Author: agnes

Dona ‘Highly Commended’ in Barclays Entrepreneur Awards

Post author By agnes
Post date 7th November 2025

Dona Donations Highly Commended at the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards 2025 for Innovation in Finance

We couldn’t be more proud to share that Dona Donations has been ‘Highly Commended’ for the Innovation in FinTech Award at the Barclays Business Banking Entrepreneur Awards 2025.

To put this wonderful recognition in context:

1000 companies were nominated in total for the awards
There were 80 finalists selected
10 companies were official award winners
Only 3 companies were highly commended across all the award categories, of which Dona was one!

Special mentions were given by the award presenters about Dona AI – launched this year to provide fundraising insights and forecasts to our charities – and the Digital Collection Plate that has helped thousands of UK charities fundraise over £53 million (as of November 2025).

Dona also received substantial praise and applause from the crowds, which was heart warming for our team members Elroy Fernandes and Ellen Watts, who were attending at the event, and have been with Dona since its foundation in 2020.

Around 200 people attended the ceremony, hosted by Barclays Innovation Hub powered by Eagle Labs and sponsored by Innovate Finance.

Elroy Fernandes and Ellen Watts at the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards 2025 Dona Donations Highly Commended

Dona Donations with Innovate Finance teams at the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards 2025

Dona Donations with Barclays teams at the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards 2025

Elroy Fernandes and Ellen Watts at the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards 2025 Dona Donations Highly Commended Award

What are the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards?

The Barclays Entrepreneur Awards 2025 take place each year to recognise innovative and disruptive entrepreneurs in the UK who are changing their industries, economy, and society.

The Entrepreneur Awards feature various categories that highlight fast-growing startups, companies with high growth, and those who are making a significant contribution in specific fields like climate tech, AI, and health.

Dona was rare among the companies nominated for providing solutions to support the charity sector, and unique among those in the Innovations in FinTech category.

About the awards:

Purpose: To celebrate and recognise UK entrepreneurs who are driving positive change through innovation and disruptive business practices.
Recognition: The awards highlight both the entrepreneurs themselves and their impact on the broader economy and community.
Process: The awards include a nomination period followed by a shortlisting stage and a national final held in London.

Eligibility: Businesses can nominate themselves or other businesses that have demonstrated the skills to turn unique visions into reality.

Dona Awarded ‘Most Innovative Contactless Donation Technology Provider 2025′

This is the second major recognition for innovation in technology that Dona has received this year.

Earlier in 2025 Dona Donations was honoured with the ‘Most Innovative Contactless Donation Technology Provider 2025’ award at the prestigious Non-Profit Organisation Awards.

Learn more…

Call Sales: 0203 488 5038

Complete our enquiry form

Follow Dona on social for more fundraising tips and inspiration

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donated tablets being presented to the charity from dona to turning tides

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Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, Church, church fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, Hindu, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

The Rise and Rise of Pass-Around Digital Collection Plates

Post author By agnes
Post date 3rd November 2025

As churches continue to serve their local communities in new and creative ways, how we give and receive donations is also evolving.

Fixed digital donation stations are becoming a familiar feature in church buildings, mounted on walls, countertops or kiosk giving stands around the church building. However, congregations are also increasingly embracing the use of pass-around Digital Collection Plates to give with greater ease during offertory or Sunday collections.

Rather than replacing cash collection, contactless donation devices handed up and down pews alongside the traditional collection bag, basket or offertory plate, give donors more choice and control over how they wish to give.

Digital Collection Plates enable donors to select how much they would like to give, add Gift Aid seamlessly to increase donation amounts by 25% and reduce admin for church volunteers, and even choose to keep in touch with future messaging to learn more about how their donations are having an impact.

Why Digital Collection Plates matter

Today’s congregations are more comfortable than ever using contactless and digital payment systems. From tapping a card to using a phone or smartwatch, digital transactions have become second nature. Yet, despite a huge decline in cash use across the UK, many churches still rely heavily on cash collections, reducing the amount of donations they are able to receive.

Average donation amounts are higher with digital giving – typically over £12 on Dona per donation, with Gift Aid rates of over 40%.

