Buengo fundraising app removes fees & introduces new features
Melanie May | 13 July 2021 | News
Fundraising app Buengo has announced a series of changes to the platform including covering fees so 100% of the money raised goes to the cause, a charity shop drop-off option, and an upcoming pick-up service.
With Buengo, sellers can sell items they don’t want anymore and donate the proceeds to a cause of their choice, choosing an existing campaign to support or starting their own. Then, when someone buys something they pay in the app and the money is transferred directly to the cause, with the seller just having to get the item to the buyer.
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Campaigns can be launched on behalf of a personal cause or on behalf of an organisation, and organisations don’t need to be a UK registered charity. Charities for example can create a campaign page in the app, explain what they’re raising money for, along with the fundraising target and deadline, and then encourage people to support it through selling their stuff on the app. At the end of the campaign, funds are transferred to the charity. Buengo also gathers permission to claim Gift Aid on behalf of registered charities.
Inside the app, charities have a virtual storefront, which displays all of the items on sale for their cause. Charities can also sell virtual items that result in a donation enabling the charity to buy one of the actual items for their beneficiaries. Users can choose to follow their favourite causes, allowing the charity to keep them updated on news as well as view their social media channels all in one feed.
Under the changes, in the peer-to-peer model 100% of the money raised will now go to the cause nominated by the donor with Buengo covering the transaction costs. To cover costs and support the platform Buengo asks the buyer for a voluntary “tip” on top of the sale price.
Buengo is also now introducing a drop-off model where the donor can search for a nearby drop-off point for items they wish to donate. To start with these will be local charity shops but later could be anyone nominated by the charity to fulfil that role. Information on nearby charity shops and lists of acceptable items are shown inside the app.
In addition, it will be introducing a service where donors can give items to Buengo, which will then will handle the whole process of selling them on behalf of the donor and passing the money to their chosen cause.
Charities can register on the platform on the Buengo site.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.