How to Mobilise Volunteers to Accept Donations at Your Next Charity Event (No EFTPOS Machine Required)

How often do you carry cash in your wallet? We’re guessing not too often. Last year in Australia, only 14 per cent of point-of-sale transactions were paid with cash, compared to 67% a decade ago. That’s according to Worldpay's 2025 Global Payments Report, which also projects that the figure will fall to 9% by 2030.

If you’re a charity depending on in-person fundraising events, this creates a real problem. When donors aren't carrying cash for everyday purchases, they won't have it at your next fundraiser either.

The traditional fix is hiring an EFTPOS machine, which is expensive, slow to set up and impractical when you need multiple volunteers collecting donations for charity across a large event.

But there's a faster, simpler approach. With a mobile payment solution like Pebl’s, any volunteer with a smartphone can accept contactless donations in seconds via card tap, Apple Pay, QR code or payment link. There’s  zero hardware, zero setup cost and funds are deposited directly into your charity's bank account.

This guide walks you through how to set up Charity Tap to Donate capability for your next event, the different donation methods available to your team and how organisations like Head Above Water have already used this approach to transform their fundraising results.

Why Traditional Event Donation Methods Are Falling Short

If your charity has run events in the past few years, you've probably noticed a shift. Cash is now used less than electronic payment methods for every transaction size in Australia, including the small, spontaneous donations that are the lifeblood of event fundraising.

The overall pool of donors is also shrinking. Research from Fand P found that the proportion of Australians who don't donate at all rose from 35% in 2021 to 42% in 2024. Charities can't afford to lose donors because the payment method isn't convenient enough.

Traditional EFTPOS rental typically requires 10 business days' lead time and a merchant ID from your bank before you can even process a transaction. Terminal rental fees are part of the picture, with additional transaction fees on top. If you need five or six terminals to cover a large event, the costs and logistics quickly add up before you've raised a single dollar.

Then there's the practical reality. EFTPOS machines need charging, they require cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity, they have to be shipped back after the event and someone must be responsible for each device.

For volunteer-run charities operating on tight budgets, this overhead can eat into the donations you're trying to collect.

A Better Way: Turn Every Volunteer's Phone into a Donation Terminal

Our Australian-owned mobile payment app turns any compatible iPhone or Android device into a contactless payment terminal. There's no additional hardware required, no monthly rental fees, no lock-in contracts and no setup costs.

Volunteers download the app, are added to your charity's team and start accepting donations immediately, all with funds settling directly into your organisation's nominated bank account.

For charities, this changes the game. Instead of hiring a handful of EFTPOS terminals and positioning them at fixed stations, you can mobilise your entire volunteer team to collect donations from anywhere across your event, whether they’re roaming through crowds, stationed at registration desks, working the BBQ or greeting guests at a gala dinner.

Pebl has already helped charities facilitate 250+ events and raise more than $10 million in donations, with clients including Ronald McDonald House Sydney, Epilepsy Action Australia and Head Above Water.

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How to Set Up Pebl for Your Charity Event in Under 10 Minutes

Getting your team ready to accept Charity Tap to Donate payments is straightforward. Here's how to get started.

Step 1: Download and Sign Up

Download the Pebl app from the App Store or Google Play. Complete the sign-up process by entering your charity's business details (ABN, bank account for settlement and a nominated administrator). The process takes around five minutes.

Step 2: Add Your Volunteers

From the Pebl dashboard, add team members by inviting them via the app. Pebl supports unlimited users, so whether you have five volunteers or 50, everyone can accept payments on their own device.

Role-based permissions mean volunteers can only process donations (they can't access bank details, issue refunds or change business settings unless you grant additional permissions).

Step 3: Set Up Your Donation Products

Create donation products within the app for your event. You might set up quick-select amounts ($10, $20, $50) so volunteers can process donations with a single tap, or allow custom amounts for donors who want to give a specific figure.

You can also create products for event merchandise, raffle tickets or registration fees.

Step 4: Prepare Your QR Codes and Payment Links

Generate QR codes for your donation pages directly within the app. Export them to print on event signage, table cards, posters, flyers or wristbands. You can also create shareable payment links for pre-event promotion via email or social media.

Step 5: Brief Your Volunteers

On event day, a quick briefing is all that's needed. Volunteers simply open the Pebl app, select the donation amount and hold their phone out for the donor to tap their card, phone or watch. The transaction processes in seconds and a digital receipt is automatically sent to the donor.

Three Ways to Collect Donations at Your Event

One of Pebl's biggest advantages for charities is flexibility. Rather than relying on a single payment method, you can offer donors multiple ways to give, maximising the chances that every willing donor actually completes their contribution.

1. Charity Tap to Donate (Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android)

This is the primary method for in-person, on-the-spot donations.

Volunteers hold their phone ready, the donor taps their contactless card or mobile wallet (including Apple Pay, Google Pay or any contactless-enabled card) and the payment is processed instantly.

It's the charity tap experience donors are increasingly accustomed to from retail, now available for your fundraising team.

Pebl's Tap to Pay works on iPhone XS or later (iOS 18+) and NFC-enabled Android devices (Android 13+).

2. QR Codes for Charity Donations

QR codes are ideal for passive donation collection. Print them on table signage, posters, event programs or merchandise displays.

