A Newcastle technology company that helps charities get donations through donors’ mobile phones has secured a new round of investment.
Donr has received equity investment of £350,000 from the North East Innovation Fund, managed by Northstar Ventures, and from angel investor Andrew Robson.
The company, whose platform works on the 海角视频’s main mobile networks and allows people to make donations via SMS, had benefitted from £300,000 of investment from Northstar in 2019.
Donr has helped around 2,500 charities raise more than £1m in the 18 months since it started.
Its technology has been used by a number of charities hit by the coronavirus crisis, which has seen the cancellation of many fundraising events, as well as reduction to other revenue streams for voluntary groups.
Donr plans to use the new investment to focus on product development and the creation of new tools and products to help charities raise funds.
CEO Chris Newell said: “On average we check our smartphones every 12 minutes – they’re always in our immediate reach. Text giving is a really simple and accessible way for anyone to make a one-off monthly donation to charity in less than a minute.
“We’re really proud that we’re in a position to help charities continue their fundraising efforts during this difficult time and will now look to expand our platform further.
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“We’re happy that both Andrew and Northstar share our vision of the critical role that text giving can play in securing donations for so many brilliant causes.”
Charities that Donr has helped during the coronavirus outbreak include the Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter, and food charity FareShare, both of which benefitted from thousands of donations from supporters.
It also works with organisations such as the Trussell Trust, CHUF, the National Theatre and St Oswald’s Hospice.
Richard Charnley, investment manager at Northstar Ventures, said: “We firmly believe in the power of tech-for-good and the significant role that mobile giving will play in a more flexible, more digital future for fundraising.
“We continue to support Donr on their mission – particularly during this challenging period that the sector is facing.”
The North East Innovation Fund is part of the £120m North East that aims to distribute £120m of European money to around 600 companies in the region, with the aim of creating 2,500 new jobs.