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Debit card donations on the rise

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When donors at a door-to-door collection can choose between paying by debit card and giving cash, they are increasingly choosing their debit card. Almost two-thirds of these card donations are contactless. This is shown by the interim results from 11 charities taking part in a two-year pilot with card-enabled collection boxes.

Group of enthusiastic collectors and ambassadors on an athletics track, posing with collection collection boxes Collection 2.0 in front of large inflatable POS terminal.

Secure and anonymous

More and more people keep little or no cash at home. To give everyone who wants to donate an alternative payment method, 24 national charities joined forces in 2017. The card-enabled collection box accepts contactless payments, chip-and-PIN payments and cash at the door. Donating by debit card or mobile phone is just as easy and secure as making an electronic payment at the supermarket. The only difference is that donors can choose the amount themselves. The charity receives no information about the donor, who remains anonymous, cannot be contacted by telephone and is not committed to anything afterwards.

Infographic showing second-year results for card-enabled collection boxes: 27 per cent of donations were made by debit card or mobile and 73 per cent in cash; average card proceeds were €48.23 per box and €3.94 per donation; transactions rose by 13 per cent, proceeds by 18 per cent and 63 per cent of card donations were contactless.

More card donations and higher proceeds

Not only are donors choosing debit cards more often, but proceeds are also higher than in the first year of the trial. The number of donors choosing a debit card instead of cash in the second year rose by more than 10 per cent compared with the first year. Debit cards and mobile phones now account for 27 per cent of donations during door-to-door collections. Average debit card proceeds per collection box at the same charities increased by 18 per cent. An average of more than €48 is donated by debit card per collection box. The total number of donations per box rose by 13 per cent in 2018. The average debit card donation is €3.94.

500 rotating collection boxes

The card-enabled collection box is an initiative of start-up Easycollect Services, Stichting Collecteplan (in Dutch) , CCV Netherlands (in Dutch) and 24 participating charities. The 500 boxes are passed on to another fundraising charity after each collection week. This keeps costs down and ensures that the boxes are used as widely as possible.

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