NIŠ – The ACT project launched a partnership with Visa and Payten in order to enable partner civil society organizations to collect cashless donations from individuals and companies through card tapping or card payments.
As part of the initiative, 16 organizations across Serbia received mobile and/or stationary POS terminals that allow simple and accessible donations.
Among them is Proaktiv from Niš, whose Program Director Nenad Stojanović told FoNet that the device is essential for enabling the expansion of their Deli creative space.
Asked how donations had previously been collected, Stojanović explained that for most organizations in Serbia, donations mainly came through public calls and grant competitions.
“What awaits us now is adapting to the market and new trends, which means fundraising from citizens, individuals, and businesses. That is why this device was necessary for us,” said Stojanović.
He added that the biggest challenge had been convincing citizens what the organization actually does, what values it stands for, and that these are values shared within the community.
“Once we convinced them of that, it became much easier to raise funds,” Stojanović added.
Commenting on feedback from citizens, he noted that cashless donations might have been difficult in the past, but today everything is much easier because “people live with their credit cards.”
“It goes smoothly, people are not afraid. They usually carry their cards with them, and we also eliminated the excuse that they do not have cash on them to support the organization, when in fact they can. It’s just goodwill and a few seconds with a plastic card,” he explained.
He emphasized that donations can now be realized beyond the local community, because the market is now the whole world, adding that cashless payment systems enabled donations through applications, the internet, crowdfunding platforms, and more.
Stojanović also pointed out that some campaigns within the organization are always ongoing, and that they strive to remain innovative and active in the field.
“What is currently most relevant is the campaign ‘Deli Are People,’ marking ten years of the Deli space. We are working on expanding the location itself. Since the space has become too small for all the people who want to be there, we are fundraising for a new Deli space, and it has started very successfully. In just the first four days, we reached around 28 percent of the total funds needed for the campaign. That means close to 200,000 dinars in just a few days. If someone had told me that earlier, I truly would not have believed it,” he said.
A “Pub Quiz” event is planned for 7 PM at the Deli space, during which donations will be collected for the activities of Proaktiv Niš, an organization that has been operating in Serbia for 15 years.
The ACT project is implemented by the Swiss organization Helvetas and Građanske inicijative, with the support of the Government of Switzerland.
