A giving station is a fixed or freestanding point where supporters give to a good cause by tapping a card or phone, usually with a touchscreen that shows the cause and lets the donor choose an amount. If you have ever tapped to give at a cathedral entrance, a museum foyer or a hospital concourse, you have used a giving station. This guide explains what one is, how it works, where it earns its keep, and how to tell whether your church or charity is ready for one.
The phrase is used loosely across the sector, so it helps to pin it down. Some suppliers use "giving station" for a small countertop unit, others for a full floor standing kiosk. What they share is the idea of a permanent, self explanatory place to give, as opposed to a card reader that a volunteer carries and operates. A giving station stands on its own, invites a donation, takes it, and thanks the giver, with no one needing to hold it.
How a giving station works
Under the screen sits a tablet running fundraising software. At DonorDynamics each device ships with Give A Little pre installed, so a campaign with your branding, images and suggested amounts is on screen from the first day. The donor reads the cause, picks an amount or chooses their own, and taps a contactless card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Payment is handled through Stripe Tap to Pay built into the device, so there is no separate card machine to pair or charge. For the occasional larger gift above the contactless limit, the donor confirms with a PIN on the screen.
The donation lands in the bank account your organisation already uses, on Stripe's automatic schedule. Behind the scenes, Give A Little records the gift and, where the donor adds a declaration on screen, captures the Gift Aid information you need to claim. Nothing about card numbers is ever stored by you, because the device runs in locked kiosk mode and is PCI DSS compliant, which keeps your information governance simple.
Where giving stations earn their place
A giving station does its best work where there is footfall and goodwill but few people carrying cash. Churches and cathedrals place one in the narthex or by the exit, so it is noticed on the way in and used on the way out. Museums and heritage sites put one at the entrance where admission is by donation. Hospitals position one in the atrium or outpatient corridor, where gratitude after care is real and short lived. The common thread is a moment of generosity that used to be met by a coin and now needs a tap.
The numbers behind the trend are striking. Dioceses across England report that the average contactless gift on a card device is roughly three times the typical cash donation, often around nine pounds against three. People give more when they do not have to find the right change, and they give at all when they have no cash at all. A giving station turns a passing good intention into income that would otherwise walk out of the door.
Manned giving station or self service
You will see the term used both ways. A manned giving station is staffed, with a volunteer nearby to encourage and explain. A self service giving station runs unattended, which suits buildings that are open all day or that cannot spare a volunteer. The right choice depends on your space and your people. A welcome desk that is always staffed can host a small countertop unit, while a busy entrance that no one mans needs a secure floor standing kiosk with the hardware bolted down. If unattended giving is your aim, our guide to self-service donation kiosks goes into the security and placement detail.
Choosing the right format
DonorDynamics builds a giving station in several shapes so the format fits the room rather than the other way round. The CharityDesk is a tabletop unit for a welcome desk or shop counter. The CharityPole is a slim freestanding pole at standing height that wheels from the porch to the hall to the summer fete. The CharityStand is the full floor standing kiosk for cathedrals, large churches and high footfall foyers. All run Android 14, use the same NXP contactless hardware, and are managed remotely so you can change the cause on screen without visiting the device.
If you are weighing a fixed giving station against a pass around device for the offertory, our comparison of the digital collection plate versus a donation kiosk sets out the trade offs. And if your building is a church specifically, the churches page maps each device to the spot it suits.
Is a giving station right for you?
Ask three questions. Do enough people pass through to make a fixed point worthwhile? Is cash giving falling while footfall holds up? Can you place a device where it is seen but secure? If the answer to those is yes, a giving station is one of the simplest ways to grow income that already exists in your building. You can browse the full range or tell us about your space and we will point you to the right format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a giving station? A giving station is a fixed or freestanding point where people give to a charity by tapping a card or phone on a touchscreen, choosing an amount and confirming, without a volunteer needing to hold a card reader.
How much does a giving station cost? DonorDynamics giving stations are a one time hardware purchase from 399 pounds, with no subscription to us. Give A Little applies its platform fee and Stripe charges its standard processing rate, and that is the whole cost picture.
Do giving stations support Gift Aid? Yes. Each device runs Give A Little, which captures a digital Gift Aid declaration on screen so eligible donations can be claimed, adding 25 percent at no cost to the donor.
Can a giving station run unattended? Yes. The floor standing formats run in locked kiosk mode with the tablet physically secured, so they can collect donations around the clock without a volunteer present.