A university raises money from a wide and unusual community. There are current students, the visitors who pass through its museums, galleries and public spaces, and a lifelong body of alumni who carry an attachment to the place long after they leave. Advancement and development teams work hard to turn that attachment into support, and a good deal of the giving still happens in person, on campus and at events.
Many moments to give
Open days, graduation ceremonies, reunions, public lectures, sporting fixtures and exhibitions all gather people who feel warmly towards the institution. A contactless donation point placed where they gather, at a welcome desk, in a foyer, or beside an exhibit, lets them give in a single tap at the moment the feeling is strongest. A robust CharityPole or free-standing CharityStand suits a high-traffic concourse, while a discreet CharityWall works in a gallery or library.
The considered gift
Alumni and visitors often give more than the loose change a cash collection would gather, and preset amounts help them settle on a meaningful sum quickly. A device set to a specific appeal, a scholarship fund, a building project or a particular department, lets a donor give to the part of the university they care about, which tends to raise both the willingness to give and the size of the gift.
Gift Aid on eligible gifts
Universities and their associated trusts are charities, and where a donor is a UK taxpayer their eligible gift allows a further twenty-five per cent to be reclaimed from HM Revenue and Customs at no cost to them. Capturing the declaration at the device collects this in the same action as the tap, which matters across the many in-person gifts an open day or a reunion can produce.
Across a large estate
A campus is a large place with many buildings, and devices may sit in libraries, museums, sports centres and faculty receptions at once. Through Give A Little the whole set can be monitored and adjusted remotely, so a development team can change a campaign across the estate or check that every device is taking money without walking the site. Each unit runs unattended, recovers by itself after an interruption and stays locked to its single task.
The reporting earns its keep here too. When you can compare giving across locations and events, you learn which spots and which appeals raise most, and you can place the next device and frame the next ask accordingly. Over an academic year, that steady learning turns a scattering of devices into a considered part of the advancement effort.
Building giving across a university? Compare the range on our comparison chart, read about the platform on the Give A Little page, or see our guide for charities.