Tap to Give: A New Way to Support YMCA Plymouth’s Community Work

YMCA is one of the world’s oldest and largest youth organisations, supporting young people and communities through a wide range of programmes, from education and employability to health and wellbeing. YMCA Plymouth is a vibrant community hub offering gyms, soft play, sports facilities, and youth services that improve lives and bring people together across the city.

Background
Until recently, YMCA Plymouth raised most of its funds through its core day-to-day activities, such as gym, soft play, and events, rather than from collecting donations. The team recognised that they were missing opportunities to collect small, ad hoc gifts from people coming and going at their centre. With more supporters going cashless, they began looking for a simple, digital solution to help capture these ad hoc contributions.

Solution
To address this, YMCA Plymouth invested in a CollecTin Solo contactless donation box. They placed the device on the reception desk, with a suggested donation of just £1- designed to be an affordable and easy tap for people coming and going. Plans are underway to mount it on a pillar near the exit to encourage donations as visitors leave.
Thanks to its portable design, the CollecTin Solo has also proven useful for events. At their recent Youth Awards night, the team positioned the device at the free photo booth, offering suggested donations of £5 and £10. This created a relaxed way for guests to give back while enjoying the evening without any pressure.

Results
While its still early days, the team is already impressed with how easy the CollecTin Solo is to use and how professional it looks with their own branding. Having a dedicated digital donation tool is a completely new approach for YMCA Plymouth and adds a valuable extra option to their fundraising toolkit. As they continue to incorporate it into the centre’s daily life and at events, they’re excited about the potential to capture more small, spontaneous gifts that all add up to make a big difference.

Gemma Barriball, Youth & Families Programme Support Facilitator, YMCA Plymouth said, “It’s very early days for us using the CollecTin Solo, but we’re already impressed! It looks amazing with our branding, it’s so easy to use, and we’re excited to have it as part of our fundraising toolkit.”

Looking Ahead
YMCA Plymouth plans to keep integrating the CollecTin Solo into their activities - at their busy centre and at community events - opening up new ways for visitors and supporters to give. The team is hopeful this will become a reliable source of additional income to support their vital youth and family programmes.