Tap to donate units in KFC support Surf Life Saving

Tap to donate units in KFC support Surf Life Saving

An increasingly cashless society could soon be a problem of the past for Surf Life Saving fundraisers as new ‘tap to donate’ units are rolled out in KFC stores throughout New Zealand.

The units will be placed at 40 selected KFC restaurants to enable customers to use their credit card and pay wave technology to make a quick and easy donation to Surf Life Saving New Zealand.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand is an essential rescue service as well as a charity that relies on the support of partners and the general public to continue saving lives on New Zealand’s beaches every summer.

Senior Executive Matt Warren says street collecting has been less and less effective over the past years so the organisation has been looking for a way to use pay wave technology.

“As a charity, we rely on public donations and in today’s increasingly cashless society we need to find innovative new ways to fundraise as traditional methods are just not as effective, he says.

“This technology lets us connect to donors in a way that suits them best. By making it easy, we hope that it encourages more people to support Surf Life Saving.”

KFC has been a charity partner of SLSNZ since the 2012/13 summer, raising over $700,000 for the nationwide charity to date.

Each summer they raise funds through the sale of the KFC Surf Safe Bucket and along with cash collections on their counters, they also help spread vital water safety messaging to customers on their tray mats.

KFC Marketing Director Clark Wilson says Surf Life Saving New Zealand is a fantastic charity and it’s a pleasure to help them raise much needed funds.

“We have been keen to find new ways of fundraising for them so the opportunity to trial this new technology was an easy decision,” he says.

The units will be in store from today and KFC customers will have the opportunity to make a donation to Surf Life Saving New Zealand with their purchase.

Quest’s Director Sales and Marketing Damien Halloran says they’re thrilled to be working with both Surf Life Saving New Zealand and KFC in making contactless-based donations possible for New Zealanders.

“Thanks to the speed and convenience of contactless payments, most consumers now expect to pay for everyday purchases using a card or mobile device so it makes sense to be able to make a charitable donation the same way,” he says.

The Donation Point Tap back end system feeds into the existing New Zealand EFTPOS network, feeding funds straight to Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s bank account overnight, eliminating cash collection costs or risk of coin box theft. It also offers a live web portal for management and administration meaning SLSNZ can log in and see how the devices are performing in real time.

Mr Halloran says they’ve seen Donation Point Tap really turn things around for charities in Australia this year, and they’re really excited to see the same results in New Zealand.

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