Barrhaven BIA Partners With United Way
The United Way of Eastern Ontario has asked the Barrhaven BIA to be their pilot community to launch 25 new tap-and-go donation button units. They are raising money for back-to-school supplies for youth living in vulnerable areas in the region.
There is absolutely no cost to the businesses who participate, and they will come and do the very quick and simple setup at your cash/POS area. It is a small stand-alone unit (like the ones at Tim Hortons) that the client can tap. It is not connected to your cash system and the money goes directly to the United Way. It simply needs to be connected to your wifi. It looks like this- a little stand on the counter by the cash.
United Way partners with businesses for an agreed-upon duration, during which they collect donations on behalf of United Way (UW) to support the community. Businesses deploy UW’s Tip Tap donation terminals. Tip Tap devices come in a range of fixed dollar amounts and require only that a donor tap their NFC enabled debit, credit, or phone to the pad.
No personal information is collected, and no card number changes hands. This is a 100% friction free giving experience.
The campaign is centered around back to school and will run in the Fall timeframe. Businesses can choose the duration of how long they would like to promote this program within their stores however, UW has recommended 1-4 weeks tends to be the most effective.
Back to school often brings an air of excitement for kids as the upcoming year is full of possibilities: new friends to connect with, teachers and mentors to learn from, and clubs to explore their passions. However, for many across our region, the end of summer can bring stress and anxiety as school supplies can be a financial burden and strain on families.
If parents and caregivers don’t have the means to equip their kids with the tools they need to succeed in school, this can widen the academic gap and increase the risk of learning loss when remote learning is factored in.
This gap can widen as students enter the upper years of their education. High school students often require more specialized learning supplies like math sets or graphing calculators, and as a result, the list of back-to-school supplies becomes longer and more expensive.
By partnering in this program, Barrhaven businesses are supporting United Way in helping our most vulnerable kids be less vulnerable come time to return to school and that families have an opportunity to start the academic year strong.
To learn more about the local issues facing children in our communities, visit: https://www.unitedwayeo.ca/local-issues/graduation/
