Kids Cancer Charity increases in-the-moment donations with the Give A Little Champion App

As Challenges & Events Officer, Alice Sullivan oversees a busy calendar of fundraising events, including the Cardiff Half Marathon, where the charity has grown from just 10 places to having 60 participants in 2026.

When Alice first proposed investing in Give A Little, having attended a webinar introducing the Give A Little Champion App, which allows charities to invite unlimited supporters to fundraise for them with their phones,  she had complete confidence it would pay for itself.

"I knew the difference in collections from the app would justify the cost of the Give A Little membership. So much so, I said if it didn't, they could take the first year's cost out of my wages!"

Today, that confidence has been rewarded. As more supporters adopt the Give A Little Champion App, the charity is collecting more contactless donations, reducing administration and making fundraising easier for both supporters and staff.

Kids Cancer Charity introduced the Give A Little Champion App to give supporters the ability to accept contactless donations directly on their own smartphones, without needing additional hardware.

For Alice, as well as no upfront hardware costs, one of the biggest advantages is the ability to capture donations the moment when someone is inspired to give.

"I was on a plane waiting to take off for Rome to take part in the Marathon, and got chatting to the passenger next to me about my challenge and Kids Cancer Charity. When they asked if they could make a donation, because I had the Give A Little Champion App on my phone, I was able to take the donation there and then, just before take-off and going into flight mode! Without it, that opportunity might have been lost."

That ability to accept donations instantly has become increasingly valuable for the charity's community fundraisers, who regularly attend events where fewer people are carrying cash.

One of those supporters is long-time fundraiser Ian Bamford, who recently started using the Give A Little Champion App. He says; 

"I found that using the Give A Little Champion App on our fundraising days was really helpful. It gives us a great opportunity to raise more money for the charity as not everyone carries cash with them.  It was quick and simple to use and I’ll definitely be using it again at future fundraising events."

Before travelling to the London Marathon, Ian sent Alice a message that perfectly demonstrated the value of having the app available wherever supporters are fundraising. It simply said:

"Thanks for the app. £104 raised on the train!"

By the end of his London Marathon fundraising, Ian had received £342 in donations through Give A Little towards his target.  Both Ian and Alice agree, those are donations that simply wouldn't have happened without the ability to accept contactless donations there and then.

"When someone wants to donate, you need to make it as easy as possible. If you ask them to go away, search for your fundraising page, find the right person and donate later, there's no guarantee they'll do it. Even if they do, that moment has often passed. The enthusiasm and generosity that prompted them to give has faded, and the donation is often smaller – if it happens at all."

Whether it's on a train, at a fundraising event or even moments before boarding a flight, the Give A Little Champion App removes that friction, helping supporters capture donations at the exact moment people are inspired to give.

Previously, community fundraisers would borrow the charity's CollecTin More contactless donation device which uses Give A Little software. While Alice describes the CollecTin More device as a 'game changer', lending it out requires staff time outside work hours, generating additional time off in lieu.

The Give A Little Champion App has transformed that process.

Instead of lending out equipment, the charity simply invites supporters to download the Give A Little Champion App onto their own phone and begin collecting donations immediately.

"It has made everything so much simpler. We don't need to loan out devices or have staff travelling to events just to hand equipment over. It frees up our team's time, removes the administration and doesn't cost us anything extra."

With supporters carrying their own donation point in their pocket, the charity can support more fundraising activities without increasing operational demands or purchasing additional hardware.

Alongside making fundraising easier, the Give A Little platform has also improved how Kids Cancer Charity organises its fundraising campaigns.

Campaigns can be separated by event, fundraising activity or corporate partner, giving the team much clearer reporting.

As the challenges teams continues to grow, Alice is also looking forward to making greater use of supporter codes, unlimited customisable campaigns and reporting tools to better understand fundraising performance across challenge events, community fundraising and corporate partnerships.

Kids Cancer Charity plans to roll out the Give A Little Champion App across all participants in this year's Cardiff Half Marathon. Making full use of the supporter resources provided by Give A Little they’ll be sending introductory emails, including video guides before they begin fundraising, helping them feel confident using the app from day one. 

The charity also plans to continue sharing the real-life stories of the children and families it supports, ensuring fundraisers stay connected to the difference their fundraising makes throughout their challenge.

For Alice, the Give A Little Champion App has become much more than another fundraising tool. It has helped remove operational barriers, reduced the need to loan out contactless collection devices and enabled supporters to collect donations whenever and wherever opportunities arise.

From £104 raised on a train journey to the London Marathon to accepting a donation moments before a flight to Rome took off, the Give A Little Champion App is helping Kids Cancer Charity capture donations that may otherwise have been missed while freeing up valuable staff time at no additional cost.

As more supporters begin using the Give A Little Champion App, Alice is confident the charity will continue to raise more through spontaneous contactless donations while making fundraising simpler, smarter and more accessible for everyone involved.