Contactless donation machines also provide valuable tools for churches to inspire their congregations to engage with different campaigns. From important building repairs to supporting community initiatives, showcasing the different causes that a church is fundraising for can encourage donors to give more generously.

By offering digital donation machines during services and events, churches ensure that everyone can take part in giving, whether they carry cash or not. It’s a simple but powerful way to make generosity accessible to all.

Supporting giving, not replacing tradition

Importantly, digital giving is not about replacing traditional cash offertory – but enhancing it.

With Dona, you can offer pass-around donation devices alongside online, QR code, coin, envelope, and standing order collections, allowing the congregation to choose how they’d like to give.

Dona digital collection plates can be configured in two simple ways:

Tap to give with pre-set suggested donation amounts: Perfect for busy services or high-footfall times such as Advent, concerts or community groups.
Choose your own donation amount: Dona donation machines showcase 6 suggested donation amounts, with the additional option to choose your own “other amount”, allowing donors to give whatever they feel able to contribute, providing a flexible and personal giving experience.

Inspiring generosity through a range of campaigns

One of the most rewarding benefits of digital giving is the opportunity to create inspiring campaigns. From supporting your church’s community outreach work to raising funds for restoration projects, digital fundraising devices make it easy to highlight specific causes and engage your congregation to understand more deeply the range of your church’s mission.

For congregation members using standing orders to manage their regular parish giving, stewardship or tithe donations, digital offertory machines can also empower one-off or supplementary fundraising boosts.

Your church’s fundraising volunteers can easily track which donations have gone to which campaigns through their Dona Management Portal. Gift Aid declarations are provided ready to download in the right format to submit to HMRC, speeding up fundraising admin, saving time and increasing accuracy of reporting.

Celebrate the inclusivity of contactless giving

By integrating digital donation options into your regular offertory, you help normalise contactless giving as a natural part of church life. This not only futureproofs your fundraising but also helps create a culture where giving is joyful, inclusive, and accessible for everyone within the community.

With only 6% of payments predicted to be made with cash in the UK by 2033, adopting digital donation tools isn’t just practical, it’s pastoral: to ensure your church remains relevant and inclusive for today’s communities and enable everyone, whatever their means of giving, to share in the act of generosity that sustains your church’s mission.

Ready to inspire generosity this Advent?

Add digital donation machines alongside your cash offertory and empower your congregation to give more easily, more often, and more joyfully.

During December, with the busy Advent period and run-up to Christmas, churches using Dona see a 45% increase in donations compared with other months. That’s a remarkable uplift, reflecting both the generosity of congregations and the ease of giving through contactless technology.

Get in touch to receive a quote for your church today.

Call Sales: 0203 488 5038

Complete our enquiry form

Follow Donoa on social for more fundraising tips and inspiration

Join a Webinar

Sign up for a Dona webinar to see our donation machines, online giving pages and management portal in action. Learn more about how to make the most of digital fundraising for your organisation.

Join a Webinar

Dona ‘Highly Commended’ in Barclays Entrepreneur Awards

The Rise and Rise of Pass-Around Digital Collection Plates

50 Creative Fundraising Ideas for Charities and Places of Worship

Introducing the New Dona Support Hub

How to Prepare for Diwali Fundraising

Growing Together: How Dona’s Donation Machines Keep Improving Performance

Dona Donations Nominated for Barclays Innovation in FinTech Award

Why Schools, Colleges and Universities are Embracing Digital Fundraising Solutions

Dona Supports Turning Tides with a ‘Tech For Good’ Donation

Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, Church, church fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, Hindu, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

Case Studies

Margaret Green Animal Rescue

Post author By agnes
Post date 24th October 2025

Margaret Green Animal Rescue

“We have found the Dona terminal really easy to use both from a staff and supporter point of view. It makes donating a smooth process and ensures that we spend less time on admin.”

Emma Thompson

Marketing Assistant

For over 60 years the Margaret Green Animal Rescue charity has been providing expert veterinary attention, care and rehoming for animals in need.

