How Unattended Donation Payment Systems for Non-Profit help with Fundraising

• Charities and not-for-profits need to leverage every advantage to achieve their fundraising goals
• Traditional cash donations are being replaced by fast and secure digital cashless payments
• Innovative unattended payment solutions make it easier and more convenient than ever to donate

Raising funds for a not-for-profit organization can sometimes be a big challenge. With so many worthy causes for donors to select from, your organization needs to look for ways to increase the chance that donors will choose your cause to support. Implementing new unattended donation systems in strategic locations can accelerate the success of your fundraising initiatives, and help you accomplish more good for the community.

Charitable organizations and not-for-profits of all types would certainly agree that fundraising is one of the biggest challenges they must navigate. Larger, well-established charities benefit from general awareness and recognition of their causes, however frequent and repeated messaging can oversaturate the public and result in decreasing impact. Smaller charities face a different set of obstacles, as they must work harder to achieve awareness among potential donors, educating them on the purpose and scope of their fundraising initiatives.

Nevertheless, whether your not-for-profit is large, small, or somewhere in between, it’s essential to provide a smooth, easy, and fast donation experience for contributors. Of course, this is often easier said than done. This is especially noticeable looking back on recent years, as technological innovations in payment processing systems have rapidly evolved, and the world became gripped by a pandemic that continues to have profound effects on the lives of people around the globe. One such effect has been a sharp rise in the adoption rates of digital payments and cashless transaction solutions among consumers and businesses alike, and that includes not-for-profits and charitable organizations.

Fundraising in a Cashless World

Collecting donations for charities and not-for-profits at various locations across cities and towns traditionally used to occur in the form of cash and coins. While seemingly simple on the surface, this approach was not without its challenges. Donation boxes in some less populous locations could struggle to accumulate funds, while others in high-traffic areas could quickly become full and reach the limit to what they can hold. In some unfortunate cases, unattended donation boxes could even run the risk of theft by unscrupulous individuals.

To further complicate the issue of collecting cash donations, people in general are carrying less cash on them than they ever used to, with some opting to carry none at all as they go about their daily lives. For charities relying on physical cash donations, this is a significant obstacle that must be overcome in order to meet fundraising goals. It is apparent that to be successful in fundraising today requires a more forward-thinking approach that leverages cashless payments and alternate donation methods.

Fundraising in an increasingly cashless world requires a technological solution to collecting donations. Many not-for-profit organizations have opted to replace their traditional cash fundraising boxes for digital donation terminals, which offer many substantial benefits. First, the issue of theft at unattended donation stations is no longer a concern, as there’s no physical cash present at the terminals for thieves to try and steal. Second, digital donation terminals are able to accept an extremely diverse range of payment methods, from credit and debit cards to digital wallets and payment apps like Google Pay or Apple Pay. This makes it simple for donors to make their contributions with whatever their preferred payment method may be.

These advantages are just the tip of the iceberg, and are excellent examples of some of the key factors that encourage people to make charitable contributions. In fact, MONEXgroup digital payment terminals for donations work to emphasize all the major factors that charity and not-for-profit organizations need to consider in order to maximize their fundraising efforts. Let’s explore these in a bit more detail.

What Factors Increase the Likelihood of Donations?

What makes someone feel the need to make a contribution to a charitable cause or not-for-profit organization? Certainly, the most important factor is the personal connection to the cause and how the mission of a particular charity resonates with an individual. However, as we mentioned earlier, there are a lot of worthy causes out there to support, and it’s just not reasonable to expect one individual to support them all. So, what other elements can influence someone’s choice of charity to receive their contribution, and how do unattended donation terminals from MONEXgroup fit into the equation?

Be at the Right Place at the Right Time

In order to accept donations, you’ve got to get your donation terminals into the locations where your ideal contributors are most likely to be. This may include public spaces such as shopping malls, downtown centres, recreation facilities, or corporate offices, to name just a few. Timing matters, too. It’s important that donation stations are open and available at times when people are more likely to make a contribution. Traditional fundraising models that rely on attended kiosks were only able to accept donations while they were staffed by a volunteer from the organization, which limited the time frame during which donations could be gathered.

