Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk – Elevating Live & In-Person Fundraising with Swift Cashless Donations

The Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app turns your iPad or Android tablet - paired with a card reader device - into a giving kiosk you can use to accept swift, cashless donations anywhere and anytime. Learn how to set up your own donation kiosk at your nonprofit location or fundraising event in this article.

8 minutes read
Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk – Elevating Live & In-Person Fundraising with Swift Cashless Donations

With people getting accustomed to in-person events and get-togethers once again, nonprofits are left to wonder how to generate the most revenue with their fundraising events. Churches, museums, mosques, art galleries, and other nonprofit organizations that often get visitors at their locations also have to think of new ways to engage people and boost fundraising.

Older in-person fundraising methods of asking for cash or check donations, unfortunately, don’t work as well anymore. Potential donors, younger or older, expect you to offer them quick card or digital wallet payments. In fact, the latest stats indicate that there has been a 160% increase in the average donation amount with Apple Pay!

Places of worship, museums, schools, and other organizations tend to lose out on potential in-person donations when all they offer is a cash box for collecting these gifts.

What if you could easily set up a giving kiosk at your location or fundraising events that enabled cashless donations? Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk will help make it happen!

Our innovative and dynamic app, Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk, can be used to turn any iPad or Android tablet into a giving kiosk that helps donors tap, dip, or swipe their credit or debit cards or use digital wallets to make swift cashless donations, anytime and anywhere.


What is Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk?

Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk is an app for both Android and iOS that nonprofit organizations can add to their tablet and pair with a card reader device to easily set up a giving kiosk for accepting cashless, on-site donations.

Image of Live Kiosk in action on a tablet, including three types of payment options - credit card, smartwatch, and smartphone.

Yes, it’s that simple! You can easily activate the Donorbox Live add-on on your Donorbox account and create a Live Campaign specific to your kiosk. Then, download the Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store to your tablet, and log in to the app to pair it with your card reader device.

Your donors visiting your location or attending your in-person events can choose a suggested ask amount and tap, dip, or swipe their credit/debit cards or use digital wallets to make swift and secure donations on the go. Plus, you can even provide the option for them to cover all transaction fees, ensuring that 100% of their donation goes towards your mission.

The Donorbox Live™ add-on is priced at $50/month for the first device and an additional $15/month for each additional device you use. You can choose to only activate the add-on in the months you will be using a giving kiosk.

Sign Up for Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk

We’ll explain the steps to get started later in this blog. First, let us take a look at everything you will need to turn Donorbox Live ™ into a giving kiosk.


Prerequisites to Turn Donorbox Live ™ into a Giving Kiosk

Everything you’ll need to turn our powerful app into a giving kiosk is easily accessible – and you may already have some of these tools on hand!

  • An Android (Android 6 or later) tablet or iPad (running iOS 13 or later)
  • A Stripe M2 card reader device (inside the US) – Order it here.
  • A WisePad 3 card reader device (outside the US) – Order it here.
  • Active Donorbox account and Stripe account.
  • Stable internet connection.

Get more information about these card reader devices on Stripe’s website:

Once you receive the appropriate card reader device from Stripe, it will be easy to set it up using their instructions guide. Then, follow the simple steps below to finish setting up your giving kiosk.


How to Set Up a Giving Kiosk with Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk App

There are just nine simple steps to take to set up your giving kiosk with the Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk app.


1. Log in to Donorbox

First, log in to your Donorbox account.

login to donorbox

If you’re new to Donorbox, you can sign up for an account here. It’s quick and easy and it’s free to get started with the standard plan. We do, however, recommend the Pro and Premium plans for a lower platform fee, next-level integrations, expert coaching services, and more.


2. Make sure your Donorbox account is connected to Stripe

After you’ve logged in, make sure that your Donorbox account is connected to your Stripe account. You can connect to Stripe from your Donorbox account here.

connect donorbox and stripe

You can also watch our video on how to connect to Stripe here.


3. Activate the Donorbox Live add-on

Connected to Stripe? Great! Now, you’re all set to activate the Donorbox Live add-on.

Note: You must add your Tax ID/EIN/ABN and your organization’s address to Donorbox under “Nonprofit Info” to be able to activate the add-on.

Go to “Integrations & Add-ons” on your Donorbox account.

Select “Donorbox Live”.

Screenshot showing where to go in your org account to activate the Donorbox Live add-on.

Click the “Activate Donorbox Live” button.

Screenshot showing where to activate the Donorbox Live add-on in the org account.

The add-on is available for $50/month for the first device and $15/month for additional devices.


4. Create a Live Campaign on Donorbox

On your Donorbox account, go to “Fundraise”.

Select “Live Campaigns”.

Where to build a Live Campaign for Donorbox Live Kiosk in the Donorbox org account

Click “+New Campaign” to create a new live campaign for your giving kiosk.

Showing where to click to build a new campaign for a Donorbox Live giving kiosk.


5. Customize your Live Campaign

Next, name your campaign, select the currency (choose from 13 options), and set your default language. This is the language the donor view will be in – no matter which default language you choose, donors will still have the option to change between English, Spanish, and French with a single tap.

Also, be sure to set your suggested ask amounts for your campaign. We recommend adding four suggested amounts, but you can add more or remove some options. Donors will still be able to type in a custom gift amount.

Screenshot showing the Live Kiosk Campaign Creator in the Donorbox org account

You can also add a campaign QR code of your choice to display on the home screen of the donor view in the app (as seen below).

QR code option shown on the Live Kiosk home screen in donor view.

To add a QR code, check the box for “Enable QR code,” then choose from the options shown.

You may select a Donorbox-hosted page from the drop-down under “Hosted Page,” where you’ll find each of your fundraising campaigns in your Donorbox account. This option enables you to direct donors to an online campaign that features additional options such as recurring giving, tribute gifts, designated funds, and more.

