Marathon spectators will be able to make charity donations by taking a picture of a runner's vest on a mobile phone, a not-for-profit organisation has said.
Up to 750,000 spectators at the London Marathon on Sunday will be able to donate money by aiming the SnapDonate app at each runner’s vest and ‘snapping’ the charity logo with their phones.
The logo-recognition app was launched last October with the aim of giving donors the option to make instant cashless donations and was developed by the not-for-profit SnapDonate Foundation.
Mark Warrick, founder and chief technology officer of the SnapDonate Foundation said: “Whenever technology can make it easier for people to support the causes that they care about then everybody wins.
“SnapDonate marries the thing every charity has – a logo – with the item most donors have – a phone. The beauty of this is how simple it is for both parties.
“With so many charities are on board, people can support the causes they care about, wherever they can see their logos – even if they are offline. Best of all, the charities don’t have to invest in fancy tech or even modify their logo artwork.
“So whether it’s the London Marathon or a humble fundraiser in a local park, SnapDonate creates a level playing field. The era of tossing coins into buckets is on it’s last legs."
'Simple and effective'
Donations made in the run up to Sunday's marathon and on the day itself will be handled by Virgin Money Giving and passed onto the charity without SnapDonate taking a fee or showing any adverts.
Jo Barnett, executive director of Virgin Money Giving said: “The more routes that there are for people to securely support good causes, the better. Online fundraising provides a simple and effective way for people to raise money and charities of all sizes should feel confident about it."
According to SnapDonate, users can donate a minimum of £2 with no upper limit. Gift aid is automatically included with each donation.
SnapDonate has partnered with Bowel Cancer UK to publicise the app.
Sarah Weber, head of public fundraising for Bowel Cancer UK said: “We are delighted to create a partnership with the SnapDonate team. It’s a great opportunity for us to be involved with an innovative app which shows huge potential for transforming how people can donate to charities like Bowel Cancer UK.”
Around 70 charities are currently recognised by the SnapDonate app with the number expected to grow.
Some £1.6bn is currently given to charity by the Great British public through cash donations each year, according to the Charities Aid Foundation UK Giving reports 2006-2013.
More than a third of large UK charities receive less than 1 per cent of their income digitally, according to a survey published by Virgin Money Giving and Third Sector Insight in February.
SnapDonate is available to download for free on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
