The recently launched UK National Funding Scheme aims to use mobile technology to revolutionise how the UK’s arts and cultural institutions are funded. The platform, which will be available from March 2013, will allow donations via several mobile means including: SMS text giving, System stored credit cards, Interactive voice/tone response (IVR), Near field communication (NFC) and Apps. The scheme’s aim is to raise new funds for the sector through mass giving and enable “giving to tap into the point of high emotional impact (in the cafe after the exhibition, reading a plaque, at the encore etc.)”
In addition, the national system will have a registration platform providing all donors with a record of their donations and, for higher rate UK taxpayers, facilitation to make appropriate Gift Aid reclaims. Basic rate Gift Aid will be reclaimed by the charity behind the National Funding Scheme and be paid over to the recipient institutions. Subject to donor data opt-ins, institutions will be able to purchase donors’ details. Additional marketing will be provided both by national communication campaigns and, again subject to opt-in, text messaging to registered users.
For further information see DCMS and National Funding Scheme.