Freecharge likely to launch category in 'donations' by September

India's fastest growing digital payments platform Freecharge has announced its plans to transform the fundraising process for NGOs by launching a 'donations' category on its app.

Effective end-September, Freecharge will launch an all-new category where patrons can make donations to an NGO of their choice in a swifter and secure way.

During the festive season, Indian consumers tend to invest in charity and make large contributions to NGOs. During the upcoming festive season, consumers can use Freecharge to eliminate the hassle of making cash donations and will be able to complete their transaction in less than 10 seconds using the Freecharge app. Four leading NGOs in the country have already come on-board as partners namely MagicBus, GiveIndia, Akshaya Patra Foundation and World Vision India.

Users donating using the Freecharge app will be able to claim their tax exemption receipt through the NGOs. The category will initially be launched on the Freecharge app and will soon be rolled out on the m-site and website.

"Freecharge is always focused on delivering innovations which eases complex cash transactions. Use of mobile wallets for donations is probably the greatest advancement in mobile and online fundraising that the non-profit sector will ever experience. People are usually apprehensive about making donations via cash and by entering their credit card details but with the Freecharge wallet, the entire transaction process will become more secure and hassle-free," said CEO Freecharge, Govind Rajan.

"With this partnership, Freecharge will provide the NGOs with a platform to reach out to a larger audience and give them an opportunity to grow their online presence. Donations through Freecharge wallet will bring in more transparency and accountability for NGOs to keep a track of the donors and the transactions," added Govind Rajan.

The fundraising campaign costs for NGOs are higher as they rely heavily on corporate, government, foreign and individual donations and most of these activities are time consuming. With this partnership, NGOs will be able to lower their campaign marketing costs by reaching out to the existing online user base of Freecharge. The association will ensure that the donated money goes towards the cause rather than the administrative costs.

Freecharge's endeavour is to influence the daily payment habits of consumers and offer an assortment of services and partnerships to help them move away from cash.

With each technological innovation, Freecharge is evidently moving closer to creating a less cash economy.