Which contactless device fits how your charity fundraises.
A donation kiosk suits a fixed location — a shop counter, a reception desk, a lobby — where a bright branded screen can catch attention throughout the day.
A card terminal is built for movement: door to door collections, street fundraising, or events where your team is circulating rather than staying in one spot.
Kiosks: presence over portability
A kiosk earns its keep by being seen. Its screen can cycle through your latest campaign, a running total, or simply a clear "Tap to give £5" prompt, doing quiet work all day without anyone needing to staff it. That makes it a strong fit for a charity shop counter, a hospice reception, or a community centre entrance — anywhere with steady footfall and a fixed spot to place it.
The trade-off is exactly what you would expect: a kiosk is designed to stay where you put it, not to travel with a volunteer from door to door.
Card terminals: built to go where you go
A terminal fits in a pocket or a bag and takes a tap in seconds, which is exactly what a moving collection needs. Street fundraisers, door-to-door teams, and market stalls all benefit from a device that keeps pace with the collector rather than asking supporters to come to it.
“The right device is the one that matches how your team actually moves, not the one with the most features on paper.”
Battery life and a strong receipt/confirmation flow matter more here than screen size, since the interaction is quick and the collector is rarely standing still.
Most charities end up with both
These are rarely an either-or choice. A shop with a counter benefits from a kiosk for daily footfall and a terminal for the volunteer who occasionally collects outside on a market day. An event might run a kiosk at the entrance and terminals circulating with the team on the floor.
Start with the collection pattern you already have — fixed location or moving collection — and let that decide the first device. Everything else, including adding the second device type later, is easy to layer on once the first is proving its worth.
