February 3, 2020

Making a song and dance about Cabaret vs Cancer

Founded in 2014, Cabaret vs Cancer is a charity that raises money for families affected by cancer. But unlike other cancer charities, Cabaret vs Cancer does things a little differently. Using the excitement of live performance, Cabaret vs Cancer have found an ingenious and unique way of generating donations. Across the UK, they have Ambassador’s raising money at their regular cabaret and burlesque events.

Here in the UK, we love events. In fact, the events industry is booming, with more and more of us spending our cash on ‘experiences’ instead of material things. From sport events and festivals to networking, in the UK there is no shortage of events of every variety. To put things in perspective, there are 1.3 million business events alone held each year. And it’s not just business events. Charity events are also growing, with 56% of organisations saying they have seen an increase in event fundraising income.

Technology is helping to drive this change. Thanks to social media and online event listings, organisations can get the word out about their events to much wider audiences. It also works the opposite way, as event enthusiasts can find new events they are interested in and wouldn’t be able to find out about through traditional avenues. However, tech is doing more than just helping to get bums on seats. More and more events are using digital enhancements to improve the overall experience of their attendees. Cabaret vs Cancer is one of the charities leading the way forward on this front by taking advantage of cashless charity donations.

They know how to break a leg

In May 2019, Cabaret vs Cancer decided to embrace cashless donations in their cabaret shows. By replacing traditional charity money boxes with our free-standing donation box the GBx Core, Cabaret vs Cancer could allow their attendees to donate using a contactless payment device like a smartphone. Designed with an HD touchscreen and the ability to accept donations offline, the GBx Core helped Cabaret vs Cancer boost both the volume and engagement of their donations across their events. In fact, since implementing contactless they have seen consistent fundraising results, which has resulted in a 30% uplift in their donation income.

Best of all was the incredible reaction from their audience after implementing our fundraising technology. As we said above, technology can be a great tool for boosting attendee engagement, and in the case of charity events, this means boosting donations. Cabaret vs Cancer’s audience loved the fact that GBx Core allowed them to tap to donate using whatever contactless payment device they had to hand:

“Best of all, people are excited to ‘tap’ with cards, phones and even smartwatches.”

Raising money for your cause is always more effective when you can engage your audience. After all, securing long-term, faithful donors is much more valuable to your cause then sporadic donations. The GBx Core not only allowed supporters of Cabaret vs Cancer to donate in a way that suited them, but thanks to its HD touchscreen, they could see the charity’s mission and were thanked for their support once they donated. So even without signal, Cabaret vs Cancer could continue to collect cashless donations from their audience during the events:

“The device is really easy to use, even at cabaret events with no signal! GoodBox has been a great investment, enabling us to increase post-event collections by over 30%. The GoodBox team, from sales to support have been generous with their time, giving guidance and experience throughout.”

 

performers holding cashless charity box

We all need a little help from our friends

One of the reasons that charities are slow to integrate technology into their fundraising is the costly upfront costs. This can often lead to organisations buying cheaper hardware that is not custom-designed for them, as opposed to investing in technology which is designed to fit all of their needs – from fundraising events to permanent counter-top donation boxes. This is where corporate sponsorship comes in.

Cabaret vs Cancer was able to kickstart their digital fundraising with a GBx Core thanks to the support of a corporate sponsor who covered the upfront cost. Instead of settling for standard contactless payment machines that are dressed up for cashless donations, Cabaret vs Cancer could benefit from a contactless donation device which is designed specifically for charities like them.

Charity and business partnerships are a great way for charities to raise money for their cause, but often they revolve around traditional corporate donations that don’t help the charity improve the reach or impact of their fundraising. As we said in our article on How To Form Great Corporate-Charity Partnerships, these types of partnerships are much more impactful when they revolve around how the two organisations can help each other.

Remember the biblical lesson of ‘give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime’?In the same vein, when business and charity partnerships aim to improve the reach of their efforts beyond a yearly donation, they ensure the success of the charity for years to come. Sponsoring a charity is a great way for businesses to support a cause, helping small, community-led charities gain access to the latest fundraising technology and increase their fundraising results both now and in the future.

Here at GoodBox, it’s our mission to help charities take the plunge into digital fundraising. If you are a charity that is looking at replacing traditional charity money boxes with contactless payment machines or you are a corporate wanting to do your bit for a cause close to your heart, then get in touch with our team at sales@goodbox.com.

whois: Andy White Freelance WordPress Developer London