Technology: Nichola Mullen, Head of Fundraising at SVP, with one of the new cashless collection buckets
St Vincent de Paul (SVP) is leading the way in church gate collections as it becomes the first charity to roll out new cashless buckets.
The buckets, fitted with an electronic card reader, will allow donors to make donations with their debit or credit cards if they don’t have any cash.
It is the first charity to roll out a method for cashless donations at church gate collections.
“We’re starting out with 80 buckets and it’s a strategic roll-out to facilitate donors in every way,” said Nichola Mullen, head of fundraising at the charity.
The cashless donation buckets will not only be at church gate collections, but will be made available to SVP volunteers for use “wherever they see fit”.
“Our collections still provide a considerable amount of income, so we’re making sure that we protect that revenue stream,” added Ms Mullen. “It’s a piece of technology, so volunteers will have to be there to work the buckets – but we’re not just handing out the buckets to corporates, they will simply be there for volunteers to use wherever they see fit.”
The donor will be able to make a donation to the society’s local branch, or conference as it is known within the society, by selecting an amount and paying via a card reader, attached to the mobile bucket.
According to Ms Mullen, the mobile bucket is the cutting-edge technology that solves an issue that would have previously prevented donations.
“It’s just like a traditional bucket, but it’s not plugged into the wall,” she explained.
The new contactless bucket, named the CollecTin, was developed by SumUp and Visa, and contains one of their card reader machines inside.
The donor can select the amount they wish to donate, and then scan or insert their card as normal.
The 80 buckets will be rolled out across the country over the Christmas period and, according to Kieran Stafford, the society’s president, some dioceses have already begun using the new devices.
“Bar shops, church gate is our biggest collection,” he said.
“People carry no cash and we want to ensure that if someone wants to donate, a facility is provided where people can do it as hassle-free as possible.”
SVP volunteer Ann Convery from Rolestown, in north Co Dublin, said that the new cashless donations would be a “great initiative”.
“It wasn’t until we had a fundraiser in a supermarket in October that I realised how people had no cash – everyone just kept saying, ‘I’ve no money, just a card’,” she said.
“We fundraise a lot at Christmas in comparison to other times of the year, so it’ll be great to give it a go and see how people find it.
“It’s also more secure than cash.”
She has volunteered with the SVP, whose services include visiting people who need help, for more than six years.
“From home visitations, you can establish a relationship with beautiful families,” she said. “You become a family friend.”
The Irish Independent is pleased to support the St Vincent de Paul annual Christmas Appeal. To donate, visit www.svp.ie/donate call 01 8848200 or donate locally
Gabija Gataveckaite reporting in Irish Independent, December 3 2019
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