The video meeting platform Zoom, which has become the most commonly used online meeting forum during COVID-19, has added a donation function to its platform for all registered UK charities.
The Pledge app is free to add and means any Zoom user can fundraise for more than 2.2 million charities operating in over 150 countries around the world. This includes every registered charity operating in the United Kingdom.
The donations app is free to use and disburses funds monthly. Charities will receive their funds via electronic payment or cheque.
Charities receive the of the donation, minus standard credit card processing fees. This means Pledge only gets compensated if the donor leaves an optional tip.
There are three steps to adding the app to a Zoom meeting:
1. Zoom needs to be updated to its latest version;
2. The Donations by Pledge app can then be added.
3. A fundraiser can then be created along with the donate button in Zoom.
The app was tested last week by One Tree Planted, a reforestation charity based in America. On 21 July 2021, the charity ran a fundraiser using the app, and in 3 minutes had raised more than $1,000.
Pledge has now seen hundreds of non-profits install the app and is expecting thousands more to join.
This donation button is part of a new initiative by Zoom, enabling third parties to embed apps within Zoom meetings.
One of the apps listed is Pledge, and on its website is a short video on how to enable the function or access additional support.
Source: Civil Society News