NGOs get tech-savvy in hunt for funds

Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) embraces Tele-Commerce from atom technologies

Today, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are looking for alternative techniques for garnering donations besides the traditional ways of raising money for charity, from the corporate sector and HNIs, which of late have been facing turbulence.

Instead, by adopting Tele-Commerce they are going hi-tech to reach out to the masses. The latest to adopt this technology for raising funds is Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA), a registered charitable NGO, which works towards the “total management of Cancer” as a disease.

CPAA has joined hands with atom technologies to introduce two suites of tele-commerce solutions, i.e. fully automated IVR technology and mobile based payments, as additional payment options.

“We have always been at the forefront of innovations as far as cancer is concerned. We were one of the first NGOs to set up our website in 1999 and we introduced online donations using credit card in 2000. But recently we have been finding collections dropping, so we were exploring new avenues of raising funds. We realized that a new audience that we had not yet tapped would be tech-savvy youngsters. Such youngsters have the desire to contribute to the wellbeing of those less privileged than themselves, but find writing a cheque, putting it in an envelope, stamping it and finding a mailbox to post it too cumbersome. It is important to find the possible donor at the instant that they wish to make the donation. And what better way than the ubiquitous mobile phone everyone carries from CEO to cobbler? So, after some research, we adopted atom’s tele-commerce solution,” said, Gulshan Hodiwalla, Executive Director, CPAA.

CPAA has a tradition of untiring service to needy cancer patients from all over India, and even neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan. CPAA’s empathetic, reassuring, non-medical presence has supported the treatment and overall needs of more than 40,000 cancer patients.

Speaking on the advantages of adopting tele-commerce, Dewang Neralla, director, atom technologies, said it was more convenient and secure for the user. “By implementing atom’s technology, NGOs can solicit funds and donations over landline and mobile phones, which would be direct, quick and completely safe, using credit cards. Technology will make fund-raising easier. It is being observed that donating over phone can definitely outperform online donations,” opined Neralla.

Regarding the tie-up with other NGOs, he said ISKCON Food Foundation has already implemented part of our tele-commerce solution and Givelndia will also follow suit soon. “Today, there are over 500 million mobile + fixed line subscribers in the country. This sector is growing exponentially. There has been a very strong push from the regulators to move away from the cash economy to an electronic-payment regime. With the strong impetus from the RBI through m-payment guidelines, we could see people increasingly adopting newer payment channels. There is huge promise in tele-commerce, which will be seen as it unfolds in the next 3-5 years,” added Mr. Neralla.

Procedure for donating to CPAA using credit card over phone
1. Call on 022-67237667, 022-40366867, 022-26814367 enter your mobile no and amount you wish to donate and confirm to pay over the phone.

2. IVR reads out the transaction details and prompts to enter the following details
i. 16 digit Credit card no
ii. 4 digit Expiry Date
iii. 3 digit CVV no

3. On successful authorization by bank, IVR reads out transaction status.

Procedure for Donating through Mobile phone applications
You can also donate using the atom mobile application on your Java / MIDP 2.0 mobile phone through GPRS. Simply follow the steps below to get atom mobile application and you can donate through mobile phone.

1. SMS to 54959 from your mobile to get a URL to download atom mobile application or type www.atomtech.in/atomlite/ on your browser to download atom application. This has to be done only once.

2. Click on URL to download the application on your mobile.

3. Enter details on application to register yourself.

4. Go to ‘Services’ menu on the application and add “CPAA” in your list. Enter the amount to donate and donate by using atom Pin and your Credit card.

About Atom Technologies
atom technologies is a digital, retail initiative of the Financial Technologies Group, a group that has pioneered creation of digital marketplaces and technology solutions for the financial markets. atom was formed in 2006 to focus on harnessing the digital transaction ecosystem for payments with a special focus on the ever-increasing mobile ecosystem. As a mobile payments service provider, atom, through innovative use of technology in the mobile transactions ecosystem, has created multiple “patent pending” products & services for mobile payments, mobile banking for the un-banked, IVR based payments & mobile based service distribution framework. Today, its services have seen more than $ 30 million+ of transactions going through its environment with client list spanning the best of the associates in the industry. For more details on atom, log on to www.atomtech.in

About Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA)
CPAA is an NGO working towards the ‘Total Management of Cancer’, since 1969. Our activities include:
• Raising awareness through lectures.
• Early detection through screening.
• Covering the cost of treatment through insurance.
• Providing total care for cancer patients.
• Rehabilitating cancer patients and their family members.

About Tele-Commerce
“Tele-Commerce”, a term which combines together all electronic payments made over the mobile as well as landline phone (ex: through IVR systems). The term was a dire need of the telecom and e-payment industry for representing wide-ranged payment solutions over the telephone, under one macro expression for an instant connect with the masses.

The term was first coined by an Indian company, atom technologies, a group company of Rs. 1300 crores Financial Technologies Group. atom technologies is the pioneer in providing comprehensive payment solutions in the new found tele-commerce space. Till date atom has successfully completed over 1000 transactions in the tele-commerce arena, which includes payments made over mobile phones (buying movie/airline tickets etc.), through atom IVR (paying insurance premium online, subscribing to DTH etc.) and driving micro-finance through mobile payments.

For more information please contact:
Adfactors PR Pvt Ltd.
Annu Dwivedi
Cell: +91 -9930143515
Landline: 022-22871361 ext (217)
Email: annu.dwivedi@adfactorspr.com

Vikram Kharvi
Cell: +91 – 9930143550
Landline: 022-22871361
Email: vikram.kharvi@adfactorspr.com

atom Technologies
Ali Hussain
Cell:+91 9930267728
Email: ali.hussain@atomtech.in

Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA)
Shubha Maudgal
Cell: +91 9820037718
Landline : 022- 24924000
Email: shubha.maudgal@cancer.org.in

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