Fundraising Technology Even I Like
Here’s the lead paragraph from a recent article in Fast Company:
"Anyone–and I do mean anyone–can sign up to use Square and begin accepting credit card payments. Here’s how it works."
It’s about a device from SquareUp.com that you (or say, your canvassers, or volunteers at a fundraising event or booth) can use to process credit card purchases (or donations) through a smart phone, i-Phone, i-Pad etc. Anyone (in the US) can sign up for an account and receive a tiny swipe device that plugs into the headphone jack of the phone. In a fundraising setting, you would be the "vendor" accepting donations.
The system can even recognize loyalty:
"There is also a built-in customer loyalty program. A merchant can customize a notifier for, say, every tenth visit by the same customer or any time a customer spends more than $100. This notification will appear on screen after the swipe and allow the merchant to offer a discount or giveaway." Again, adaptable to fundraising purposes.
Fast Company explains the process in detail, and here’s an article from Giving in a digital world blog that talks about the fundraising potential.
Pretty nifty!
Tom
This would help secure a donation from all those people who only deal with credit cards and will never get around to checking out your website. Great idea…get these people while your face to face and the iron is hot!