Erie Arts & Culture is excited to announce the arrival of four DipJars to our arsenal of creative and cultural non-profit community resources. As a part of our mission to “strengthen the vibrancy and vitality of the region through the advancement of arts and culture,” Erie Arts & Culture will lend DipJars to regional non-profits wishing to temporarily utilize them for on-premise and/or special event fundraising.
A DipJar is a portable donation tool designed specifically for non-profits. The DipJar allows donors to “dip” their credit card into the electronic card reader enabling one-step collection that is easy, quick, and fun! DipJar provides enjoyable opportunities for organizational members to personally interact and build relationships with donors as they make donations.
Erie Arts & Culture believes DipJars will benefit the region’s creative and cultural non-profit organizations by enabling them to easily collect donations when supporters are in person experiencing the value of their organization. “Erie County is full of passionate people, and we know that there is a tremendous amount of generosity that flows through our region. It is important that we reinforce the fact that philanthropic giving is not necessarily about making major gifts in thousand dollar increments. It’s about each donor making a contribution that is significant and meaningful to them. For many in our community, that occurs at the $5, $10, $25, and $50 levels. We believe that these DipJars provide those in our cultural and creative community with an opportunity to convert audiences to donors in a manner that is intuitive, quick, and is in line with technology and consumer trends,” stated Patrick Fisher, Executive Director at Erie Arts & Culture.
According to DipJar.com, Central Square Theater, a non-profit theatrical company located in Massachusetts, raised over $19,000 in fifteen months using DipJar. At the end of each performance, organization members take the stage, demonstrate how DipJar works, and then ask patrons as they exit the theater for contributions. Prior to using DipJar the theater provided envelopes in their programs and encouraged patrons to donate online after the shows; this multi-step donation process proved less successful than the instant action of “dipping” donor credit cards on location with the electronic devices.
Organizations eligible for EAC’s DipJar rental program consist of regional creative and cultural non-profits and those who already have a fiscal agent agreement with Erie Arts & Culture. Interested parties should contact Judy Bloeser at Erie Arts & Culture between the hours of 9 am and 1 pm, Monday through Friday to reserve DipJars and/or learn more about the DipJar rental program. Judy can be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling 814-452-3427.
