The end of the year is fast approaching as we head towards the season of cheer and goodwill. And what better way to kick off the charitable season than with Giving Tuesday?
Giving Tuesday, which takes place on 27 November 2018, follows hot on the heels of Black Friday with a mission to change the world with its simple message of giving back.
Started in the US in 2012 and fueled by social media, Giving Tuesday is poised to become a global phenomenon with its friendly challenge for individuals, communities and organisations to find ways of giving back and then sharing their ideas as a means to inspire others.
As South Africa jumps on the bandwagon for the first time this year, non-profit organisations, businesses and individuals can bring a new twist to “silly season” by finding fun and innovative ways to support a charitable cause and encouraging others to do the same.
How to make a difference on Giving Tuesday
Whether as a non-profit organisation, a business or an individual, this is an opportunity to encourage the donation of time, resources and talents to help overcome the challenges unique to our local communities.
As a non-profit organisation
PayFast offers Cause accounts for charities and other NPOs to help them with their fundraising efforts. To encourage donations on this day, PayFast will effectively be subsidising payment processing fees for card, EFT and Bitcoin payments by reducing processing fees to 1.5%*, which is almost a 60% reduction in cost! As a charity, this is the perfect time to champion your cause:
- Launch a #GivingTuesday or #GivingTuesdaySA campaign.
- Create an innovative way of inviting stakeholders to join you on the day.
- With the hype created around your NPO’s #GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesdaySA campaign, compile a list of your organisation’s needs in a way that is easy to facilitate donations and support.
As a business
Whether you’re a local business or a global corporation, you have an opportunity to make a change in the communities that need it most:
- Get involved by partnering with an NPO and include #GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesdaySA in your PR campaigns.
- Challenge your employees to give, and raise the stakes by matching their giving.
- Acknowledge your company’s giving through a press release describing your annual donations.
As an individual
Life wouldn’t be life without its struggles. Chances are that most individuals have been struck by challenges, setbacks or events that they would not have survived without the support of others. Giving Tuesday provides the perfect platform to give back:
- Share your story of how giving or receiving has changed your life so that you can inspire others to give.
- Donate a gift to a cause that’s close to your heart.
- Offer up your time and skills to the organisation of your choice.
- Start a fundraising campaign for a cause you believe in and encourage others to do the same.
How to champion your cause using the PayFast platform
As a charity or NPO, you can encourage giving while making use of PayFast’s reduced processing fees for Giving Tuesday donations. Create a PayFast Cause account to start receiving donations.
Businesses or individuals wanting to participate in Giving Tuesday are encouraged to find existing causes on the PayFast charity database.
If your desired charity or NPO does not appear on the PayFast charity index or have a secure platform for accepting donations, ask them to register a PayFast Cause account. PayFast generates a unique link for every charity registered on our index that can be used to accept online donations as part of the #GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesdaySA initiative.
All charities and NPOs listed on our index are verified, thereby ensuring that online donations are made in a safe and secure environment.
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*The variable fee (% fee) for card payments (credit and debit), Masterpass, Instant EFT and Bitcoin will be reduced to 1.5% (Ex VAT) for payments/donations made to registered cause accounts on PayFast from 27 November 2018 00:00:00 until 27 November 2018 23:59:59. Any fixed transaction fees as well as minimum fees will still be applicable as per existing agreed or default rates. The fees for any other payment method not specifically mentioned (including, but not limited to, Mobicred, SCode and Cash Deposit) will remain unaffected and as per existing agreed or default rates.
