Growing Support: Vancouver Botanical Gardens Boosts Donations with CollecTin

Over 4700 miles from London lies the beautiful VanDusen Botanical Gardens, a 55-acre oasis in the heart of Vancouver with over 7,500 plant species and varieties from around the world. With its award-winning LEED Platinum Visitor Centre and Elizabethan hedge maze, visitors can unwind, dine, shop and take photographs within its serene setting.  

As a registered charitable not-for-profit organisation the association relies on donations to help protect and enhance the gardens for future generations.  

Background 

Before adopting contactless donation devices, the Gardens relied on a traditional collection box for donations. While it generated a steady stream of contributions, managing cash presented several challenges.  Collecting, counting, and depositing hundreds of coins was a time-consuming process. Theft was also a recurring issue, and reconciling a mix of international currencies added complexity. Despite these logistical hurdles, the collection box remained viable until the pandemic, which then saw a dramatic reduction in cash donations and the effort required to handle cash far outweighed the diminishing returns. This was also a problem at events with the lack of a card payment option meaning missed opportunities as visitors expected a convenient way to donate. 

Solution 

After exploring various donation solutions, Vancouver Botanical Gardens chose CollecTin More with Give A Little fundraising software, chosen for its competitive pricing and flexibility, without the burden of high monthly subscription fees. A key advantage was the ability to offer multiple customisable donation amounts - allowing the gardens to display one set of values for everyday contributions and easily switch to higher amounts during key events. The ability to customise the backgrounds and messaging in Give A Little has also been a fun way to reflect the seasonal change within the garden and engage visitors with visually appealing displays. 

Results   

Since going live in mid-autumn, Vancouver Botanical Gardens has already recovered the cost of implementing CollecTin. The system’s simplicity has made it accessible to all visitors, including those with limited English proficiency and even the garden’s oldest supporters, who have embraced tap-to-pay donations. At the backend, the transition to contactless donations has eliminated the need to sort and count cash from multiple currencies, with all contributions automatically deposited into the gardens’ accounts. 

“Milo Dron, Director of Philanthropy, Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association said, “We found the setup process quick and straightforward, with plenty of customisation options to suit our needs. Despite being based on the other side of the world, the CollecTin support team proved to be highly responsive, ensuring a smooth transition to the new system. Our volunteers also love having something so easy to use and professionally presented, which they can point people towards who are interested in supporting us.”