Charitable organizations such as the American Cancer Society (ACS) largely depend on creating lasting relationships with the volunteers who dedicate their time to the organization, in addition to donating money. However, officials at the American Cancer Society have launched a mobile app that will help create an even stronger bond between the society and its donors as well as the volunteers. The society felt that lack of a comprehensive communication channel may lead to some donors feeling like they were being left out.
The app is also meant to make it easy donating to the society. Through the app, donors can now pay using their credit cards instead of only cash or check. For now, the app is downloadable for free on all phones using the iOS platform although plans are underway to accommodate Android users as well.
Jay Ferro, ACS’s Chief Information Officer, says that the app allows employees and volunteers to accept donations before and during an ACS event. The app’s integrated payment system allows the American Cancer Society to update a particular event’s data in real time. Therefore, the employees do not have to wait until clearing process of the checks is over to enter the data in the system.
The ACS IT department has entered into a partnership with the organization’s marketing, innovation and finance department to create a miniature of the app using the agile software development methodology.
The app will be using PayPal’s credit card scanning technology to accept payments. Using the scanning capability of a phone’s camera, the app’s user will be able to take a photo of the card’s face to validate its number without having to store it locally. The technology eliminates the need to use card swipers or dongles.
Apart from accepting payment, ACS says the app will also be used to collect and store the donor’s and volunteer’s data. The app will enable the society to collect names, e-mail addresses and social media accounts as well as the events attended.
Alden Briscoe, executive vice president of a management and funding consultancy for non-profitable organizations, says that the more the society knows about its donors, the easier it will be for them to create a stronger relationship with those individuals.
The new app by ACS is the first of its kind in the sector. The society says that it hopes the app will not only help reduce operation costs but also promote the streamlining its donors and volunteers records.