QR codes are increasingly used in the non-profit industry, helping as fundraising, educational, marketing tools, and beyond. They help collect donations faster, attract a broader base of supporters, and communicate charitable initiatives more powerfully. Want to reap these benefits?
Join us to explore how QR codes transform the non-profit sector and discover the top five use cases. Go through real-life examples and innovative ideas to leverage this tech for your organization.
What Is a Non-Profit Industry?
The non-profit industry comprises organizations driven by social causes, like charity, education, or cruelty prevention, rather than financial gain. It employs 7.4% of the global workforce (Zippia, 2023). Non-profits heavily rely on community support and aim to serve the public.
Using QR codes in this sector has become non-negotiable, given this tech’s ability to increase supporters’ engagement, simplify fundraising, and expand outreach — integral factors of any altruistic mission.
Use Cases: How QR Codes Are Used in Non-Profits
In the non-profit sector, QR codes help you fundraise, network, and promote your ideas. They assist in educating the organization’s supporters and gathering their valuable feedback as well.
Let’s study the most common use cases of QR codes for non-profits in greater detail.
1. Streamlined Fundraising in the Non-Profit Industry
QR codes allow for an easy and efficient collection of donations. Non-profit organizations can place QR codes on promotional materials like brochures, banners, and invitations, as well as digital platforms to simplify fundraising.
People, in turn, will effortlessly scan the code and connect to the donation page. Optimizing QR codes for mobile is critical, given that 57% of non-profit website traffic is generated from such devices (Double the Donation, 2024). This way, the financial support process becomes faster, more accessible, and generally hassle-free.
2. Expanded Reach and Efficient Networking in the Non-Profit Industry
QR codes for non-profits connect potential supporters to the organization’s mission, facilitating networking and outreach. They promote charity initiatives and encourage meaningful relationships within like-minded communities.
The best way to leverage QR codes for networking is to embed them in business cards and share those at offline events or create digital business cards and distribute them online. That’s how non-profit organizations can broaden their reach and build a more extensive network of supporters to improve their success rates, considering that only 50% of non-profits actually succeed (Zippia, 2023).
3. Social Media Promotion in the Non-Profit Industry
Non-profit organizations frequently use QR codes to promote their social media pages, simultaneously sharing their story, increasing awareness, and engaging potential supporters. They make it easy for their audience to learn more about their mission and spread it further.
Social media QR codes for non-profits work on printed materials, event locations, or online. Not only will they expand the organization’s online presence, but they will also encourage content sharing and attract new supporters. It’s particularly relevant as 32% of donors find social media most inspiring for giving (Double the Donation,
2024).
4. Educating Visitors in the Non-Profit Industry
Non-profits can use QR codes to educate their audience by linking to information pages. These pages can display the organization’s mission, goals, current projects, and real-world impact.
Once people learn more about the non-profit’s work, they become more connected to the cause. Notably, 67% of people choose to volunteer after gaining a strong belief in the organization’s mission (Double the Donation, 2024). As a result, non-profits drive more donations and spread awareness about their initiatives.
5. Valuable Feedback Collection in the Non-Profit Industry
Non-profit organizations can leverage QR codes to gather feedback from their audience through surveys or feedback forms. Prioritizing feedback is crucial for non-profit leaders, with 88% emphasizing its importance (SSIR, 2019).
Having collected and studied the feedback, organizations will understand their audience’s perspectives better. Non-profits can also improve their initiatives, serve their community more efficiently, and develop a solid plan for future growth.
Benefits of QR Codes for the Non-Profit Sector
QR codes simplify donations, boost engagement, and provide a cost-effective way for non-profits to attract a wider audience. Let’s discuss these and many other benefits in-depth:
- Simple donations: QR codes link people to the donation page, offering a quick and convenient way to contribute.
- Increased engagement: QR codes connecting people to relevant information, videos, or fundraising pages help non-profits improve their audience’s engagement.
- Cost-effective promotion: QR codes integrated into printed materials or online outlets are affordable means for non-profits to advertise their initiatives.
- Improved data collection: QR codes help non-profits refine their strategies by collecting data on their audience.
- Expanded reach: QR codes let non-profit organizations reach a broader audience, both online and offline.
On top of the above benefits, QR codes come as a tool that strengthens transparency and builds trust with supporters. Non-profits can link codes to financial reports or success stories to demonstrate credibility. It’s a crucial aspect, given that around a third of Americans express skepticism about charities using their funds properly (Fast Company, 2019).
QR Code Ideas for the Non-Profit Industry
Sharing event schedules or impactful storytelling are just two ideas for using QR codes for non-profits. Here are some more:
- Keep your supporters in the loop about upcoming events,
- Tell a story of how your organization helped,
- Link your supporters to an online petition,
- Create a virtual donor recognition wall,
- Onboard volunteers through QR code-embedded materials.
You can also leverage QR codes for visitor check-ins during charity events.
QR Code Examples in the Non-Profit Sector
Save the Children, Greenpeace, and WWF are just some of the non-profit organizations that use QR codes for fundraising, educating their audience, and more. Let’s review these real-life examples.
- Save the Children: This organization places QR codes on its official website to facilitate virtual fundraisers. People can scan the code and allocate as much funds as necessary.
- Greenpeace: This organization uses QR codes at events to track attendees. Greenpeace also leverages the gathered data to improve its marketing efforts.
- WWF: This organization goes the extra mile by educating its audience through AR solutions accessible through the QR code. For example, WWF’s supporters can view a grizzly bear up close through the AR tech.
QR Code Generator for Non-Profits
Non-profit organizations can leverage our QR code generator, linking their website with charitable causes and other initiatives. Here’s how to do this:
- Go to MyQRCode and click Create QR code,
- Choose your QR code type as Website URL,
- Name your QR code and enter your website address,
- Customize your QR code’s design with available colors and shapes,
- Review and click Finish to generate a QR code.
The above are the simple steps to create a QR code for a non-profit organization’s website. If you aim to leverage code for networking, MyQRCode offers an option to generate a vCard — a straightforward way to exchange your information with supporters.