If you’re a customer at McDonald’s then you’ll now be given the chance to round up your bill and donate the extra bit of ‘digital change’ to charity.
If you’re using a credit or debit card then you’ll be able to donate at the till as you pay, and if you use the self-service kiok you’ll also get the option to add 1p, 10p or 20p to your bill.
As with many retail outlets, you’ll often find a collection box at the till, but with the rise of our cashless society the amount of loose change going into the bucket is falling. More and more people are choosing to pay for things using a card or other mobile payment technology.
This doesn’t mean however that people don’t want to donate, they just don’t have the cash. So by offering the chance to donate their digital change or adding up to 20p to their bill gives people the opportunity to donate even if they’re not paying by cash. All the money raised goes towards housing the families of children seriously ill in hospital, meaning they don’t have to travel and are closer to the bedside of their poorly loved ones.
McDonalds aren’t the only ones to be doing this. Another example is The Entertainer toy shop which gives shoppers paying by card the opportunity to round up and donate the digital change to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Collection boxes have been a large part of charity fundraising since day dot. The great thing about this evolving technology is that it doesn’t take away from these charity collection boxes by trying to replace them and blocking people using cash from donating. Instead, they are offering an alternative so that people who do pay by card or mobile payment technology can also make a donation when they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
Here at Donater we are implementing innovative technology to enhance collection boxes by offering a digital alternative for those that don’t have cash. Rather than dropping coins in the bucket, donors can scan a smart sticker with their smartphone and choose an amount to donate (often a higher monetry value than the coins that get dropped too!). It’s the perfect combination.
It’s becoming increasingly important to bring fundraising into the digital age, and charities are relying more and more on donations gained online and through mobile payments. Donater smart stickers are a great way of merging traditional fundraising efforts with a modern edge.