Hardware

Mobile Fundraising for Nonprofits Provides Seamless Giving

Mobile tools have made it easier for donors to connect with nonprofits in the field.

Doug Bonderud is an award-winning writer capable of bridging the gap between complex and conversational across technology, innovation and the human condition.

Nonprofit giving is on the rise. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, Americans donated more than $410 billion to nonprofits in 2017, and that amount has continued to grow.

But the number of nonprofits is also increasing — there are now more than 1.5 million charitable fundraising organizations active across the United States. The result? Nonprofit staff must be able to articulate their cause in a way that both compels donor giving and ensures the donation process is seamless in order to secure critical funding.

While digital giving initiatives have allowed companies to connect with and activate users online, there’s still a need for in-the-field connection and interaction to raise nonprofit profiles and drive consistent funding.

Using the Message and the Medium to Capture Attention

Securing donations isn’t easy. As noted by Forbes, new nonprofits often make the mistake of assuming the broad appeal of their cause instead of identifying and cultivating a target audience.

And even with the right target, there’s a need for messages that resonate with the donor base. According to the Nonprofit Hub, fundraising teams must:

Think outside the box — Boring potential donors is the quickest way to fail at funding requests.
Practice, practice, practice — Pitches must be perfected to ensure consistency of content and context.
Be specific — Asking for specific donation amounts takes the pressure off donors.

For many nonprofits, focusing on the message understandably outpaces their technological medium — but what happens if donors are ready to contribute and digital systems aren’t up to snuff?

The Essential Mobile Fundraising Toolkit

With attention captured and donors ready to open their digital wallets, these are the tools nonprofit staff need to ensure they can quickly, reliably and securely process payments:

Mobile point-of-sale systems — Mobile POS systems are no longer cumbersome or complex; from small handheld card readers to smartphone attachments, taking POS into the field makes it easy for fundraising staff to quickly connect donations without the need to count and handle cash. Integration with customer relationship management tools, meanwhile, ensures that all donations are recorded, while email or printed receipts provide donors with confirmation.
Mobile devices for multiple purposes — While mobile POS systems are ideal for door-to-door fundraising efforts, event-focused financial drives benefit from the use of multifunctional mobile devices such as tablets that allow staff to quickly sign up new donors, answer time-sensitive emails or texts and attach POS devices on demand. Here, agility is key: With large crowds, capturing donor attention provides critical value, while speedy transactions drive fundraising volume.
Rugged devices — Fundraisers are often tasked with covering substantial ground outdoors to connect with potential contributors. Inclement weather is inconvenient to these efforts but won’t stop donation drives. As a result, it’s essential to equip nonprofit staff with cost-effective technology — such as Chromebooks — that are designed for durability and won’t break the bank.

Mobile fundraising in the field comes with unique challenges. To ensure the medium doesn’t disrupt the message, nonprofits must equip their staff with reliable POS systems, tablets and rugged devices capable of enduring the elements.

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