Founded in 1965 by Margaret Green and her father, Jerry, the charity has grown to three animal rescue and rehoming centres in Dorset and Devon, and eight charity shops across the region.

This well-loved animal charity began fundraising with Dona in September 2023 to help mitigate against the decline in cash use. Dona makes it easy for people visiting their busy Church Knowle Centre to donate by card, contactless and with chip and PIN when they pass through the reception area after enjoying a heart-warming day out.

By enabling their supporters to self-serve with discreet and easy-to-use fundraising technology, Dona has helped the charity increase donations, and speed up admin, generating over £8000 in additional income that might otherwise have been missed.

Learn more about the Margaret Green Animal Rescue Charity

Learn More

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Call Support: 0203 488 8095

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Margaret Green Animal Rescue

Verso Vineyard Church

The Gurkha Museum

Sacred heart Wimbledon internal church image

Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon

Discrete and custom-placed card donation machine on a pillar of a mosque

Newton Mearns Islamic Centre

Guild Care | Care Homes and Charity Shops

Outside image of St Peters church at Gorleston

St Peter’s Church, Gorleston-on-Sea

Lantern Arts centre promotional image where donations can be made via cards contactless

The Lantern Arts Centre, Wimbledon

West London Islamic Centre

Tags animal charity, Animal rescue charity, card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

Popular Support Technology

50 Creative Fundraising Ideas for Charities and Places of Worship

Post author By agnes
Post date 20th October 2025

Inspiring your community to engage with your mission is a crucial part of successful fundraising.

At Dona, we empower charitable organisations to get creative with their digital donation terminals through a range of useful tools and fundraising features, including:

Create up to 20 different funds or campaigns
Share different funds on different donation machines, and on your free donation webpage
Toggle Gift Aid on and for different funds
Add up to 5 screensavers to showcase your campaigns
Use “Tap & Go” for faster set-amount donations – perfect for ticketing at events
Leave a message with online donations – ideal for Mass intentions or more personal donations.

Explore the full range of Dona features here.

Once you’ve got to grips with all the things you can do with your donation terminals, the next step is to set up your fundraising events and initiatives.

Here are 50 fundraising ideas to help you design inspiring, community-focused campaigns that build engagement and increase donations — both online and in person.

Community Events

Charity Fun Day – Host a community fair with games, stalls, raffles, and food. Invite local businesses to sponsor or donate prizes.
Open Mic Night – Encourage local talent to perform and charge an entry fee or donations at the door.
Cultural Food Festival – Celebrate your community’s diversity by hosting an international cuisine night.
Car Boot or Table-Top Sale – Great for spring cleaning and fundraising at the same time.
Charity Quiz Night – Hold a pub-style quiz at your hall or community centre with small entry fees and prizes.
Auction Evening – Ask supporters and businesses to donate items or experiences for a live or silent auction.
Talent Show – Showcase your community’s singers, comedians, and performers.
Seasonal Market – Organise a Christmas, Easter, or harvest market with handmade crafts and goods.
Community Concert – Feature local choirs, bands, or youth groups in a ticketed concert.
Film Night – Screen a family-friendly film with popcorn and refreshments for sale.

Food and Hospitality Fundraisers

Bake Sale – A classic that always works; involve your congregation or community groups.
Community Breakfast or Brunch – Offer a hearty morning meal with a suggested donation.
Charity Dinner or Banquet – A formal evening with entertainment, raffles, and guest speakers.
“Taste the World” Evening – Showcase dishes from around the globe prepared by volunteers.
Coffee Morning – Partner with local cafés or host your own regular gathering.
Soup & Song Night – Combine a simple shared meal with music or storytelling.
Cooking Class Fundraiser – Invite a local chef to host a class and donate proceeds.
The Great Charity Bake-Off – Run a friendly baking competition and sell the entries.
Ice Cream Sunday (or Sundae!) – A summer treat that families love.
Barbecue & Picnic in the Park – Outdoor fun with donations encouraged per plate.

