RNLI launches first UK charity app on the Apple Watch
Howard Lake | 22 May 2015 | News
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) will next week become the first UK charity to launch an app on the Apple Watch. The H2Only app will support the charity’s fundraising challenge which it launched last year.
The free app will help inspire and support the thousands of people who plan to give up all drinks except water for 10 days from 2 June, raising funds for the lifesaving charity.
Daily challenges
Daily challenges appear on RNLI’s H2Only Apple Watch app
The H2Only app will be available to download for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android phones from Tuesday 26 May.
Each day it will offer a daily challenge for supporters to complete. It will offer badges to be unlocked, as well as keeping fundraisers updated with the sponsorship total. Users will be able to share photos with supporters and join teams competing to raise the most.
An example of a H2Only Apple Watch app daily challenge.
The app will take advantage of the Apple Watch’s glance functionality. Users will receive a notification of new challenges – they can click for more information, or lower their wrist and the notification will be saved for later.
Since the app is launched before the fundraising campaign begins, it will at first show a countdown to the beginning of the challenge.
Steffan Ciccotti, RNLI volunteer crew member at Tower lifeboat station, with a cup of H2Only tea-free tea.
Ailsa Mackenzie, RNLI Digital Project Manager, said:
“The RNLI has a proud history of innovation – from our methods of fundraising over the years, to the pioneering designs of our lifeboats.
“We are really excited to be the first charity based in the UK to have an app for the new Apple Watch. This app is designed to keep H2Only participants engaged during the 10 day challenge. It will guide them through the choppy waters when temptation kicks in, and it will help them to raise as much money as possible for our lifesaving charity.”Advertisement
The H2Only app was developed by Bournemouth-based digital agency 3 SIDED CUBE.
Sam Houghton, iOS Developer at the agency, explained:
“An Apple Watch app suits this campaign perfectly, elevating an already personal user experience and being an ideal use of the unique functions of the Watch… We knew we wanted to build a multi-function app that would engage users and keep them motivated. The H2Only app tracks donations and sponsorship totals, lets users complete challenges, share photos and even join teams”.
Registration for this year’s H2Only challenge is still open. The challenge runs from 5pm on Tuesday 2 June to 5pm on Friday 12 June.
* RNLI’s taste for digital innovation and testing was also demonstrated when it started accepting donations via Bitcoin. Read about their early experiences with this cryptocurrency.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.