Unattended payment terminals make accepting donations 24/7/365 a snap for your charity, as they are always on and always ready. Plus, the compact size makes these unattended donation units easy to place in virtually any location, meaning they don’t take up much counter space or can be set up as standalone donation stations in outdoor environments. Unattended donation terminals from MONEXgroup in these types of situations would be completely weatherized, making them perfectly suited for the task in locations where the weather can be harsh or unpredictable. With a MONEXgroup Tap-to-Donate system, your not-for-profit fundraising stations will always be in the right place, at the right time.

Making Donations Has to Be Easy and Fast

Another thing that can have a notable impact on charitable donations is how easy and quick it is to make a contribution. Speed plays an important role in payment processing, as people want to pay and go quickly, and making charitable donations is no different. Unattended payment terminals from MONEXgroup enable your not-for-profit to accept donations with just a tap of a card, saving time and making it easier for contributors to donate to your worthy cause.

Improving the speed and ease of giving doesn’t just have positive effects for your donors. It also benefits your organization by making collected funds available for immediate use and disbursement. Instead of having to wait to collect funds from various donation boxes across your fundraising area, and then spend time counting and processing the cash contributions, the money can be put to good use immediately. For causes such as disaster relief or humanitarian crises, having the funds available as quickly as possible can make all the difference in helping those in greatest need.

Simplify the Decision-Making Process for Donors

Initially, it can be easy to assume that most donors will already have an idea of how much they are willing to give. But, when the moment arises to enter a donation amount, you’d be surprised by how many people pause and think over the sum that they eventually settle on. Research has shown that donors often second-guess themselves when choosing an amount to donate. However, if another person makes their donation first, perhaps donating $10 while someone else considers donating $5, it can serve as the extra nudge needed to make a decision in less time, and perhaps even give a little more to a deserving cause.

Digital donation stations can achieve a similar effect of providing an example to follow by simplifying the process and offering people a predetermined range of suggested donation amounts. All a contributor needs to do is select the desired amount, tap their card, and their donation is accepted in just seconds. Deciding on what the suggested donation increments should be can be a challenge if you don’t have the data to help inform your decision. Fortunately, one of the features of MONEXgroup payment processing systems is the ability to access detailed analytics on metrics such as average donation amounts and frequency of transactions, along with many other valuable data points including optimum time of day for donations, performance of different terminal locations, and more.

The results of this data analysis can then be rapidly implemented using a remote access app to update all connected payment terminals with new values to help improve the frequency, amount, and overall likelihood of donations. This added functionality helps campaign managers keep on top of their fundraising efforts and maximize the effectiveness of each individual donation station.

Raise More Funds and Do More Social Good with a Fast and Easy Unattended Tap-to-Donate System

Every dollar counts for those organizations that are working to make a positive difference in the world we live in. We know that it’s absolutely critical to make the most of every opportunity when you’ve got a fundraising goal to reach, and the team here at MONEXgroup is eager to help you reach it. Contact us today and we will answer any and all questions you have about implementing fast, easy-to-use, and secure Tap-to-Donate unattended donation payment terminals for your charity or not-for-profit organization. We look forward to being a part of your success!

Find out how to elevate your fundraising initiatives with unattended donation systems from MONEXgroup!

Author: Layal Scheirich, Head of Sales at MONEXgroup
Bio: With 18 years of experience in payment processing and merchant services, Layal has seen in-store POS technology evolve from its humble beginnings to contactless, unattended, mobile and online alternatives. Today, Layal is an inspiration to the MONEXgroup’s team and a go-to source of information related to payment processing. She is enthusiastic to share her knowledge with audiences interested in cutting-edge technologies available today, such as unattended payment for self-serve kiosks, e-commerce online payment gateways, virtual terminals, and contactless and mobile payment solutions.
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Contact Info: insights@monexgroup.com