Donation and giving kiosks make it easy for supporters to donate with a credit card or digital wallets at your location or event. Nonprofits can also use these kiosks to promote their organization. In this article, we’ll share why nonprofits and churches need a donation kiosk, what they should include, and tips to encourage on-site giving.
Nonprofits and churches always look for new and unique ways to collect donations. Recently, they have added donation kiosks to their primary locations and events to ask for more in-person donations.
Nonprofit organizations can use these donation kiosks to promote their organization as well as raise funds. By adding a few vital features, organizations can find ways to connect with new visitors and build trust with all donors.
Donation and giving kiosks make it easy for your supporters to quickly make a donation by swiping a card or using digital wallets at your locations or in-person events.
Donation kiosks come installed with a card reader that helps people swipe a card or quickly select other preferred payment methods. As a result, you get a donation in only a few seconds.
The process is also superfast and convenient for supporters visiting your church or attending events. It’s the ideal solution for cashless donations.
The Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app pairs with a card reader device to accept cashless donations through speedy transactions on an iPad or Android tablet at your events or location. You can suggest donation amounts, include a number of different payment methods, and collect donor information, all in just a few simple steps.
Donorbox Live™ Kiosk - Learn More!
Event kiosks allow nonprofits to bring in more donations during an event. Instead of printing donation cards, nonprofits can add a donation kiosk.
All a giving kiosk takes is a tablet and a stable internet connection. Your card reader should be able to take care of the rest.
It’s a good idea to have a staff member present at first to answer any questions and help facilitate donations, although your kiosk should be as intuitive and easy to use as possible.
Nonprofits can also add registration kiosks to their events and sell tickets without dozens of volunteers.
Churches depend on memberships and visitor gifts to share God’s message and run their locations. A donation kiosk in the church lobby gives parishioners a single place to drop off their tithes and offerings.
Other organizations like museums, art galleries, mosques, temples, etc. get frequent visitors. Placing giving kiosks at these venues makes it easy for people to give. Plus, a kiosk with quick payment methods will also make the giving process faster and simpler for all.
Churches and nonprofits can get creative and make donation kiosks any way they choose. There are a few things that they can include to make sure the kiosk benefits the organization.
Churches and nonprofits hold events throughout the year. Some of these events are in hotels and event venues, or may even be held outside. If their kiosk is mobile and easy to move, they can use it in any location and every event.
Be sure to check your Wi-Fi connection for any event taking place outside of your location!
Donors appreciate kiosks because of their ease of use. This is why nonprofits must ensure they limit the number of steps required to give at a giving kiosk.
It’s best to limit the number of steps to a maximum of four and keep the steps the same for every type of transaction. Do not include too many questions that the donor has to type in. It will drive them away from your giving kiosks.
Add giving steps at the kiosk. It should be a self-explanatory process that’s easy to understand. Adding a video that teaches how to use the kiosk is another way to support donors. Make sure your volunteers know how to set up, take down, and troubleshoot your donation kiosk.
People should be able to just tap a couple of times or swipe to complete the payment. The whole purpose of having a giving kiosk is to help complete the giving process in a few seconds. Otherwise, your donors might give up and not complete their donation. Include card swipes as well as quick digital wallet options for your giving kiosk. Ensure the card reader solution you’ve chosen has these options.
The Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app helps turn your card reader and tablet into a powerful giving kiosk. Collect donations with taps, dips, and swipes of credit cards, smartphones, and smartwatches. Our Live Kiosk allows for a variety of payment methods, like GPay, Apple Pay, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Find out how to set up Donorbox Live Kiosk here.
As donors get used to the kiosk, it may become stale and potentially collect fewer funds. One way to stop this from happening is to make it fun to donate.
Nonprofits can add fun sounds and GIFS when someone gives to keep donors engaged. Some donors will enjoy hearing Ka-Ching or Jack Pot sound effects when they donate.
Even churches can have a little fun, although loud sounds aren’t appropriate. Finding a way for donors to mimic placing money in a collection plate when they give at a kiosk puts them in the right frame of mind.
Regardless of your chosen sounds or images, make sure they fit your mission and situation.
With the Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app, you’ll soon be able to add screensavers, day and night modes, and more customization to your donation process. You can also choose to add any QR code to the main screen of Donorbox Live™, allowing you to direct users to a more detailed giving form (with options such as recurring gifts, tribute gifts, and more), a newsletter signup form, or even a video thanking them for their support.
Fundraise with Donorbox Live™ Kiosk App - Learn More!
Nonprofits can’t have a person standing at the kiosk 24/7. The ability to see when most gifts are made and calculate the average donation size will give organizations a better idea of when and how to solicit donations.
If most donors visiting a kiosk are younger and give smaller donations, nonprofits may feel more comfortable having fun with the look and sounds.
If churches notice a drop in donations at their kiosk, data collection can help them better understand why. This will give them insights into donor behavior which, in turn, will help improve the giving process through kiosks.
Donation kiosks are still new to many nonprofit supporters, so you must find ways to encourage people to learn more and give.
Making an announcement at an event or during a church’s Sunday service can bring attention to the donation kiosk and make donors want to try something new.
If nonprofits don’t have an opportunity to announce the kiosk in person, sending emails or adding signs at the venue can help build trust with your donor base.
Having a volunteer standing near your kiosk will help answer questions and easily give through the kiosk. This is especially true for donors who don’t feel comfortable with technology.
Ensure your volunteers can answer questions, swipe cards at the kiosk, and know the process in and out. This will make donors confident and satisfied with the new giving experience.
Branding is an easy way to build trust with your donor base. Adding your logo, colors, tag lines, and mission statement to your kiosk for donations makes it easy to see and know what it is.
The best giving kiosks collect donations and give donors more information about the organization. Include additional marketing pieces like signs, brochures, and contact information for important staff and board members. This gives donors another reason to check out your giving kiosk.
A primary reason for donors to stop giving is the lack of convenience. Fewer people will give if your giving kiosk only accepts funds via credit card. Nonprofits that accept funds in various ways including quick digital wallets will get the best results.
Another versatile way to use your kiosk is to add it to your organization’s location as well as external events. New donors who want to learn more about your nonprofit or church can feel comfortable collecting information and donating a few dollars.
You should also collect basic donor information to contact them in the future.
Make sure your card reader is able to securely accept donations. This is a serious concern most donors have about giving. More so when they’re asked to try out a new process.
Donorbox lets you connect to your Stripe account to securely process and accept donations from your donors through its card reader. All transactions are encrypted and protected against fraud.
Modern fundraising methods have become a must-have for nonprofit organizations. The easier you make it for people to give, the better your chances will be of getting donations! Donation kiosks are one of the best solutions for you to introduce modern on-site giving to donors.
And as you do that, Donorbox is all set to be a part of your journey. Check out our solution – Donorbox Live™ Kiosk – with speedy transactions and hassle-free cashless giving.
Learn about Donorbox’s powerful fundraising and donor management features on the website. To take your nonprofit growth to the next level, check out Donorbox Premium – a custom success package to fit every nonprofit’s fundraising needs!
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Kristine Ensor is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience working with local and international nonprofits. As a nonprofit professional she has specialized in fundraising, marketing, event planning, volunteer management, and board development.
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Kristine Ensor