Nottingham based heritage site increases donations by 60% by going cashless

Before installing a contactless donation point, Bromley House Library, an independent lending library which is located in Nottingham, was only offering visitors a way to donate by cash. The building houses nearly 50,000 books and has a number of reading rooms spread over three floors of a Grade II listed Georgian townhouse. There is also a beautiful walled garden, which is one of only two remaining in the city centre.

Matt Dolman, Development Manager at Bromley House Library explains: 

“We knew we needed to get started with cashless fundraising as people were not carrying cash any more and our cash donations were really low. We are a small charity and it was quite overwhelming at first trying to work out the best route for us to offer a contactless donation option.

We chose Give A Little because they allowed us to get started really affordably. We were able to start with their free service and set up our own DIY point of donation.

"I employed a local joiner to build a small bookshelf, and then we mounted the foamex board on top with hinges to gain easy access to the SumUp card reader and tablet running the Give A Little app. I followed Give A Little’s template for the board, it was that simple – just ensured the measurements were correct – measure twice and cut once! We put the donation point outside our main doors so people see it as they are leaving and having enjoyed their visit, they tap away as they leave. Some people want to give privately and it’s really good for that.”

On how the donation point has performed, Matt said:

“The results have been amazing; we started in September last year and we managed to increase our donations by over 60% when you compare the period of April to September with September to December!

We have learnt a lot since having the donation point as most of our visitors are members who already pay us a subscription so we know now that they are happy to contribute more. This really says something about how they value our service. One person even donated £50 after one visit and that would never have happened when we just had the cash donation option. Donations are so important to us as they allow us to continue our work in looking after collections of international importance. Our building, which was built in 1752, is also an iconic heritage site in Nottingham and donations go towards the running of the building and ensuring a safe environment for our collections.”

Matt now has plans to take the library’s cashless fundraising to the next level: 

“We are now going to upgrade to Give A Little’s Premium service and start collecting Gift Aid and marketing opt-ins. We are also going to use Give A Little’s online giving service and QR codes - it’s great that you can do all of this with one platform.”

On what it’s been like to work with Give A Little, Matt added:

“I just think it’s been really great to work with the Give A Little team. You’ve been really helpful, very clear and supportive. I would say working with you has demystified cashless for us as it was quite overwhelming at the start thinking - where do I begin with this?! We got on our fundraising path a lot quicker thanks to you!”

And on why he would recommend Give A Little to other charities, Matt said: “It’s so easy to get up and running. All you need is a basic tablet, the Give A Little App and a SumUp card reader - charge it and it’s good to go. Ours is on all day and it looks after itself!”

If you would like to create a DIY point of donation like Matt has done at Bromley House Library, drop us a line at