Here’s the lead paragraph from a recent article in Fast Company:

"Anyone–and I do mean anyone–can sign up to use Square and begin accepting credit card payments. Here’s how it works."

It’s about a device from SquareUp.com that you (or say, your canvassers, or volunteers at a fundraising event or booth) can use to process credit card purchases (or donations) through a smart phone, i-Phone, i-Pad etc. Anyone (in the US) can sign up for an account and receive a tiny swipe device that plugs into the headphone jack of the phone. In a fundraising setting, you would be the "vendor" accepting donations.

The system can even recognize loyalty:

"There is also a built-in customer loyalty program. A merchant can customize a notifier for, say, every tenth visit by the same customer or any time a customer spends more than $100. This notification will appear on screen after the swipe and allow the merchant to offer a discount or giveaway." Again, adaptable to fundraising purposes.

Fast Company explains the process in detail, and here’s an article from Giving in a digital world blog that talks about the fundraising potential.

Pretty nifty!

Tom

 

This article was posted in: Don't Miss these Posts, fundraising, innovation, mobile advocacy, new media, nonprofits, online fundraising.
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