya@raffingers.co.uk or 020 8551 7200.
