Appy new year for charity donors
FULFILLING the mitzvah of giving is now only a few finger taps away, with the launch of Tzedakah (charity), a phone and tablet app developed by Sydneysider Jeffrey Tobias.
FULFILLING the mitzvah of giving is now only a few finger taps away, with the launch of Tzedakah (charity), a phone and tablet app developed by Sydneysider Jeffrey Tobias.
Tobias’s son Jeremy, head of business development at GiveEasy, the Bondi Junction start-up enterprise that developed Tzedakah, said the app works “like iTunes” – users need only enter credit card details into the app once and can then send donations to as many Jewish causes as they like.
Launched this week in time for Yom Kippur fundraising drives, Tzedakah is a Jewish community version of the GiveEasy app that was launched late last year for iPhone/iPad devices and later for Android. The Tzedakah app is similarly available from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android devices.
Supporters can now give to their favourite Jewish charity during the week, before Shabbat or a festival or to commemorate a special occasion, said Jeremy Tobias. A tax receipt will be sent to the supporter’s email address and they can even share their donation on Facebook and Twitter.
He said the new app will change the way Jewish charities can attract those who do not receive the usual mailed hardcopy information, with the ability to send push notifications as reminders to regular donors who might have overlooked their mail or email.
“Young people are spending as much time in apps as they are on the desktop,” he told The AJN. “We’re bringing the connected world to the charitable world. We’d like the Jewish community, rabbis and organisations to get behind this.
“We are extremely excited to unveil this app just before Yom Kippur. It certainly has the potential to change and increase the amount of giving in the Jewish community. We have already received fantastic feedback,” he said.
In the Tzedakah app, the donation amounts are fully tailored around the number $18 (based on the numeric value of “chai”) and the app already features charities such as Sydney’s Jewish House and the Central Synagogue Tzedakah Fund.
“Parents should open a Tzedakah account for their children, and encourage them to give tzedakah at every Jewish festival, and weekly before Shabbat. This really brings tzedakah into the technology age”, said Jeremy. “It’s the old moneybox reborn using today’s technology.”
GiveEasy uses Australia Post’s SecurePay for its payment gateway and has Macquarie Bank as its banking partner.
The outfit is in discussions with several corporations interested in buying the GiveEasy apps and has drawn interest from charities in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries, he said.
PETER KOHN
Screenshots of the app.
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