Contactless donation stations and card readers attached to jackets are being trialled as solutions to maintain the estimated £80 million in potential donations lost by charities should they continue to rely on cash.
![matt-artz-431965-unsplash](https://www.thefuturescentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/matt-artz-431965-unsplash-1280x500.jpg)
Rough Sleeping Partnership (RSP), an alliance of four charities which tackle street homelessness in Bristol, set up two contactless donation stations in the local shopping area to receive £2 donations, as well as provide information about outreach programmes: in 6 months, the terminals raised on average £370 per month. Last year N=5, an ad agency in Europe, trialled the ‘Helping Heart contactless jacket’ where passersby could donate €1 by tapping a card reader on the chest of a rough sleeper’s coat. The money could only be spent on nominated products in liaison with a local shelter.