Charity app round up for October 2018
Melanie May | 25 October 2018 | News
With the British Heart Foundation this week announcing that it is the first charity to enable its supporters to arrange a collection of furniture and electrical items through Amazon Alexa (app or Alexa-enabled device – as well as to donate money, here’s more on that, as well as on a few other charity-related apps.
British Heart Foundation & Alexa
British Heart Foundation has launched an Alexa skill that has made it the first charity to enable supporters to arrange a collection of furniture and electrical items through Amazon Alexa and the first UK charity to receive donations through Amazon Pay. Users of Alexa can simply enable the Alexa skill through the Alexa app or ask through an Alexa-enabled device like Amazon Echo. Then they just need to ask “Alexa, ask British Heart Foundation to collect my furniture,” or “Alexa, open British Heart Foundation and donate money” – from £1 to £250. Alexa skills are free to install on any Alexa device, and just need to be enabled in the Alexa app.
Advertisement
citizenAID
UK counter terror charity citizenAID has released an updated version of its app and pocket guide, which provides members of the public with simple step-by-step instructions on how to help themselves and others when there are casualties from a deliberate attack.
The app, which provides advice on shooting, stabbing and bombing incidents, has now expanded to also provide support in both vehicle and acid attacks.
There is also guidance for what to do on encountering an unattended item in a public place.
Follow JC Go!
A new Catholic saint-finding game, based on a similar premise to Pokemon Go, has launched. Follow JC Go! uses the player’s smartphone camera to view their surroundings and superimposes digital characters – but saints, not Pokemon characters. It also encourages people to stop and say a prayer if they pass a church, and lets players donate to charity too.
It is currently in Spanish only but an English version is expected to launch in a few weeks. It is the idea of Fundación Ramón Pané, a Catholic evangelical group, which made it in preparation for World Youth Day 2019, a Catholic youth event taking place in Panama in January.
Forest
The Forest app aims to help people stay focused and off their devices by getting them to plant virtual trees for their own virtual forest that wither if they use their phones within a certain time period. Each successful planting session earns virtual coins. Forest has partnered with non-profit Trees for the Future to which it donates when users of the app earn enough virtual coins, with the funds going towards planting real trees.
Buengo
Charity app Buengo has released a new version of its iOS app, which allows charities to post volunteering opportunities in its marketplace for good. The marketplace app, which encourages users to donate money to charities by selling things they no longer need, has launched the volunteering feature after users revealed that they would like other ways to get involved with charities. The app aims to become a “platform for good”, where users can connect with charities and good causes, both in their local area and nationally. Adding a volunteering opportunity to the app is completely free for charities once they have signed up (also free) to Buengo. They can then add any type of volunteering opportunity, giving details and encouraging users to either sign up via a link or get in touch to discuss further. Earlier this month, Buengo was nominated as best national digital solution for the United Kingdom for the international World Summit Awards (WSA).
Impact App
Over 9,000 charities are currently supported by Impact, the app that helps people give to good causes when they shop. Users register their payment card, and earn rewards when they shop at retailers listed on Impact – both online and instore. The app keeps track of the rewards earned and gives the user the option of cashing them as a donation, which they can give to one of the charities registered with Impact.
More fundraising and giving apps
- 7 giving apps to consider (14 July 2021)
- Four great apps for good (3 May 2016)
- Kudos launches mobile apps for charity retailers (6 December 2019)
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.