Creative & Interactive Ideas

Art Exhibition or Sale – Display local artists’ work and share profits from sales.
Photography Competition – Charge a small entry fee and exhibit the finalists.
Craft Workshop – Host a session on pottery, painting, or card-making with donation-based tickets.
Charity Calendar – Feature local landmarks, people, or pets, and sell copies.
Themed Costume Day – Fun for schools or offices: pay to dress up or dress down.
Build-a-Brick Wall – Supporters “buy” a brick (physical or digital) to help fund a project.
Message Wall or Prayer Tree – Donors contribute a small amount to leave a personal note or prayer.
Art Auction – Sell donated artworks or community-made pieces.
Community Quilt or Mosaic – Each donor funds a tile or patch; display the finished piece proudly.
Photography Day – Offer mini photo sessions with proceeds going to your cause.

Mission-Driven and Themed Campaigns

Adopt-a-Project Scheme – Let supporters sponsor specific projects (e.g. feeding a family, restoring a roof, etc.).
“Give It Up” Challenge – Participants give up a luxury (coffee, sweets, social media) and donate the savings.
Charity Livestream – Run an online event, from music to gaming marathons, with live donations via contactless or QR.
Matching Gift Week – Partner with a local business to match donations for a limited time.
Green Fundraiser – Tree planting, recycling drives, or eco-market days.
Legacy Giving Campaign – Educate supporters about leaving gifts in wills.
Pet Blessing & Fundraiser – Combine a light-hearted event with community giving.
Birthday Fundraisers – Encourage supporters to create personal donation pages for their birthdays.
Digital Giving Day – Use QR codes, donation machines, and social media to power one big giving day.
Thankfulness Wall – Invite people to donate in honour of something or someone they’re thankful for.

Tips for Making Fundraising More Effective

Use multiple giving channels: Combine contactless donations, QR codes, and online giving to make it easy for everyone to give.
Tell stories: Share who benefits from each campaign — real stories drive real impact.
Keep it simple: The best events are easy to understand and easy to join.
Encourage repeat giving: Follow up with updates and gratitude to turn one-time donors into long-term supporters.
Empower your branches: If you’re a multi-site charity, use centralised tools (like Dona’s Parent Account) to track data, forecast success, and celebrate what’s working across your network.

Call Sales: 0203 488 5038

Call Support: 0203 488 8095

Complete our enquiry form

Message on our social channels

Dona ‘Highly Commended’ in Barclays Entrepreneur Awards

The Rise and Rise of Pass-Around Digital Collection Plates

50 Creative Fundraising Ideas for Charities and Places of Worship

Introducing the New Dona Support Hub

How to Prepare for Diwali Fundraising

Growing Together: How Dona’s Donation Machines Keep Improving Performance

Dona Donations Nominated for Barclays Innovation in FinTech Award

Why Schools, Colleges and Universities are Embracing Digital Fundraising Solutions

Dona Supports Turning Tides with a ‘Tech For Good’ Donation

Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, Hindu, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

Case Studies

Verso Vineyard Church

Post author By agnes
Post date 14th October 2025

Verso Vineyard Church

"We are pleased with the latest version of our Dona machine and particularly its improved visibility, because the new design ensures the machine is more noticeable helping to attract attention. The expanded display provides greater clarity for users, and we now have the capability to display additional funds. Overall, this version is much better."

Sally Mannington

Admin and Business Operations Assistant

Verso Vineyard Church has been fundraising with Dona’s Digital Collection Plates since 2021, and began trialling our Digital Donation Box range (launching November 2025, available for pre-order now) in 2025.

Verso Vineyard Church is a vibrant and welcoming community with a simple mission — to become more like Jesus and invite His presence into every part of life. Based across St Albans, Hatfield and Hemel, Verso creates spaces where people can encounter God, build authentic relationships, and make a real difference in their local communities. Their gatherings, worship, and outreach reflect a passion for helping people discover faith, hope and purpose in everyday life.

From Sunday gatherings to community projects, youth work, and discipleship courses, Verso Vineyard Church is deeply rooted in serving others. The church encourages people to grow spiritually, care practically, and bring the love of Jesus into their families, workplaces, and neighbourhoods. Whether through moments of worship or acts of compassion, Verso is committed to seeing lives transformed and communities strengthened.

