Every fundraiser runs into the same problem. The moment someone decides to give is short, and anything that slows it down loses the gift. Cash is fading and checkbooks are gone, which is why so many organizations put a QR code on every sign and table. A tap to give tag adds another contactless path right beside them. The donor touches their phone to the tag and lands on your giving page, ready to give.
What is an NFC tap to donate tag?
NFC stands for Near Field Communication, the same technology behind tap to pay. A tap to give tag holds a web link instead of a card number. You program it once with the address of your CoreCause donation page. From then on, any donor who holds their phone near the tag sees a prompt to open the page, taps it, and lands on your giving form.
Most modern iPhones and Android phones read these tags by tapping, with nothing installed. The tag itself can live inside a sticker, a card, a table stand, a keychain, or a printed sign. It has no battery and never needs charging, so once it is placed it simply works.
Tap to give and QR codes work better together
You do not have to choose between them. The best setup puts both on the same sign or table. Some donors will scan the QR code, some will tap the tag, and some will type the short link. Offering all three means every phone in the room has an easy way to give. NFC reading is common on newer phones but not universal, which is exactly why pairing a tag with your QR code and a short link covers everyone.
The rule of thumb: give people more than one way to reach the page. A tag to tap, a QR code to scan, and a short link to type, all in the same spot.
Where tap to give fits in a church
Sunday giving has always been a moment problem. The offering passes, the moment is now, and anything that adds a step loses the gift. Tap to give meets the giver right at that moment, and it works alongside everything CoreCause offers churches for online tithing and offerings.
- In the pew or seat back. A small tag on a card in the pew rack lets a giver tap and give during the offering, with no cash, no check, and no hunt for the church app.
- At the welcome table and the exits. A tag on a table stand near the doors catches givers on the way in and on the way out.
- On the giving box. A tap tag on or beside the offering container turns a traditional plate into one that works for the growing share of people who carry no cash.
- For special funds and missions. Point a second tag at a donation page set to a specific fund, so a missions Sunday or a building campaign has its own tap point. Custom fields on your CoreCause page can capture the fund or a dedication at the same time.
- At dinners and youth events. Fellowship meals, youth fundraisers, and concerts all have a giving moment. A tag at the check in table or on a centerpiece keeps giving a tap away.
Because a donor can choose to give once or monthly right on the page, a tap during a service can become a recurring gift, not just a single one.
Where tap to give fits at live events
Live events compress generosity into a short window. The host makes the ask, the room is moved, and you have about a minute before attention moves on. A giving path that takes one tap captures more of that moment than one that sends people looking for a table.
- Galas and banquets. A tag on each table, on the program, or on a paddle lets guests give from their seat the second the ask lands.
- Concerts and festivals. Tags at entry points, merch tables, and stage front signage turn foot traffic into gifts.
- Games and tournaments. Booster clubs and teams can place tags at concession stands, gates, and sponsor tables.
- Community drives and pop up events. A tag on a clipboard, a yard sign, or a volunteer lanyard keeps a giving page one tap away, even with no counter or register in sight.
For events, keep the giving page simple and the fund clear, so a first time giver who has never heard of you can give in the time it takes to read one screen. Paired with the rest of your nonprofit fundraising, it turns a moved room into gifts.
How to set up tap to give tags with CoreCause
Build the page the tag will open
This can be your main giving page or a page set to a specific campaign or fund. Keep it short and make the ask clear for first time givers.
Copy the page link
It is the same link you would put behind a QR code. One page can serve many tags, or each tag can point at its own page.
Program your tap tags
Blank NFC tags run about $9 for a 50 pack. Load the link onto your tags. Your general offering, your building fund, and your youth trip can each have their own tap point on its own tag.
Place, then test on real phones
Put the tag where the giving moment happens, then tap it with an iPhone and an Android to confirm the page opens cleanly. Set a QR code and a short link right beside it so every donor has a way to give.
Watch it in your dashboard
Every gift shows up in CoreCause real time reporting, so you can see which tags and campaigns are working and move them if a spot is not pulling its weight.
A few things that get you more taps
- Write the instruction on the sign. A simple line like “Tap your phone here to give” removes the guesswork for anyone who has not used a tag before.
- Place tags at hand level. A tag people have to bend down or reach up for gets fewer taps.
- Give each moment its own page. A tag that opens a page already set to the right fund converts better than one that drops the giver on a generic form.
- Pair the tap with the ask. Tap to give works best in the seconds right after someone invites the room to give, from the stage or the pulpit.
Your cause keeps the whole gift
Every online gift carries a processing fee, whether it comes from a tap, a QR scan, or a typed link. With CoreCause, donors can cover that fee at checkout, so 100% of their gift reaches your cause. There is no donor tip prompt, and your organization decides whether covering the fee is optional or required. Your organization pays a simple monthly plan, and what your donors give is what you keep.
The bottom line
An NFC tap to donate tag turns your CoreCause donation page into something a donor can reach in a single tap, with nothing to download. In a church it meets givers in the pew, at the doors, and at the giving box. At a live event it captures the gift in the short moment after the ask. Pair each tag with a QR code and a short link so every phone has a path, give each giving moment its own page, and let donors cover the fee so your full gift arrives.
Want to put tap to give to work for your church or your next event? See how CoreCause donation pages work or view pricing, then book a short demo and we will walk through it together.