5 ways charities and non-profits can benefit from using QR codes

Charities and non-profit organisations are dependent on donations from supporters to fund initiatives, help those in need, and ensure the continued success of their charity.

To make sure your charity gets the visibility and donations it deserves, new and innovative ideas are needed. Enter QR codes.

This simple tool allows you to easily connect with potential donors, improve fundraising efforts, and give back to the people that support you. Whether it's donation tracking or volunteer recruitment, QR codes are a tool that all charities should be at least experimenting with.

Here are 5 great ways you can start using QR codes today to help your charity thrive.

At least here in the UK, people rarely carry cash around anymore, but almost everyone has their phone with them all of the time. QR codes make it easy for people to pull out their phones and donate. It's a seamless, safe, and convenient way for supporters to get involved.

Scan-to-donate campaigns are an effective way for charities to not only receive donations from their supporters, but to encourage recurring donations. You can have the QR code take them to a donation page that allows for one-off donations or recurring donations. The QR code can lead them to a page or video that tells them more about where their money is going and the impact of their donation, which will encourage them to donate more in the future.

Not only is this super simple and quick for people to do, but scan to donate QR codes can easily be put everywhere, meaning they will reach more people. Place them on donation boxes, volunteer t-shirts, or other marketing materials for maximum reach.

QR codes give you an easy way to track campaigns. By incorporating a unique QR code for each fundraising campaign, you can monitor the success of each effort and gather information on donor behaviour.

When a donor scans the QR code and a donation is made, you can track important details like which campaign they came from, which device they used, and the city/country they scanned from. Using this data you can see which fundraising efforts were more successful than others and adjust future campaigns to optimise donations.

To get these kinds of analytics you need to use a dynamic QR code. There are quite a few dynamic QR code generators with various different features. Most require some sort of subscription for tracking/analytics features.

Thanking donors personally helps you build a stronger relationship which increases the chances of them donating again or advocating for you. This is especially important for your top donors.

If you send out thank you letters or cards to large donors, consider adding unique QR codes on each letter/card that that includes a personal thank you video and some information on the impact of their donation.

QR codes offer an easy way to share the stories of the people you are helping and showcase how important your work is. Create QR codes that direct people to a videos or feature stories from people your charity has benefited. Add these to posters, leaflets, and other materials designed to attract and educate potential donors.

Stories are how we connect and are an incredibly powerful way to share the impact of your work. You are building an emotional connection with potential supporters who can see how beneficial the charity's work is, inspiring them to donate. Scanning a QR code is an easy next step for people who are intrigued by your poster or leaflet.

Volunteers are an essential part of running a charity, but it can be a time-consuming and challenging task to recruit them. QR codes help you streamline the process of recruiting volunteers. Have a QR code that directs potential volunteers directly to a sign-up form where they can register their interest.

Use QR codes to promote volunteer opportunities. Share your QR code on social media, flyers, and other places potential volunteers might see them. Your QR code can quickly take them to a landing page full of details on how to register interest or current roles you have available.

There are lots of simple ways charities and non-profit organisations can utilise QR codes to optimise donations and highlight the important work they are doing. Whether you choose to use scan-to-donate or as a way to tell a story, they are an excellent tool to have in your pocket.

Make sure if you do choose to include QR codes in your campaigns and for fundraising your QR codes are actually scannable! Check out our post on ensuring QR code scannability so you don’t lose out on any potential donors and supporters.