Since partnering with Dona Donations in 2021, Verso Vineyard Church has raised an incredible £232,926 (as of October 2025), with an average donation of £67.71. Thanks to Dona’s integrated Gift Aid technology, an impressive 42% of those donations included Gift Aid — boosting every pound given and helping the church do even more to serve their mission. This partnership has made generosity simpler, more impactful, and a powerful part of how Verso continues to grow and give back.

£233k+ |Total fundraised on Dona since November 2021

£67.71 |Average donation value

42% | Donations given with Gift Aid

Learn more about Verso Vineyard Church

Learn More

Call Sales: 0203 488 5038

Call Support: 0203 488 8095

Complete our enquiry form

Message on our social channels

Margaret Green Animal Rescue

Verso Vineyard Church

The Gurkha Museum

Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon

Newton Mearns Islamic Centre

Guild Care | Care Homes and Charity Shops

St Peter’s Church, Gorleston-on-Sea

The Lantern Arts Centre, Wimbledon

West London Islamic Centre

Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, Church, church fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

Case Studies

The Gurkha Museum

Post author By agnes
Post date 14th October 2025

The Gurkha Museum, Winchester

“Unlike our previous provider, Dona’s machines also allow us to accept offline donations when we have had trouble with our internet connection in the museum. Overall the service from Dona has been friendly, fast, and reliable from start to finish. We’re incredibly pleased with the machines and the positive difference they’ve made for our museum.”

Victoria Anastasi,

Fundraising Co-ordinator

The Gurkha Museum serves as a vital bridge, connecting the past with the present and ensuring that the extraordinary legacy of the Gurkha soldier continues to inspire.

Nestled within the historic Peninsula Barracks in Winchester, The Gurkha Museum stands as a vibrant testament to over two centuries of unwavering service and profound connection between the Brigade of Gurkhas and Britain. More than just a repository of artifacts, the Museum actively safeguards the rich tapestry of Gurkha heritage by celebrating, honouring, and promoting the remarkable history and culture of these legendary soldiers, alongside their enduring commitment to the British Armed Forces.

As their constitution states, the Museum’s core mission is two-fold: to advance education, primarily through the provision of the Museum itself and the meticulous preservation of the Brigade collection, and to promote the efficiency of the Armed Forces by steadfastly upholding the cherished traditions and ethos of the Brigade of Gurkhas, ensuring their remarkable deeds are never forgotten.

“Using Dona’s digital collection plates has significantly boosted our fundraising efforts at The Gurkha Museum. In a time when we were seeing fewer people carry cash, these machines have allowed us to capture donations that we would have otherwise missed.

The Gift Aid functionality has been invaluable, enabling us to collect Gift Aid on eligible donations, further increasing the impact of each contribution.

Unlike our previous provider, Dona’s machines also allow us to accept offline donations when we have had trouble with our internet connection in the museum.

Overall the service from Dona has been friendly, fast, and reliable from start to finish. We’re incredibly pleased with the machines and the positive difference they’ve made for our museum.”

Victoria Anastasi, Fundraising Co-ordinator at The Gurkha Museum

Learn more about The Gurkha Museum

Learn More

Call Sales: 0203 488 5038

Call Support: 0203 488 8095

Complete our enquiry form

Message on our social channels

Margaret Green Animal Rescue

Verso Vineyard Church

The Gurkha Museum

Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon

Newton Mearns Islamic Centre

Guild Care | Care Homes and Charity Shops

St Peter’s Church, Gorleston-on-Sea

The Lantern Arts Centre, Wimbledon

West London Islamic Centre

Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, museum, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation, visitor attractions

Case Studies

Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon

Post author By agnes
Post date 14th October 2025

Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon

“Using Dona’s donation terminals has helped us raise over £200,000 in the last four years! The Management Portal is easy to use and allows us to download reports of Gift Aided donations and track what our parishioners are giving towards. Dona also provides a Donation Webpage, making it simple to manage all our donations in one convenient place. This system has completely transformed the way we collect donations, making the process smoother and more efficient than ever. It is an invaluable tool for our parish, and the positive impact is clear in the results we achieve.”

