Staithes Museum
Customer Testimonial
“Staithes Museum is an independent local museum telling the story of Staithes’ fishing, maritime and social history, supported largely through visitor donations and Gift Aid.
Before using Dona, Gift Aid administration was a real challenge for us. Manually typing in paper Gift Aid forms was a weekly task that took over 30 minutes, and accuracy—particularly with postcodes—was an ongoing issue. Visitors were often filling in forms while standing at a desk, and handwriting could be hard to read. We also knew we were missing Gift Aid opportunities altogether, as some visitors didn’t want to ask for a form in the museum shop at the exit.
Since introducing Dona, this has completely changed.
Having visitors enter their own details directly on the device has ensured much greater accuracy and has saved the majority of that manual typing time. The impact on our fundraising has been significant: the number of Gift Aid forms has increased from around 40 per month to around 140 per month, and Gift Aid forms per visitor have risen from approximately 1% to 2.5%. Year-on-year donations have also slightly improved since the new donation machine arrived.
The device has also been hugely beneficial for audience engagement. We’ve had 315 people sign up to the museum’s newsletter using the Dona device—around three times more than through our previous paper forms or website sign-up box. Visitors consistently give positive feedback, particularly about the clear, visible instructions and the reassurance of on-screen confirmation that their donation has been completed. With our previous donation machine, the screen was very basic and hard to see, which sometimes resulted in accidental missed or duplicate donations. This simply doesn’t happen with Dona.
From an operational point of view, the downloadable reports are extremely useful and easy to integrate into our existing spreadsheets. The handbook is clear and practical, allowing us to troubleshoot many issues ourselves. On the occasions we’ve needed help, Dona’s customer service has been quick, friendly and efficient—for example, helping us process an accidental donation refund very promptly via email.
Overall, the look and feel of the Dona device is excellent, it has streamlined our processes, improved accuracy, and increased both donations and engagement. We would very happily recommend Dona to other museums and cultural organisations.”
Learn more about Staithes Museum
Call Sales: 0203 488 5038
Call Support: 0203 488 8095
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