Open Forum

Hi everybody,

I'm wondering if any museums or organizations out there do self-service donations for guests. We have donation boxes where people can donate cash or insert checks. However, all credit card donations have to be processed by one of our guest services staff. We would like to put out an iPad with a card reader where a guest could donate via credit card without waiting in line.We are considering Square or Paypal, but find that with both methods we could only collect guest names and receipts would be automatically mailed through the app. This will not allow us to input donations processed this way into Raiser's Edge or send formal acknowledgment letters/ duplicate receipts.

My questions are: is anybody out there is currently doing something like this? If so, have you found it to be low-maintenance or do people still ask staff for help? Also, how do you handle donor stewardship?

Thanks in advance!

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Silvia Sanchez
Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer
The Lindsay Wildlife Museum
Walnut Creek CA
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Hi,

You may want to talk to your Blackbaud representative about online express.  It's a online donation product that can be integrated into your website.  Thus, you would be able to provide the ability you are talking about.  Also BB has a mobile pay system through their merchant services.  Both provide you an integrated way of capturing online gifts and processing them right into Raiser's Edge.  Hope that helps.

-Cristian

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Cristian Hamilton
Senior Director of Relationship Management
Autry National Center
Los Angeles CA
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