Charging Ahead with the Give A Little Champion App: Rhino Ark UK Takes Fundraising Up a Gear

They used the Give A Little Champion App to great success for the first time during their "Rhino Challenge" fundraising event- a  family-friendly cycling event hosted in Pippingford Park, Ashdown Forest.  The result was a smoother donor experience, more flexible giving, and better engagement—all without the need to invest in card readers, expensive hardware or clunky tech.

Rhino Ark UK had previously tried using card readers to collect donations, but found them frustrating.

Ian Purcell, Rhino Ark UK Trustee explains:

 “Using a card reader with an Android phone to collect donations was a massive pain. The Bluetooth connection would play up, and we even had to ask one of our colleagues to leave their phone unattended for us all to use because the card reader wouldn’t reconnect if moved away. From a security point of view, being able to use your own phone is just better, and far more affordable too.”

At the Rhino Challenge this year, the team were able to process donations instantly using just their phones without the need for a card reader.

Ian continues:  

“The Give A Little Champion App made such a difference at the Rhino Challenge. We used to just have a bucket for cash or a JustGiving QR code—but you never knew how much people had donated, and it wasn’t exactly seamless. This year, using the new Give A Little Champion App changed everything for the better.”

“We had the app on our phones on the day of the challenge,” Ian explains. “We had a last-minute entry. Normally, they’d have to go through the whole booking process, but with the Give A Little Champion app, we were able to process the donation to take part there and then. That was really easy—a lot easier than using the booking system.”

They also used the Give A Little Champion App to collect extra donations creatively. “Some people wanted a second go at some of the additional fun challenges we had set up on the day—we were timing people to find a winner—so we said, ‘Well, if you make a donation, we’ll consider it!’ And sure enough, they did. It was brilliant!”

Ian noted that the simplicity of the Give a Little Champion App had a noticeable effect on donor interaction. “I’d just pull up the app on my phone, they’d make their donation and then I’d pass my phone over to them if they wanted to add Gift Aid, which most of them did, which is something else we previously missed out on. Having considered how we used the app this time, I think I’ll brief the team to always hand the phone over so the donor can choose their donation, rather than us selecting it on their behalf —it might even encourage them to give more which would be wonderful.”

Beyond the simplicity of using the Give A Little Champion App, Ian was impressed with how the app improved the professionalism and branding of their fundraising efforts. “I was playing around with our Elderflower Festival campaign, and it’s great that I can upload pictures to show what we do,” he said. “We’ll be in front of the stand, so I didn’t even need our charity logo, which meant I could use another picture . It’s brilliant to be able to tailor the branding depending on the event.”

With the Give A Little Champion App proving so useful at the Rhino Challenge, the team is now planning to use it at multiple upcoming events, including Elderflower Fields Festival, Shere Hill Climb, Edenbridge Motor Show, The Festival of Speed, and for their London Marathon 2026 runners as a simple and fun new way for Trustees, volunteers and supporters to take donations. And of course during Trustee Ian’s own charity bike ride challenge!

The charity is  also involved in Rhino Charge - an annual off-road 4×4 competition held in Kenya that raises funds to support the activities of the Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust, and although they’re a bit late for this year, Ian sees great potential to incorporate the app into that event in the future—particularly for capturing Gift Aid on UK donations and attributing donations to individual vehicles in the competition using Give A Littles clever coding feature.

Even the least tech-savvy volunteers managed to use the Give A Little Champion App with ease. Ian joked “You can see one of our other Trustees took £46 on the day—and he’d call himself a dinosaur with tech! It’s so easy.”

Ian summed up being part of the Give A Little Champion App early access pilot simply: “The Give A Little team has been great to work with, and the Give A Little Champion App has worked out brilliantly for us. It’s such a smart way to collect donations at the point of contact. No extra gear. No complicated setup. Just a great experience for both us and our supporters.”