With contactless payments in the UK contributing to 18% of card spending (up from 7% in 2015), Blue Cross, the charity promoting kindness to animals and responsible animal ownership, have come up with a clever way of fundraising using new technology.

In May 2016, Blue Cross introduced their ‘tap dogs’ where behaviour assessed dogs wore a jacket with contactless PayPal Here card readers. This enabled members of the public to easy tap the jacket to make a charitable donation.

“We were interested to explore the idea that donations by tapping could be the evolution of the traditional charity shaking a tin. By equipping specially made dog jackets with PayPal Here contactless card readers, members of the public are able to approach the dogs and their handlers to make a quick donation. The card readers take contactless and Apple Pay payments on-the-go so it’s simple and easy for passers-by to make a donation - even for those who don’t carry cash. We’re absolutely delighted by the reaction to our Tap Dogs. This initiative is both about increasing awareness of our charity and raising funds in a fun and innovative way. Meeting our team of canine fundraisers is also a great way of introducing members to the public to the work the Blue Cross undertakes.”

Julia Mckechnie-Burke, Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications at Blue Cross.