Increase Website Giving with QR Codes

The rise of smart phones has created a way of marketing that will soon become a standard for print media.  You may have seen mobile QR (“quick response”) codes - what looks like distorted bar codes - on printed advertisements, real estate signs, or billboards.  Some nonprofit organizations are already using these codes on their marketing pieces to drive people to their websites.

Denso-Wave, a Japanese company, designed mobile QR codes in the mid-90's for tracking parts in the automotive industry.  Standard bar codes have a limitation of ten digits while QR codes have the capacity to store up to 4,500 alpha-numeric characters and can be scanned omni-directionally (in any direction)   The QR code’s ability to turn an image into a website link has made it a prime source for digital age marketing, particularly for mobile phone devices.

What value is the QR code on fundraising appeals for non-profit organizations?  When the donor scans the code - printed on a donation appeal – your organization’s donation page immediately loads in the browser of the donor’s cell phone.  The mobile QR code bypasses typing in a website address (URL) or navigating to your organization’s website, making giving easier and more likely.

How many donors will take advantage of this opportunity?  Consider that smart phone usage is up from ten percent at the beginning of 2009 to over twenty percent at the beginning of 2011 and continues to grow.  Smart phones users currently must download an application in order to scan the QR code but industry insiders believe that QR-ready phones will be the standard in the near future. As more people use smart phones, mobile QR codes use may also simultaneously increase, making this a potentially transformative technology for marketing and fundraising.

Marcia Feldman & Associates now can include mobile QR codes with any direct mail piece or other printed material at no extra cost to our clients. Call us today to discuss how QR codes and other enhancements can improve your fundraising campaigns and better connect your organization with donors.