Welcome to Nochex Fundraising News, where we aim to keep charity fundraisers up to date with all the latest news about our donations platform for charity fundraisers and our service for charities and fundraisers in our charity blog.
January 15, 2020 FUNDRAISING
Ten ways your small charity can improve its fundraising
A five-minute read for busy people who work in small charities about charity fundraising ideas.
Working with smaller charities has been an eye-opening experience for me [writes Andrew Baiden]. From the extraordinarily well-organised to the so-far-laid-back-it-isn’t-clear-they’re-awake smaller charities and their administrators, managers, fundraisers, trustees, workers, and ‘friends’ are an interesting and diverse bunch. From working with these many different types of people and organisations, I have learned a few things that I think might be of help to some… Read on here
Read the Nochex charity blog for all your latest fundraising news.
December 5, 2019 FUNDRAISING
Small charities benefit from digital payments appeal
Four small charities are benefiting and the payments firm is looking for more voluntary sector organisations to take part.
Digital payments firm Nochex has launched a Christmas appeal for small charities.
Through the appeal shoppers paying through the payment firm’s services will be asked to make a donation through its receipt function.
Via receipts shoppers will be told more about what the charity does and then asked to make a donation.
Four charities have signed up to the Christmas appeal including Meningioma UK, which supports those with affected by this form of tumour, and Forces Children’s Trust, which supports young people whose parent has died or sustained serious injuries while in the British armed forces.
Also benefiting are London based Doorstep Homeless Families Project, which runs a hostel for homeless families, and African Village School Fund, which focuses on sustainable food and education initiatives in Ekudzeni, Swaziland.
More charities needed
Nochex Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Baiden said that the firm is looking for other charities to take part and is urging them to contact the firm.
“We have never really done anything like this before, but now that it is up and running we are looking to promote it locally and nationally through our network of thousands of online merchants,” said Baiden.
The Leeds based payments firm added: “The month leading up to Christmas is the busiest time of the year for payment services and Nochex has high hopes that its customers will be especially generous.”
Donations raised will go directly to the charity concerned and donors can also sign up for gift-aid.
Nochex set up a charity donations services earlier this year, which more than a 100 have joined.
Read the Nochex charity blog for all your latest fundraising news.
November 28, 2019 FUNDRAISING
Low-cost online fundraising has arrived!
Fundraising for charities is changing.
Fundraising websites used to be able to get away with charging charities large fees for using their services. The lack of choice in the market, and some very well-known and trusted brand names meant that fundraisers tended to rely upon, and use, what they knew. Today’s fundraisers are more tech savvy and they want great service and the best deals.
Long standing businesses operating in the market like JustGiving have had to get rid of their big 5% platform fees to try and cling onto their large market share and profits.
Choosing the right website to manage your fundraising campaign can make £000’s difference to your donations.
Meanwhile, Virgin Money Giving, the once go-to platform, clings to the halo effect of its founder’s name to continue charging charities an eye-watering £150 just for registering.
New entrants to the market are often driven by more philanthropic motives. Nochex for Charities, for example, the market’s newest entrant, is motivated by the idea of putting something back, and uses its long standing relationships in the banking community to leverage low charges and pass the benefits back to the charities that use it.
Fundraisers and charities are encouraged to look around at the options available when they think about choosing a fundraising platform. Selecting the right service can make a big difference when you tot up your decision to choose one – perhaps a popular well-known brand – and compare it to a less well known service that you might never have heard of before.
Nochex For Charities say that a typical donation to one of their good causes is more than £100. Because their processing fee is so low compared to other platforms, a £100 donation through their website will mean that an extra £5 or more is received by the charity.
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Now that you have read about five of the best online fundraising websites, your projects will never go without funds! All that is left to do is to select a provider, promote your campaign, and raise money.
Read the Nochex charity blog for all your latest fundraising news.
July 18, 2019 FUNDRAISING
Tips for charities to increase and maximise donations
Libby James Co-Founder of Merchant Advice Service joined Voice Connect earlier this year to strengthen their payments offering, focusing on transactions made via telephone and specifically IVR telephone donations. She speaks to Nochex about the charity industry and gives tips on how to increase and maximise donations.
