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Fund raising phone apps: Update from Europe and the US on what works, what doesn't.
This is a link-dense article on NPO's using phone apps, who is doing it and who to call if you want to do it. Apple's current policy of no "Donate Now" buttons in apps makes the iPhone not quite as useful for app-based fund raising as it could be, but there are still many reasons to explore apps and ways to raise money with them even on the iPhone.
I wrote about raising money on mobile phones in my June 19, 2009 blog, and noted the cost barriers that keep most NPO's away from this technology, but apps for iPhones and other smart phones getting cheaper and are beginning to emerge from NPOs. Most are for iPhones, but are not directly fund raising apps because Apple no longer allows a “Donate Now” button on iPhone apps. That being said, there are some good examples NPO's iPhone apps that earn money selling the app or on app-driven site visits where there is a Donate Now button. Examples in the
- AIGA Houston (video here on its app)
- Africare 's new shopping app
- American Humane Society's Be Humane shopping app
- Ecosnoop's ap that crowdsources enforcement of environmental laws
- Greenpeace's Good Tissue Guide ap for US phones
- GoPlanit.com's Pet Earth game and donates a portion of the purchase price and ad revenue to plant trees.
- Ideablob's iGive - Micro-donating made easy and mobile with iPhone which randomly donates money when clicked.
- Melodeo's Christmas music streaming app which sells for $2.99 and sends $1 to the Salvation Army
- PAVE (People Against a Violent Environment) has two domestic violence apps, making money on the sales
- PETA 's paid app, BNB (be nice to bunnies) on cruelty free shopping is available in the both the
- Seafood Watch's free sustainable fish guide app/widget in the
- Social Actions and Games that Give are developing aps to stimulate or direct funds to NPOd
- The Extraordinaries showcased a beta iPhone application at NetSquared this year to help people find quick volunteer opportunities.
- NABU Vogelführer launched an app for German language configured iPhones.
- Kiva is working on an iPhone app for its lenders; you can follow the progress on Twitter @Kiva4iPhone
Although for the time being an iPhone app cannot include a Donate Now button, you can create apps for other phones that do and you can create iPhone apps that can be used for:
- Awareness
- Directing donors to the Donate Now button on your site
- Special promotions
- Membership renewals
- Wish list donations
- Special projects
- Social networking features within the app for your organization
If If your organization is thinking of launching an app, they can be expensive so explore several vendors first - several linked in the examples above. Sweb offers a plan to create and launch an app for $25 a month. Joomkit in the UK provides a range of online services to the for profit and non profit world using the open source platform joomla. Iphone Sculptors has an online form that quickly allows you get an estimate for an app, although you will be contacted by the company (not necessarily a bad thing).
Follow Dr. O on his radio show, The Fairness Doctrine, at www.wdisam.com/fairnessdoctrine, live streamed on Fridays at 2pm EST in the US and on iTunes.