Or, you have the choice to add a QR code for any page you wish, such as a newsletter sign-up form to encourage sign-ups for your email list or a YouTube video showing the impact a donor’s gift will have and saying thank you for their generosity.

No matter which option you choose, be sure to add a short description in the box labeled “QR Code Description Text”! This tells users what they will find when they follow the QR code.

How to add a QR code to your Live Kiosk campaign.

Finally, you have the option to ask donors to cover processing fees for their donations.

When this is selected, donors will be given the choice to cover your fees for their gift (shown below), empowering them to ensure that 100% of their donation goes directly to impacting your mission.

Once you’re done, click “Create live campaign”.

And your live campaign for your giving kiosk will be ready to use!


6. Download the “Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk” app

Next, you need to download the Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk app on your iPad or Android tablet. Please make sure that your Android tablet is version 6 or later or that you are using an iPad that is running iOS 13 or later.

Download the Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk app for Android here.

donorbox live app for android

Get Donorbox Live App for Android

Download the Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk app for iOS here.

The Donorbox Live app as it appears in the Apple App Store for iPads.

Get Donorbox Live App for iOS


7. Log in to the Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk app and check all settings

Now, log in to the Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk app on your tablet using your Donorbox account.

donorbox live kiosk app log in

If you have enabled two-factor authentication on your account, input the code and sign in.

two factor authentication on donorbox live app

Please note that when you log in, we’ll sign you into the first organization your account is associated with. Support for switching organizations will follow at a later date.

Next, select the live campaign you created on Donorbox.

select campaign for giving kiosk

Then, check all other settings including the currency and the suggested ask amounts you selected. If you want to make any changes, click the hyperlink “Click here to edit this campaign” right beneath the amounts.

check all settings on donorbox live app

Once you’ve made any changes, click “Refresh” on the bottom-left corner of the screen to have them reflect on the app.

refresh to reflect changes on donorbox live app


8. Turn on your card reader device

Next, turn on your Stripe M2 or WisePad3 card reader device and keep it near the tablet.

donorbox live app and card reader

If you’re new to using these devices and need help with setting them up, Stripe has all the information you need –


9. Launch the donor view

Click the button “Launch Application” on your Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk app. It will automatically pair with your card reader device and launch the donor view to accept cashless donations.

launching donor view

Please note that while automatically connecting with your card reader, the Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk app will ask for permission to use your device’s location. This helps connect with nearby devices. Also, connecting to your card reader device for the first time is likely to take several minutes.

donorbox live app pairing with card reader

Once the connection is successful, the donor view will look like this –

Accept Cashless Donations with Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk

That’s all – you’re now all set for powerful live and in-person fundraising for your nonprofit.

Just place your Android tablet or iPad and your card reader at a location easily accessible to your donors and event attendees. They’ll love the convenience of giving via quick transactions!


How Donors Make Cashless Donations with Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk

Your donors can make a cashless donation in just four simple steps.


1. Select the donation amount

From this screen, donors can first choose to have their giving experience appear in English, Spanish, or French. The language that first appears will be the default language you selected. To choose one of the others, all a donor has to do is tap it in the upper-left corner.

Donors will then tap their preferred donation amount on the tablet screen.

The donor view - how the donor gives with donorbox live app

Alternatively, they can also enter a custom amount of their choice.


2. Choose whether to cover donation fees

If you have opted to ask donors to cover transaction fees, the screen below will appear.

Option to cover transaction fees in Donorbox Live

As soon as they select or enter an amount and (if you have given them the option) have either opted to cover fees or not cover them, the app will send a request to the card reader. The card reader will beep and light up.


3. Tap the card to process the donation

The app on your tablet will show the total donation (including transaction fees, if applicable) as well as instructions for the donor to tap, insert, or swipe their card or smart device.

Total donation screen in Donorbox Live Kiosk

The donation will then be processed. Depending on the donation amount, the app may need to request a pin verification for the donor. Learn more about this on Stripe.


4. Enter an e-mail address and name to receive a receipt

Once the donation is processed, the app will ask the donor to enter their email address and their first and last name to send a donation receipt. This also helps save their information in the Donorbox database that you can access later to build on this relationship.

donor adds email id on donorbox live app

donor adds first name on donorbox live app

donor adds last name on donorbox live app

Please note that the donor can choose to not enter these pieces of information and walk away right after the donation is processed. In that case, we have a progress bar at the top of the screen set to wait for 15 idle seconds and go back to the home screen.

But – no worries – you’ll still have this donation saved on the Donorbox database with the email “” and the name “Supporter”. This helps you keep track of cashless kiosk donations at your events or location.


5. Donor receives the donation receipt

After the donor has entered their email address and name, they will be sent a donation receipt for their donation.

donation receipt after donating on donorbox live app

Boost In-Person Fundraising with Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk!

We’ll thank your donor and ask them to get in touch with your staff if any issues arise.


Over to You

That’s it – simple and quick! Our goal here at Donorbox is to help you quickly and easily set up your fundraising tactics and tools, as well as make it simple for donors to give, so that you can focus on helping those in need.

Learn more about Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk on our website.

Check out Donorbox’s wide range of fundraising tools, features, integrations, and more, and sign up for free to start fundraising like a pro.

Want free resources to amp up fundraising and donor management efforts? Go to our Nonprofit Blog or check out Donorbox Library. We also have free and affordable courses at Donorbox Academy. Subscribe to our blog newsletter to receive a handpicked collection of our best resources in your inbox every month.

Chirasree Bose is the Content Editor at Donorbox. Apart from editing and writing, what holds her interest the most is reading books. Chirasree loves to explore the world of fiction and has authored some books herself. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

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