SINGAPORE - Members of the public will be able to make cashless donations in person as part of a new tie-up between a social service agency here and a local fintech firm.
The move reflects the accelerating shift to digital payments amid the pandemic.
Lions Befrienders, which supports more than 6,000 senior citizens in the community, has gone into partnership with GivePls to set up more than 30 contactless donation terminals islandwide.
The public can make donations at the terminals using any debit or credit card with the payWave feature, said Lions Befrienders in a statement on Monday (Nov 30).
"The donation terminals reflect a shift towards digital payments and a reduction in the use of cash, with the Covid-19 outbreak underscoring the need for such forms of contactless payment solutions," it added.
The terminals will be part of the social service agency's e-Flag Day campaign, and are located at participating food and beverage outlets such as Tiger Sugar and Kele, as well as clinic Hallmark Physiotherapy.
The GivePls platform is securely connected with SingPass to retrieve donor information and allow digital tax-deductible receipts to be issued.
GivePls is also working with the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) on the digital donation process.
GovTech senior director of national digital identity Kwok Quek Sin said: "By integrating with SingPass, GivePls is able to simplify the process of verifying the identity of donors for the purpose of tax deductions on their donations.
"This helps to raise funds for charities in an increasingly cashless society, as well as to provide a user-friendly and meaningful experience for the donor."
Contactless donations reduce the administrative burden of collecting and counting cash as well as the risk of theft, and also improve donation tracking, said Lions Befrienders chairman Anthony Tay.
He added: "Donation collection via the traditional donation boxes can be challenging and time-consuming, especially in times of a pandemic where physical fund-raising efforts are severely curtailed."
