Can point-of-sale donations make a big impact on small charities?

The Nonprofit Research Collaborative has published the findings of its most recent Nonprofit Fundraising Study. According to the data presented, 70% of nonprofits expect to see their donations climb this year.

“Overall consumer confidence in the economy rose last year and that created a more positive environment for charities to go out in and build relationships [with donors],” explains Andrew Watt, president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Giving a tremendous boost to the escalation in charitable donations is the evolution of payment donation options now available to the nonprofit community.

DonateWiseNow, for example, is a new solution for charitable organizations looking to capitalized on new market opportunities. DonateWiseNow offers cardholders making a credit or debit card purchase the option to donate at the point of sale to select nonprofit organizations. Cardholders can donate $1, $3, or $5 dollars or may round-up their transaction value to the next dollar through the point-of-sale payment device.

According to DonateWiseNow President Robert DiMattina, who created the program for Cynergy Data, the goal wasn't to simply replicate the point-of-sale fundraising strategy that requires a cashier to ask a customer to donate $1 - a situation to which some consumers are profoundly resistant. As a result, DonateWiseNow was designed to serve up a consumer-facing signature-capture device to help customers donate in a "subtler" manner.

“We wanted to create a very discreet experience for the consumer,” DiMattina says.

The Nonprofit Research Collaborative study shows that charities largely intend to establish ambitious fundraising goals this year and will make key investments of time, treasure, and faith into new technologies and related services that continue to drive donations even in times of economic difficulty.

The Nonprofit Fundraising Study is available now at np­research.org.