Donors simply scan the code with their phone camera and complete the donation in their browser, no app download required.

This is particularly effective at seated events like gala dinners, where guests can donate at their own pace between courses or at outdoor events where signage can be placed at multiple touchpoints.

Pebl's QR codes support multiple payment types, including credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayID for instant bank transfers. You can set a fixed donation amount or leave it open for the donor to choose.

3. Payment Links for Pre-Event Promotion

Don't wait until event day to start collecting donations for charity. Pebl's shareable payment links can be sent via email, SMS or social media in the weeks leading up to your event.

Include them in event invitations, email newsletters and social media posts to capture early donations from supporters who can't attend in person.

Case Study: Head Above Water's Annual Swimathon

Head Above Water is a Northern Beaches–based charity on a mission to build mental fitness and reduce suicide across Australia.

Their flagship event, the 24-hour Swimathon held at Collaroy Rockpool, has raised over $880,000 across six events, funding mental fitness programmes in schools, sports clubs and community groups through partners like Gotcha4Life.

For their annual swimathon, Head Above Water used Pebl to equip volunteers with the ability to accept donations and merchandise payments on their own phones.

Volunteers stationed at the BBQ, registration desk and around the pool could accept charity Apple Pay and card-tap donations without needing a single EFTPOS terminal. It was fast, required minimal training and allowed the charity to maximise support with a lean volunteer team.

Similarly, Epilepsy Action Australia used Pebl at their Purple for Purpose Gala, where QR codes for charity donations were displayed on table signage and donation cards. Guests scanned and donated within seconds between courses, and the event raised over 200 per cent more than the previous year.

By switching from hired EFTPOS terminals to Pebl, every volunteer could accept donations on their own phone, admin costs dropped and the charity kept more of what was raised.

If Your Charity Was Using Shout for Good

If your organisation was using Shout for Good (ANZ's charity payment platform) for event fundraising, you may already be looking for an alternative following the platform's announced closure.

Pebl offers similar core functionality (mobile donations, Apple Pay integration and event-based payment tools) with additional flexibility that Shout didn't provide, including Tap to Pay on Android, PayID for instant bank transfers and unlimited team member access so every volunteer can collect donations independently.

The transition is straightforward as there's no migration process required. Simply download Pebl, set up your charity account and you're ready to accept donations at your next event.

If you have upcoming fundraisers in the calendar, you can be fully operational in under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if volunteers don't want to install an app on their personal phone?

Volunteers who prefer not to install the app can simply direct donors to printed QR codes placed on posters, flyers or table cards.

Donors scan and pay through their own phone's browser and no app is needed on either side. You can also designate a few team leaders who do have the app installed to handle Tap to Pay, while the rest of the team focuses on directing donors to QR code stations.

Is Pebl secure?

Yes. Pebl is PCI DSS compliant and uses end-to-end encrypted payment technology. No card data is stored on the volunteer's device.

Funds are settled directly into your charity's nominated Australian bank account, and role-based permissions ensure that volunteers can only accept payments (they cannot access sensitive business or financial information).

What does Pebl cost?

Pebl charges a flat 1.8 per cent transaction fee per card payment (or $1.50 per PayID transaction), with no setup fees, no monthly charges and no lock-in contracts.

You can also enable automatic surcharging within the app to pass the transaction fee to the donor, meaning your charity pays nothing in processing fees.

Visit the Pebl pricing page for full details.

Can we track donations in real time?

Yes. Pebl's dashboard provides real-time visibility of every transaction as it happens.

Charity administrators can monitor donation totals, see which volunteers are processing payments and export full transaction reports for reconciliation as soon as the event wraps up.

What phones are compatible with Pebl's Tap to Pay?

Tap to Pay on iPhone requires an iPhone XS or later running iOS 18 or above. Tap to Pay on Android requires an NFC-enabled device running Android 13 or later with Google Mobile Services.

Do donors need to download an app?

No. Donors simply tap their card or phone for Tap to Pay transactions, or scan a QR code which opens a secure payment page in their browser. No app download is required on the donor's side.

Can Pebl issue tax-deductible donation receipts?

Pebl automatically generates a professional digital receipt after every transaction, sent to the donor via SMS or email. The receipt includes your charity's business information and logo.

For tax-deductible donations, ensure your organisation's DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status is reflected in your Pebl account settings.

How quickly do funds settle?

Card payments typically settle into your nominated Australian bank account within 1–2 business days. PayID transactions settle instantly.

Can we use Pebl for both in-person events and online campaigns?

Yes. In addition to Tap to Pay and QR codes for in-person events, Pebl's shareable payment links can be distributed via email, SMS and social media for online donation campaigns.

This makes it a versatile tool for charities running both physical and digital fundraising initiatives.

Ready to Simplify Your Next Charity Event?

The shift away from cash isn't slowing down, and charities that make it easy for donors to give digitally will raise more at every event.

With Pebl, you don't need to hire EFTPOS machines, manage hardware logistics or limit your donation points to a handful of fixed terminals. Every volunteer becomes a mobile donation station, armed with Charity Tap to Donate capability, QR codes and shareable payment links.

Download the Pebl app today, set up your charity account in minutes and be ready to collect donations at your next event, no hardware required.

For more information on how Pebl works for charities, visit the Pebl Charity page or contact the Pebl team to discuss your event needs.

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