This week we saw an adorable use of NFC technology. Animal welfare charity Blue Cross enlisted some four-legged fundraisers, and kitted them out with specially designed coats that featured contactless terminals.
This way, passersby could pet the dog, speak to the charity to learn more and instantly donate. There’s a great video that shows you how it all came together:
It’s a simple but ingenious way to encourage people to give to charity. Donations were set at £2, which seems a fair price to pay for a hug with one of their helpers!
This isn’t the first time charities have embraced the convenience of NFC for donations.
Comic Relief, a British charity, placed NFC terminals next to cut outs of the nation’s favorite comedians for its Red Nose Day campaign. People could take their card and take a selfie at the same time. Again the amount was set low at £1, to encourage as many people as possible to donate.
It’s no surprise to see the UK embrace contactless for charity. According to the Payments Council, cards (including non-contactless) overtook cash for the first time in 2015, and The UK Cards Association said that £1.5 billion of contactless payments were made in March 2016.
But the NFC charity revolution isn’t limited to the UK. In France, Institut Curie, a cancer charity, has just made use of NFC for its annual Un Jonquille pour Curie (A daffodil for Curie) campaign. Visitors to Paris Saint-Lazare, can buy a daffodil or a pin by touching their contactless cards against specially adapted advertising screens installed at the station.
As we move towards a more cashless society, it will be interesting to see how fund raising adapts. Perhaps the sound of coins jiggling in a bucket will soon be gone from our streets.
Have you heard about any other charities using NFC, and what do you think of the Blue Cross Pat and Tap idea? Let us know in the comments or tweet to us @GemaltoMobile.
