Gold coins dropping into Salvation Army collection buckets at Dubbo are a familiar sound but the charity is going on the front foot to ensure it can receive vital support in a digital world.
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With COVID-19 putting a stop to face-to-face fundraising this year, the organisation came up with an alternative for its Red Shield Appeal, Captain Brad McIver said.
The "incredible" response to the "digital doorknock" has been encouraging, and built on earlier moves to bring in EFTPOS and tap and go machines for some of its other activities.
"So we think more and more we're going to have to be looking at creative solutions like that," Captain McIver said.
"In the debate about a cashless society, there is still a lot of people who like to use cash, and so we'll continue to have opportunities for people to do that if they want to, but we do think more and more it will be about online giving, tap and go, creative solutions, perhaps regular giving as well...
"We're doing ok, we're going to have to continue to be sensitive to the community's needs and we're interested, like others are, to see what a cashless society means for us.
"We would suggest that we're probably going to end up there at some point, exactly what that looks like and how we work with it is yet to be seen, but I guess we're excited to be part of that future."
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