How The Friends of Groombridge Primary School went cashless with Give A Little
The Friends of Groombridge Primary School (FGPS) is a school association committee and registered charity run by parents, carers, grandparents, teachers, and members of the wider community. Their main objectives are to raise funds for their much-loved school and support the pupils' education.
May 27, 2026When FGPS started looking at ways to modernise fundraising, the motivation was simple: look to introduce cashless systems that reduce risk, remove the burden of handling cash, and ensure that every donation went straight into their bank account securely and without delay.
Steve, the PTA Treasurer, explains:
“We want to encourage cashless fundraising as it removes the risks of handling cash entirely and ensures that every donation goes directly and securely into our bank account. It had to be simple, transparent, and something the whole committee could trust.”
That mindset kickstarted a shift in how the committee runs events, collects donations, and builds campaigns, with Give A Little becoming part of their everyday fundraising approach.
How Steve discovered Give A Little
Steve first came across Give A Little after reading an article and then attending a webinar. At the time, the committee was already feeling the strain of managing cash at busy events and looking for a simpler, more secure approach.
The webinar was a real turning point. Not only did it introduce a new way of thinking about cashless fundraising, but Steve was immediately struck by the Give A Little interface and how easy it was to understand what the platform could do.
Steve explains:
“I attended a webinar and it really opened my eyes. I realised there were tools out there that could completely change how we handled fundraising - making it faster, safer, and far less stressful.”
He also really liked how the Give A Little interface clearly showed all the features available. It made it obvious straight away how flexible the system was and how it could support different types of school fundraising without needing complex setup.
What stood out most was how easy it was to trial Give A Little before committing. That ability to test it in real school conditions helped build confidence quickly across the FGPS committee.
Starting small with Give A Little Basic and first successes
Like many school associations, FGPS began their journey with Give A Little’s free Basic tier.
Steve initially trialled the Give A Little Point of Donation app (Android only), which supports Tap to Pay technology so there’s no need to connect a separate card reader. This allowed the committee to test it at real events before committing to anything larger, giving them the confidence to experiment in a live environment and see immediate results without financial risk.
Steve explains:
“Being able to Give A Little for free was key. We tested Tap to Pay and the Give A Little Point of Donation app at a real school event and immediately saw it worked - it just removed friction completely.”
Break the Rules Day: Turning school rules into fundraising fun
One of the earliest and most successful campaigns was Break the Rules Day - a much-loved school tradition where children can “break” selected school rules for a small donation.
It’s a day the children really look forward to, where they might:
Wear non school uniform clothes
Have crazy hair
Have a temporary tattoo
It’s playful, memorable, and turns the usual school day on its head - all while raising funds for the school.
By using Give A Little, FGPS helped make the giving process more cashless. Parents could simply tap to donate in seconds, with no need for cash or envelopes.
The result was smoother school gates, faster transactions, a better donation experience for parents and increased average donations.
Moving to Give A Little Premium after committee sign-off
Once the early trial events proved successful, Steve took the case to the committee for formal approval.
“We used the trial events as evidence. Once people saw the queues moving and donations increasing, it was a straightforward decision to move to Give A Little Premium.”
This enabled the committee to scale up their fundraising activity with the Give A Little Champion App; collect Gift Aid declarations, create multiple campaigns across different events and access detailed reports.
Using the Give A Little Champion App at the May Fair: A highlight of the school year
The May Fair is one of the biggest and most anticipated events in the FGPS calendar. It brings together families, teachers, volunteers, and the wider community for an afternoon of games, stalls, food, and entertainment.
It feels less like a fundraiser and more like a community celebration.
The event is the school’s largest fundraiser and this year Give A Little helped them raise even more than usual, with donations flowing across a wide variety of stalls, including:
Inflatable obstacle courses and bouncy attractions
Nerf gun target games
Face painting and glitter stations
Tombola and prize draws
Food and refreshment stalls
Creative, volunteer-led activity games
Parents running the stalls were invited to use the Give A Little Champion App on their own phones (iPhone and Android) to take donations on the day. The app uses integrated Stripe Tap to Pay technology, meaning there’s no need for additional card readers — supporters can simply accept contactless donations directly on their device.
Steve set up dedicated campaigns for each activity, complete with relevant imagery and branding. This made it easy for parents to donate instantly, without the need for cash handling or delays.
Steve explains:
“It was so easy to set the parents up on the Give A Little Champion App. The fact that you don’t need to remember passwords is amazing! Volunteers were also able to switch between campaigns easily if one activity became more popular than another, which helped to keep queues moving and energy levels high throughout the day.”
Campaign creativity: Fundraising that feels like fun
One of the standout features for FGPS has been how easy it is to create campaigns for different ideas, stalls, and events.
Steve has also had a lot of fun with the campaign creation process, including one memorable example called
Steve explains:
“The best part is how quickly we can create campaigns for anything. Every stall can have its own identity, its own donation page, and its own donation flow.”
This flexibility has helped transform fundraising into something more engaging, interactive, and enjoyable for everyone involved.
Gift Aid: Small donations, bigger impact
Gift Aid has become an important part of the PTA’s fundraising strategy. Rather than relying on manual processes, FGPS now uses Give A Little’s built-in Gift Aid functionality to capture declarations at the point of donation for eligible campaigns.
Steve notes:
“We used to collect Gift Aid declarations through Google Forms. Now it’s built into the Give A Little donation experience - it’s just far more efficient and far less likely to get missed.”
This has helped ensure more income is captured and reduces the admin burden on volunteers.
Monthly giving: Building long-term support
Looking ahead, Steve is planning to introduce monthly giving through Give A Little.
The idea is to give the wider school community an easy way to support the school on an ongoing basis, not just at events.
He sees this as a natural next step for a community that already wants to be involved and contribute consistently.
Monthly giving will help provide a more stable foundation of support, complementing the energy and success of events like Break the Rules Day and the May Fair.
Final thoughts
For Steve and The Friends of Groombridge Primary School PTA, the shift to cashless fundraising has been about much more than technology. It’s about reducing friction, improving safety, and making fundraising more engaging for the whole community.
Steve sums it up:
“What I really like about Give A Little is how easy it is to use, how clearly it shows what’s possible, and how well it’s been received by parents. It just feels simple and modern. But more than that, it’s made fundraising fun and effective - and that matters, because everything we do is about giving the children experiences they’ll remember for years.”