The sacred heart church exterior with blue skies

Christopher Woodman

Parish Priest

In 1884 young architect, Frederick Walters, designed the Sacred Heart Church in the stunning late Decorated Gothic style.

As one of the largest parishes in England, the Sacred Heart Church in Wimbledon has a dynamic community that has used the church as a place of worship for over a century. At the heart of our parish are the many people of all ages who work, study, pray and share their lives together.

With large numbers of donors, it was important for the church to be able to customise the donation terminals for several funds they were collecting for and have a clear reporting portal that was easy to manage.

£332k+ |Total fundraised on Dona since 2020

£11.73 |Average donation value

46% | Donations given with Gift Aid

Learn more about Sacred Heart Church

Learn More

Call Sales: 0203 488 5038

Call Support: 0203 488 8095

Complete our enquiry form

Message on our social channels

Margaret Green Animal Rescue

Verso Vineyard Church

The Gurkha Museum

Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon

Newton Mearns Islamic Centre

Guild Care | Care Homes and Charity Shops

St Peter’s Church, Gorleston-on-Sea

The Lantern Arts Centre, Wimbledon

West London Islamic Centre

Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, Church, church fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

Case Studies

Newton Mearns Islamic Centre

Post author By agnes
Post date 14th October 2025

Newton Mearns Islamic Centre

“Dona has provided our masjid with a simple and efficient way to raise funds for those in need, fisabilillah. With clear screen options that allow brothers and sisters to donate generous amounts for Lillah, our congregation has taken up this new way of giving with ease, alhamdulillah. With less people carrying cash, this transition has made sense and worked really well for us!”

Management Team

Newton Mearns Islamic Centre is an Islamic Community Centre in Glasgow, established in 2011, with the generous support of the local Muslim community.

Noting that less people were carrying cash to give Lillah / donations to the masjid, we initially provided them with 2 donation terminals, for collecting contactless and Chip & PIN donations, increasing to 5 donation machines by 2025.

Newton Mearns Islamic Centre chose wall mount to make their donation terminals easily accessible nearby the entrances of the masjid and they use additional donation terminals portably – passing them along the rows of people after salat – as well as with floor stands which can be moved around for additional self-service donations.

£310k+ |Total fundraised on Dona since 2022

£13.80 |Average donation value

65% | Donations given with Gift Aid

Learn more about Newton Mearns Islamic Centre

Learn More

Call Sales: 0203 488 5038

Call Support: 0203 488 8095

Complete our enquiry form

Message on our social channels

Margaret Green Animal Rescue

Verso Vineyard Church

The Gurkha Museum

Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon

Newton Mearns Islamic Centre

Guild Care | Care Homes and Charity Shops

St Peter’s Church, Gorleston-on-Sea

The Lantern Arts Centre, Wimbledon

West London Islamic Centre

Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, Islamic, Masjid, Masjid Fundraising, Mosque, Mosque Fundraising, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

Case Studies

Guild Care | Care Homes and Charity Shops

Post author By agnes
Post date 13th October 2025

Guild Care | Care Homes and Charity Shops

“We have been a charity since 1933 and a lot of the donations that we have received over those years have been cash donations. We decided it’s about time we moved into the 21st Century and moved most of our donations onto either an online portal or a digital donation point. We shopped around with loads and loads of different providers, tried a couple out and decided that actually Dona was a really, really excellent solution.”

Marc Yarrow

Head of Fundraising

Guild Care chose Dona to help increase fundraising at their charity shops and care homes, by enabling donors to support their important work with contactless and card donations.

A leading social care charity based in Worthing, West Sussex, Guild Care offers a wide range of services for older people, people with dementia, carers, and children and adults with learning disabilities. The charity’s mission is to promote independence, well-being, and happiness for those they support, aiming to create a more caring society.

Dona’s flexible customisation options were an important part of Guild Care’s decision-making, as different campaigns can be promoted in different types of locations, helping to raise awareness, engagement and crucial funds.

Donation machines placed beside traditional coin collection pots near the till at Guild Care’s charity shops can be customised to inspire shoppers to learn more about the brilliant work and fundraising initiatives being done across the organisation. While donation points at care homes enable families and visitors to directly support the investments being made at the centres where their loved ones will most benefit.

