A collection tin keeps one secret very well. It never tells you who gave, how much, when or where, until you open it and count. A contactless donation device can do far better. Alongside taking the gift, it can tell you what is working and what is not, which turns fundraising from guesswork into something you can steer. The question worth asking of any device is not only whether it collects money, but what it tells you afterwards.
The figures that matter
A useful report starts with the basics. How much each device has raised, over what period, and how that compares across your sites. From there the average gift is revealing, because it shows whether your preset amounts are doing their work. The number of gifts tells you about reach, while the pattern over time shows the effect of a campaign, a season or an event. Together these turn raw totals into a picture you can act on.
Gift Aid as a measure
For a UK charity, the proportion of gifts that carry Gift Aid is a figure worth watching. It shows how much additional income you are capturing from HM Revenue and Customs on eligible donations, and whether the declaration is being collected as reliably as it should be. A low rate points to a fixable problem at the point of giving rather than a failing in the cause.
Using location to place devices
When you can compare devices across settings, you learn where giving happens and where it does not. A unit that quietly outperforms the rest tells you something about footfall and the moment of giving that you can apply elsewhere. A device that underperforms may simply be in the wrong spot. Reporting by location turns these hunches into decisions, so your next device goes where the evidence points.
From numbers to action
Data is only useful if it changes what you do. The reporting that comes with Give A Little on every DonorDynamics device is there to inform real choices, whether that is adjusting your amounts, moving a device, or switching the campaign that is doing best on or off as your priorities change. Reviewed regularly, even briefly, it compounds into steadily better results.
Half the value is in the insight
The income a device raises is the obvious benefit. The understanding it gives you is the quieter one, and over time it may matter just as much. Choose devices that report clearly, make a habit of reading what they tell you, and let the evidence guide where you go next.
Want clear reporting from day one? See what the platform surfaces on the Give A Little page, or compare the devices that run it on our comparison chart.