Vancouver's Union Gospel Mission offers QR codes for donations

VANCOUVER, Nov. 15 /CNW/ - Union Gospel Mission (UGM) in Vancouver is offering donors a new way to give this Christmas season. UGM is one of the first charities in Canada to take advantage of QR codes, a barcode-like technology already popular in Europe and Asia, which allows iPhone users to donate on the go. Using the Mobio app for iPhones, users can instantly scan QR codes on UGM bus shelter ads and access a donation page right on their phones.

UGM's Derek Weiss explains why using QR codes makes sense. "We want the most bang for our fundraising buck. With Mobio, there is no setup fee, and the fee per donation is pennies on the dollar. That means more money goes to help people on the street." Since 2007, UGM has reduced fundraising cost per dollar raised from 17% to 11%, and hopes that QR codes will be a way of continuing this trend.

About 10% of UGM's total donations already come through online giving. And QR codes are a mobile solution that leapfrogs over text-to-donate technology, which has much higher fees and does not allow the user to choose any donation amount. Says Weiss, "If an organization our size used text-to-donate, about three dollars out of every ten donated would go to fees. But with QR codes we pay about 3%."

With meteorologists predicting the coldest winter in decades, UGM hopes QR codes will give people a convenient way to help those who are living outside in the cold. "When people are in need, Metro Vancouverites want to help," says Weiss. "We're glad to offer another way for them to do so." For more on QR codes at UGM, go to www.ugm.ca/qrcode

For further information:

Derek Weiss at 604-215-5445 x378 or Email: [email protected] or twitter: @ugm