Learn more about Guild Care

Guild Care

Call Sales: 0203 488 5038

Call Support: 0203 488 8095

Complete our enquiry form

Message on our social channels

Margaret Green Animal Rescue

Verso Vineyard Church

The Gurkha Museum

Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon

Newton Mearns Islamic Centre

Guild Care | Care Homes and Charity Shops

St Peter’s Church, Gorleston-on-Sea

The Lantern Arts Centre, Wimbledon

West London Islamic Centre

Tags card donations, Care home, charity donations, charity fundraising, Charity Shop, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, donation security, donation technology, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

Case Studies

St Peter’s Church, Gorleston-on-Sea

Post author By agnes
Post date 13th October 2025

St Peter’s Church, Gorleston-on-Sea

“Dona’s contactless giving system has been fantastic for increasing our fundraising at St. Peter’s Church. The whole process, from purchasing to setting up the machine, was simple and efficient, making it easy for us to get started. While issues have been rare, the customer support has been incredibly helpful whenever we’ve needed it. We always receive a quick response, which has given us great peace of mind. Overall, we’re extremely pleased with the service and the positive impact it’s having so far on our fundraising efforts.”

Chris Whiting

Treasurer

St. Peter’s Church in Gorleston-on-Sea, is a distinguished Grade II listed building and the sole ecclesiastical design by renowned twentieth-century sculptor Eric Gill.

The church sought to modernise their fundraising efforts and are actively raising funds for several vital initiatives, including an organ rebuild, a comprehensive restoration project, and improvements to St. Peter’s Hall.

To support these crucial campaigns, Dona provided two contactless donation terminals, strategically placed at the front and rear of the church. These self-service devices enable parishioners and visitors to contribute conveniently and securely. Furthermore, Dona facilitated a free donation webpage, integrated with the church’s existing website, allowing donations to be made online or via QR code at any time.

£14+ |Average donation value

36% |Average donations given with Gift Aid

Call Sales: 0203 488 5038

Call Support: 0203 488 8095

Complete our enquiry form

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Tags card donations, charity donations, charity fundraising, Church, church fundraising, contactless fundraising, Customer Support, digital fundraising, dona donations, dona donations review, Donation machines for churches, donation security, donation technology, performance data, tap and go, tech innovation

Dona Donations Highly Commended at the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards 2025 for 'Innovation in Finance'

To put this wonderful recognition in context:

What are the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards?

About the awards:

Dona Awarded ‘Most Innovative Contactless Donation Technology Provider 2025′

Discover more fundraising news and insights...

How churches are embracing pass-around donation machines alongside cash collections

Why Digital Collection Plates matter

Supporting giving, not replacing tradition

Inspiring generosity through a range of campaigns

Celebrate the inclusivity of contactless giving

Ready to inspire generosity this Advent?

Join a Webinar

Discover more fundraising news and insights...

Margaret Green Animal Rescue

Learn more about the Margaret Green Animal Rescue Charity

Discover more case studies...

50 Creative Fundraising Ideas for Charities and Places of Worship

Community Events

Sponsored Activities

Food and Hospitality Fundraisers

Creative & Interactive Ideas

Mission-Driven and Themed Campaigns

Tips for Making Fundraising More Effective

Discover more fundraising news and insights...

Verso Vineyard Church

Learn more about Verso Vineyard Church

Discover more case studies...

The Gurkha Museum, Winchester

Learn more about The Gurkha Museum

Discover more case studies...

Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon

In 1884 young architect, Frederick Walters, designed the Sacred Heart Church in the stunning late Decorated Gothic style.

Learn more about Sacred Heart Church

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Newton Mearns Islamic Centre

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Guild Care | Care Homes and Charity Shops

Guild Care created custom covers for their donation machines to highlight the mission of their care homes in their charity shops.

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St Peter’s Church, Gorleston-on-Sea

St. Peter’s Church in Gorleston-on-Sea, is a distinguished Grade II listed building and the sole ecclesiastical design by renowned twentieth-century sculptor Eric Gill.

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