Challenge

Bloomerang is the industry’s leading donor, volunteer, and fundraising management software platform for thousands of small and medium-sized nonprofits. In 2021, it launched Bloomerang Payments, an online payments system built on Stripe Connect that integrated into the company’s existing donation management platform. Bloomerang Payments creates a direct connection between nonprofits’ payment accounts and Bloomerang accounts, allowing them to process donations all in one place.

In order to maximize the impact on their missions, the nonprofits need to capture as many donations as possible, whenever and wherever donors feel motivated to give. To do that, many are seeking ways to remove friction from the donation process, particularly when it comes to accepting payments at live events or in physical locations.

“For nonprofits, donations are how they raise money and survive,” said Tammy Hammond, chief product officer at Bloomerang. “The ability to accept donations at the moment of inspiration is critical to businesses, and it's got to be really, really easy.”

Because fewer than half of people under 50 carry cash or checks, providing simple, modern ways to pay is even more important. For these younger demographics, who represent the future of donations for all nonprofits, outdated payment methods are often a deterrent to donating in-person.

Traditional hardware allows organizations to accept in-person payments, but adoption is consistently low among nonprofits, which often rely on volunteers and lack the budget and personnel necessary to implement payment equipment. Bloomerang needed a way to help nonprofits accept more donations—anywhere, on the spot, without traditional hardware, in a way that felt convenient for donors across generations.

Solution

In 2023, Bloomerang became one of the first businesses on Stripe’s platform to add Tap to Pay on iPhone functionality to its Stripe payment strategy, enabling nonprofits to accept in-person contactless payments—from physical debit and credit cards to Apple Pay and other digital wallets—with just an iPhone and the Stripe Terminal SDK. With Tap to Pay on iPhone, Bloomerang can process donations instantly without traditional hardware.

By integrating Tap to Pay on iPhone into its existing Stripe framework, Bloomerang has also widened its donor demographics to younger, mission-driven people who can now give in a way that’s easier for them.

“One of the main comments we hear from nonprofits is, ‘Wow, now I can finally get the younger donors to actually give at my events,’” said Katie Gaston, senior product marketing manager at Bloomerang. “Tap to Pay on iPhone allows younger donors to be engaged in a relevant way.”

Tap to Pay on iPhone and Terminal have also helped Bloomerang align its payment strategy with the needs of the nonprofits that use its platform. With Tap to Pay on iPhone, any staff member or volunteer can turn their personal device into a card reader, without complex hardware implementation or lengthy onboarding processes. It’s simple, intuitive, and works on the iPhones they’re already using.

“We can't emphasize enough how easy everything needs to be when accepting payments,” said Evan DaSilva, senior vice president of payments at Bloomerang. “The best part about Tap to Pay on iPhone is how straightforward it is. Our customers don't want bells and whistles—they just want to be able to jump into it and start using it from Day 1.”

Results

Easier donation process, especially with younger generations

Tap to Pay on iPhone and Stripe allow Bloomerang to meet the customer where they are and make it easy for them to donate. Bloomerang can now capture donations in the moment of inspiration with immediate, in-person conversion by allowing people to pay with digital wallets or cards, without additional hardware. Bloomerang also anticipates that providing tech-driven ways to donate, such as Tap to Pay on iPhone, will lead to increased contributions from younger demographics.

25% of Bloomerang’s nonprofits using Tap to Pay on iPhone within a month of launch

Tap to Pay on iPhone sparked instant excitement among Bloomerang users. “The day we launched Tap to Pay on iPhone brought the most mobile downloads in a single day since we launched our mobile app,” said Gaston. “That’s the fastest adoption of any Bloomerang feature in the company’s history.”
The solution’s ease of use also enabled faster onboarding for volunteers who no longer have to learn how to use complicated hardware. All they need is the iPhones in their pockets.

Tap to Pay on iPhone helps build the future of donations

Every donation, no matter the amount, means a nonprofit has acquired a new donor who may donate more in the future. Bloomerang is optimistic that the introduction of Tap to Pay on iPhone will drive more donations overall, as it provides a faster, more convenient way to process in-person payments with no additional overhead.

“Expanding payment methods through Tap to Pay on iPhone helps us lower the barriers to giving for potential and existing donors,” said Hammond. “We’re doing the backend work for our nonprofits so they can focus on connecting with donors and building lasting relationships.”