January 22, 2020

Checking in on TAP London one year after launch

Everyone knows life in London works at a faster pace. There’s even science to prove it. In one study, Londoners were found to march along at a speedy 1.68 metres per second, the highest out of 10 different locations across England and Australia. It’s undeniable that London’s speed is one of the defining characteristics of the city, but our habit of hurrying along pavement may be preventing us from doing good.

Getting Londoners To Give A Tap

According to the  CAF UK Giving 2017 Report, Londoners have the highest mean donation when compared to the rest of the country. So you would think that in the capital we are donating to our favourite causes on a regular basis. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Often, we are too busy rushing along to stop and dig in our pockets when we see a charity bucket. Consequently, we only donate when we feel the need. It comes as no surprise that  51% of UK givers donate infrequently, while only 25% of people give money on a monthly basis.

This isn’t helped by the decline of cash. The shift towards a cashless society is now in full swing, with more of us are choosing the speed and convenience of contactless payments over spare change even for small things like buying a coffee. The volume of payments using cash fell by 16% in 2018 when compared with the previous year, and this change is happening faster in London. In the first few months of 2019,  cash withdrawals fell by 8.7% in London compared to the same period the year before, which is higher than the 7.7-7.9% drop in south England, and the 4.9% drop in Yorkshire and the Humber.

If you combine London’s move towards becoming a truly cashless city with our need for speed, you can see how this creates an environment which stifles charity donations. Our hectic pavement pace makes it unlikely that we will stop to talk to fundraisers shaking collection buckets. And even when we do stop, we are unlikely to have cash to hand to donate more than a few rogue coppers. This is where  TAP  comes in.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan donating to TAP London

Revolutionising fundraising for homelessness

TAP London is a non-profit organisation which aims to alleviate homelessness across London. It’s a well-known fact that homelessness is a huge problem in the capital – there are nearly 9,000 people sleeping rough in London every year. In fact, there was an 18% year-on-year rise in rough sleepers between 2018-2019. Founded upon the realisation that a fall in cash donations was causing fewer people to donate, TAP aims to provide Londoners with the ability to make contactless donations on the go to help London’s homeless.

Their moment came in 2017 when they were awarded funding through the Mayor of London’s  Rough Sleeping Innovation Fund . TAP was able to join forces with GoodBox to roll out a network of 90 contactless giving points across the capital. These tap-to-give points gave Londoners plenty of places to donate on the go, including shops and cafes run by the generous hosts who have proudly positioned our GoodBox contactless payment machines in their counter spaces and windows.

Through these contactless donation points, TAP has made it easy for Londoners to donate – whether they’re on the tube, grabbing their morning flat white or catching a drink with friends. It’s safe to say they have made an impact. Since November 2018, they have raised over £145,000 for homeless charities from almost 50,000 taps!

None of this could be possible without ensuring that we are providing TAP with the exact contactless fundraising solution they need. Through developing custom-solutions such as a live tally of donations on their website, GoodBox has been able to provide additional support to TAP to boost their fundraising. As a non-profit that operates mostly remotely, this support has been vital in streamlining TAP’s operations and continuing to bring in donations since the roll-out of the contactless giving stations.

TAP London cashless donation sign

Creating a connection

Anyone can become homeless. Rough sleepers come from all walks of life, and it’s often a major crisis which forces people onto the streets. As well as fundraising, TAP London raises awareness of homelessness all year round. To inform Londoners why homelessness is a cause they should care about, and how their donation will help, TAP London update their campaign twice annually, running a winter campaign and a summer campaign.

To facilitate this for other charity partners, our cashless donation devices –  GBx Core and  GBx Podium  – are easily customised to ensure your message is seen, heard and engaged with.

If you are a non-profit, charity or business looking to revolutionise your fundraising, then our contactless charity collection devices are the perfect solution.  Get in touch with our team at sales@goodbox  to find out how we can help you embrace digital fundraising and make more of an impact.

whois: Andy White Freelance WordPress Developer London