Donate by Thumb is the simple new way to donate money.  Anyone with a smartphone can easily donate any amount, to any charity, from any place, at any time.  It’s quick, simple, and secure.

Cashless payments may be taking over on the high street but, when it comes to donations, most charities remain stuck firmly in the analogue age.

Across the UK, cash is still by far the most popular way to give to charity[1]. But, with people carrying less cash, they have less spare change, and charities are getting less cash as a result. In 2017, for example, 73% of UK charities reported a decline in the value of street donations[2]. And, in the future, it seems inevitable the decline will continue.

So, what are the alternatives?  How can charities make up the shortfall?  And, if people were no longer limited to the cash they happen to have with them, would it be possible to turn a challenge into an opportunity and actually increase donation values?

Of course, one option is to follow the high street and move to contactless.  But contactless collecting tins are seldom seen. And, for smaller charities in particular, the costs and complexities of contactless card readers are prohibitive.

So, what if there was an alternative?  Which entailed no special equipment? And no complexity?  And had no set-up or subscription fees? Yet allowed anyone with a smartphone to donate to any amount of money to any charity?

How it works

  1. A participating charity gets its own unique QR code, which can be printed anywhere on anything.  We will also provide a unique shortlink url to use for social campaign
  2. When anyone points their smartphone at the QR code (or clicks on the shortlink), they are taken to the charity’s dedicated donation page
  3. They select how much they want to donate, and a payment is automatically processed and secured using the smartphone’s in-built payment technology.

That’s it!  Quick. Simple.  Secure.

If it’s an iPhone, the payment is processed automatically with the user’s Apple account. And they authorise the payment in the usual way (using the phone’s inbuilt fingerprint or face recognition technology).

It it’s an Android phone, the payment is processed automatically with the user’s Android Pay account or Google account. And they authorise the payment in the usual way (typically by entering a three-digit security code or by using the phone’s in-built authentication technology).

Benefits for charities

Yes, cash donations are likely to be with us for some time to come.  But wouldn’t it be great if you had an easy alternative? Something that could be brandished by any fundraisers anywhere?  And could also be added into your advertising and fundraising literature?

Donate by Thumb can do all of this and more

Simple

Sign-up to the service and we generate your own unique QR code and shortlink and build your own unique donations page branded with your logo and identity.

Or, if you prefer, we can generate a set of unique codes, to help you trace donations back to a particular location, channel or campaign. Payments are processed by us and deposited directly into your chosen bank account via Charities Trust

Affordable

There are no set-up fees and no ongoing subscription fees.

All we do is take a simple, small percentage of each transaction, which compares very favourably to other fundraising initiatives and services

Secure

Payments are completely secure, and everyone’s protected by the online technology developed by the likes of Apple, Google, Visa, Mastercard and the UK banking industry.

Also, there’s no cash to be collected, counted or reconciled, so no risk of any mistakes or losses

Convenient

It’s convenient for you and your supporters.

And, compared to other digital collecting tins (like cashless card readers), there are no devices to manage, no risks of loss or damage, and no training to worry about

Universal

Donate by Thumb is particularly good for fundraising events, like coffee mornings, or sponsored walks, or fun-days.

But, the fact is, you can use it anywhere, anyhow, anytime. You can have as many QR codes as you like.  And you can print them anywhere you want – literature, posters, adverts, anywhere.

 

We’re building more solutions all of the time.  And we’re working with many of the UK’s favourite charities, brands, loyalty schemes, and employers to bring them to life.

Our aim is to raise £100m for charity within the next five years, and we’re determined to succeed.

[1] The Charities Aid Foundation reports that, of people who donated to charity in the pervious 12 months, 55% had donated by cash (UK Giving, CAF, 2018)  

[2] The Future of Giving, Barclays, 2018