A New and Free Way to Accept and Stream Donations at your Next Event

We all know that on-site donations have the ability to raise incremental dollars at any event. As we advance into the technological age, checks and credit cards have become things of the past. Using platforms such as Venmo and PayPal, donors can easily contribute to the cause with a clichéd click-of-a-button. Now, nonprofits can easily display these live donations on a phone—all you need is a $25 cord.

Most non-profits already have accounts with Venmo and PayPal, and setting one up is both free and easy. PayPal further supports non-profits with their ventures through their Giving Fund and providing tax receipts. Most donors have these accounts as well. 

If you have a television screen or a projector at your event, you’re half way there. Using a HDMI Cable with a MHL to HDMI adaptor (available here) you can project your phone screen onto the projection screen and pull up the activity feed on the app. Don’t forget to mute your notifications! 

Throughout the event people can donate, and the contributions will be displayed for everyone to see.

Contributions can be processed and collected instantaneously. In addition, donor information is included with each payment, making it easy to send an acknowledgement letter, or even a direct message from within in the app. The benefits of these free fundraising apps do not stop at the event. From partnering with the PayPal Giving Fund to adding these accounts on your website, donors can easily support you any time.

Displaying contributions can bring a sense of unity to your event. Donors can work together and motivate each other to help achieve the goal as they watch pledges come in. Everyone can acknowledge individual generosity and celebrate benchmarks together. Try using these free apps to facilitate and display donations at your next event—say goodbye to collecting checks!

It’s that simple.*

*The Fine Print:

There is a spending limit on these apps. Donors will be able to contribute up to $2,999.99 on Venmo, and $10,000 on Paypal—you can keep the donation cards around, but include an option on the card with the nonprofit’s PayPal and Venmo account. You can request the pledged amount after the event, or they can send it later. This also gives many donors an option to easily contribute, but keep their anonymity if they choose.

Questions about Venmo and PayPal?

Author Bio:

CJ Orr joined the OAI team in 2013 and focuses on client work and new business development.  As an Associate Director, CJ provides superior service to OAI’s clients and develops strong business relationships as well as develops new opportunities to expand OAI’s footprint in the nonprofit sector.

Prior to joining OAI, CJ worked for AllianceBernstein, an institutional investment manager, based in New York City. During his time in finance, CJ was an Institutional buy-side Municipal Trader where he developed extensive trading knowledge and financial expertise. Prior to working in finance, CJ interned for OAI, during which, he worked with a variety of clients including, the Marriott Foundation and Youth I.N.C.