I would prefer to use PayPal to donate to Choice campaigns. I can do this with other groups as I am reluctant to give my credit card details over the Web. Will Choice be offering this and if so, when?
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Welcome to the Community @chrismugdan
This topic was raised in the Defenders group (a locked part of the site) and most there agreed that other choices should be available.
I will re-create the poll here in an open topic so other users can respond. Please note if you vote for the first choice please do not complete any others as this choice is the current practice.
Ways to Contribute to CHOICE Campaigns
- Just keep the Credit Card option (if you select this please do not choose any others)
- Also allow a PAYPALā¢ option
- Also allow a Bank Transfer option
- Allow other choices such as setting up a Direct Debit (one off or multiple or ongoing)ā¦please share your idea/s in your comments.
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I also think allowing Direct Bank Transfers or a Direct Debit option should be available either as a recurring or one off at the userās preference.
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Bank transfers could create more problems at Choiceās end unless there is some agreed Reference. I have been a Treasurer for clubs who allow this and just putting āSmith Māshpā leaves me wondering which of the 5 Smiths paid. My bank limits my Ref to about 12 characters which isnāt long enough for some surnames. Choice would need some reference to who paid and what for. Particularly if someone then wanted a refund or it went to an incorrect account or campaign.
A Club I deal with asks me to first nominate how I will pay and instantly generates an invoice with either BPay or Direct Transfer reference, unless I chose Credit Card.
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Maybe the reference number to identify a person could be the personās Choice membership number.
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Hi @audlin and welcome to the community.
Itās how some Community organisations Iām a member of accept membership renewals.
For one off additional payments it may be sufficient. One very small group can match the handful of monthly payments made that way to invoices based on the amount.
For larger organisations it might be more complex especially if there is more than one purpose or campaign open at any time. Which purpose is the payment for may not be readily apparent?
The larger organisations and businesses all issue an invoice number or order no prior to payment. In that Instance every payment has a unique identifier. For Choice it could just be the membership no with an appended alpha numeric code which identifies which program or purpose? Code displayed alongside the Choice campaign as a unique ID.
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That was my first easy response, but human nature being what it is, donors or subscribers will not always get it right, hence a Choice staff will have to follow up, problem only identified after the donor/member lodges a complaint about mis-application. Choice would need to issue an invoice with a special number, such as the member number with a prefix or suffix, to properly attribute it and avoid back end hassles.
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An easy option is for Choice to set up a separate account for donations. One could then chose to add their own reference or notā¦but all money in the account would be used for campaigns.
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True, but which campaign?
Some members might broadly support all campaigns and activities. Others might prefer to support particular campaigns or actions.
Personally I might be prepared to contribute $10 to one need, nil to another that I may not agree with, and $100 that selectively targets a sector of the community I gain more directly from. The alternative may be that only projects that support the majority on the day receive support.
Some community not for profits provide AGM voting rights to all paying members, others do not. Choice falls into the second category. Annual membership broadly supports and is a commitment to all of Choiceās good work and efforts. The decisions made by Choice need to make best use of the pooled income. In seeking additional support from members, it would seem appropriate to be able to direct donations/support to specific objectives, and not just a pool of funds.
P.S.
We are off grid in respect of not having town water or reticulated sewage. The cost of providing informed Choice reviews of the systems and options would be a substantial commitment. Would the 80-90% of the membership choose to share equally in that cost, for minimal return? The same might apply to many other products and services. Choice, itās membership and consumers in general can benefit from increased support. Selecting targets for additional support is a great way to do so. At the same time the level of extra support delivered is useful feedback on just how many (including non members) share the same views/needs.
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Having read the comments in this thread, I wonder if there is something in the way other charities and non-profit organisations manage their campaigns, which Choice could adopt or modify to suit?
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I donate to an Organisation for particular campaigns with no issues whether by DD (Direct Debit) or BT (Bank Transfer). Each seems to get to the right campaign as shown in the email receipts I get. I donāt know the ins and outs of how they do it except in the case of the BTs for which they give me a reference number to add to the BT each time. Businesses when paying often just quote the Invoice Number for which bill they are paying by BT, CHOICE could just add a few numbers that need to be quoted for that campaign along with say member number???
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If there are separate campaigns, then Choice could use a different reference for each campaign. If one chose to just make a donation to any campaign, then one doesnāt need to add a reference.
Alternatively, Choice could use Poli on their website where all information is collected from the donor and when the selected donation method is made and ācheck outā proceeds, a popup box connecting to ones bank to process the donation occurs.
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Sadly some ācampaignsā are names for specific āsolicitation campaignsā not specific charitable causes when all is said and done, eg the donations are labelled eg bush fire campaign (not picking on any specific campaign, just using it as an example) but still go into a general fund for whatever. Whether that happens or not is dependent on the charity. Some charities also have bylaws that effectively give them discretion to move donations to whatever they deem most important on the day.
My response is that my donations are all to very focused charities such as food banks, and a certain disability support organisation.
Donations to Choice would support Choice; would someone want to only support testing toasters as an example? Maybe some would, but would not wish a donation to be spent on advocacy. Not picking on Choice, but charities and all sorts of tax deducted entities might apply said donation to testing toasters, while reducing the toaster testing budget and diverting that amount to advocacy.
A solution? Do not worry about it and keep it simple. If someone is not inclined to support Choice as Choice they might not be a donor regardless.
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This one is not a charity, but I know which campaigns I have supported and which I havenāt. Most Charities etc also advise that if funds are received in excess of a particular need the money will be used in other efforts they undertake. I donāt have a problem with that course they take, others might though.
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Whilst Poli is now owned by Australia Post it is still considered a security risk as it is giving your internet banking credentials to a third party.
You may instead wish to investigate AzuPay which is new fintech using PayID to pay with personalized PayIDs that only accept stated amounts (with automatic refunds if it doesnāt match).
Azupay has developed and commercialised a real-time payment method that delivers instant payments without the need for a credit card. It is the first consumer-to-business payments service to go live on the New Payments Platform. The technology, being rolled out by the NSW Government, allows instant ācash likeā payments from a userās bank account via a single-use Pay ID that can be paid via QR code or manually within a customerās banking app.
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It is worth reading this independent article about POLI and its security riskā¦
In reality it is as safe as using online banking services. It is also safer than sharing credit card details online which is the primary payment system used online.
Something which may be concerning about Azupay is itās limit of liability T&Cāsā¦it doesnāt take any responsibility or have any liability for anyone using its website. If something goes wrong, liability is transferred to users of the website
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I have three preferences for online payments.
BPay, branded credit card, EFT.
It has not been necessary to use any other, although PayPal sometimes squeezes itself in between a CC and supplier.
Which is preferred depends on the supplier. None are fail safe, although BPay is good at matching biller numbers and has some basic checks on reference numbers. CC payments made to a suppliers website where the customer has an established account login minimise user input error risks.
Why would anyone need more options?
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BPay is currently not a choice with CHOICE campaigns but is not impossible, the reference number or biller code can identify the Campaign that a particular donation is for. Needs set up by CHOICE as do other possible options (not always immediate options).
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I read through that article and all banks advise you are breaking their terms and condition if you use poli.
Poli is the same. Read https://www.polipayments.com/Terms#def5
I personally would rather use Poli, which is Australian owned and all its operations bound by Australian law, than a foreign entity located overseas somewhere where it can chose whether it complies with Australian laws or decides to adopt of law of a foreign country.
I know where the risks lie.
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