IVR
IVR stands for Interactive Voice Response, which is commonly used when making automated payments via credit and debit card over the phone. The telephone lines used in this method of accepting payments are secure requiring no end user, enabling donors to enter their card details directly into the telephone keypad, prior to the transaction being authorised. The systems are completely automated meaning that they are available for donations 24/7 365 days a year, maximising payment periods and making donations feasible for those who do not have access to the internet or struggle with Wi-Fi signal. Once the transaction is complete, the system will then automatically ask if the donor wishes to add gift aid – making the most of every single donation.
Benefits to charities
Charities wishing to accept payments via IVR telephone lines will experience a number of benefits to include;
- Increase in donations due to amplified accessibility. For example, large donations come from the elderly who often do not have access to the internet. Allowing these transactions to be made from home will mean donations do not reduce during winter months or outside of office hours.
- Streamlined donations and accounting. IVR systems integrate with back office databases meaning that payment related admin duties are reduced. The system works automatically, staff are not needed to accept payments, giving charities the flexibility of using the saved hours elsewhere.
- Payments taken from anywhere with a phone signal. Donations can be made from almost anywhere, without the need of internet connection. The system works 24/7 365 days a year meaning donations can be made outside of office hours.
How much does it cost?
IVR systems work with a MOTO merchant account, which means there are two different costs involved. One for the IVR provider and one for the banking element. Donations are normally charged at a percentage per transaction rate plus an authorisation cost. These vary from provider to provider – it’s important that comparisons are made on a like for like basis. It’s also worth considering gift aid and how much the charity receives.
Tips to increase donations
My tip for making sure you receive the most from your donations is to review your merchant account regularly. Smaller or new charities in particular, when your transaction volumes grow you can often shop around for better rates. As a minimum I would suggest comparing merchant accounts every two years, after all if your costs are less your donations are worth more.
Read the Nochex charity blog for all your latest fundraising news.
June 24, 2019 FUNDRAISING
Care2Share is the 50th charity to join the Nochex’ philanthropy platform
Earlier this year our friends at the Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds told us about their problem. They had signed up to BT’s MyDonate service and then learned that the service would shut down at the end of June. They had looked for a replacement, but the options were either more costly or came with too many strings.
Fortunately, an enterprising member of the Nochex team was also active at the Centre, and with her understanding of what Nochex does and what Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds needed, she was able to start the ball rolling for something new.
Nochex has been helping online businesses to receive payments since the year 2000. We have been helping charities for almost twenty years as well, but we’ve never offered a dedicated donations platform for charity fundraisers – until now.
A brave new world of charity fundraiser innovation
Fast forward to the end of May and Care2Share became the fiftieth charity to start using the CharityChex donations platform for charity fundraisers.
Care2Share represents a relatively small group of like-minded volunteers whose very specific mission is to drive positive change around the world through better education, life skills, hygiene and sanitation.
Danny John who founded Care2Share in 2016 has a vision for improving the lives of less fortunate individuals and communities around the world. When he first learned about Nochex from an email we sent to him, like most people who work in charities, he had never heard of us!
However, as someone who believes profoundly in innovation, he looked forward to using our new platform. “I really liked what Nochex had to offer. They are doing something new. They are making really easy for all charities – big or small – to take donations. And, they have taken care of all the paper processing needed when donations were gift aided. They have made online donations much easier to take and I’m delighted to start using the CharityChex service.”
Although Care2Share’s charity account with Nochex was only set-up a few weeks ago, it was quickly integrated into the Care2Share website and poised to collect donations and gift aid.
A mission to do some good in the world
For everyone at Nochex, each new charity that joins the CharityChex roster is an endorsement of our mission to provide a great value for money fundraising platform for organisations and individuals who do some good in the world.
At least that is what we think, and we’d love to hear what you think too!
Read the Nochex charity blog for all the latest fundraising news.