Zai met up with Tim Millbank from Australian fundraising charitytech, Change 4 Change, to discuss the firm’s groundbreaking business model and its plans for the future. We started by asking Tim to explain why Change 4 Change came about:
Tim: Change 4 Change had its origins in 2019 – the emergence of new technology, a passion to make a difference, and a clear gap in how people could make donations led to Change 4 Change’s creation.
The charitable sector was hit hard by Covid-19: charities’ ability to fundraise face-to-face ceased overnight. The strength of a charity comes from its stories and traditions, but there's also an opportunity to adapt with technology and innovate new ways for people to give back.
Change 4 Change’s aim is to provide donors with real-time feedback on their generosity and impact. By using round-up technology, users can support great charitable causes while making everyday purchases in a secure and fun way.
It is rewarding to buy your morning coffee knowing you are supporting youth mental health, women’s education, diverting waste or supporting a cure for cancer.
Zai: Who are your customers and what pain points are you solving for them?
Tim: There are more than 57,000 listed charities and not-for-profit organisations in Australia, all with the goal of making a difference.
Our aim is to partner with innovative charities who are leaders in their fields to create change in their respective areas of expertise.
Change 4 Change wants to make it easier to identify innovative charities, to showcase and highlight their solutions and impact while making it fun and engaging in supporting them.
Zai: What challenges have you faced getting the business off the ground?
Tim: We are a lean social enterprise; we have financed the software and developed partnerships through our personal savings and hard work. We don't have any corporate or formal funding and we like it that way.
We aren't beholden to big business; we simply want to create a great and rewarding giving experience. That means lots of late nights and stressful moments along the way navigating the legal, technological and financial hurdles that come with developing a brand-new software platform from the ground up, but the ultimate aim is to make a difference, which makes it worthwhile.
Zai: Tell us a bit about Change 4 Change’s offering.
Tim: Fundamentally, we offer a simple and secure way to donate spare change. Donors can sign up, link their account, select a charity and start making a difference in under a minute.
It makes giving to charity a lot more accessible, particularly for younger generations who are comfortable with managing their lives through a smartphone.
By using round-up technology, donors can “set and forget”, making incremental donations each time they purchase a coffee or grab the shopping.
Our software rounds up day-to-day purchases, triggering a donation transfer when a $10 threshold is reached. That’s where Zai’s technology comes in. A direct debit is initiated and the donation is sent to the user’s nominated charity. Other handy features for users include monthly donation caps and the ability to pause round-ups. It’s important to let the user stay in control.
Zai: Tell us about the team and where you operate?
Tim: We have a small but professional team, including elite software engineers, based in Hobart, Tasmania, and Melbourne, Victoria. The people behind Change 4 Change have backgrounds in marketing, research, law, accounting and higher education, and have been brought together by the desire to make a difference.
We are a certified social enterprise and a member of the Australian peak body of Fundraising in Australia (FIA), which means we're governed by a strict fundraising Code of Conduct.
Zai: Where to next? What’s in the pipeline for Change 4 Change?
Tim: Round-up donations are just the beginning. We have big plans for additional tools and features that'll add to the donation experience – making it fun and engaging, and getting friends and families involved. Keep your eyes peeled!
Zai: How is Zai helping on the journey?
Tim: It’s vital that users banking data remain secure and Zai complies with the highest security standards in the Australian banking sector. Zai has also actively helped us make donation processing easy, slotting in behind to support our software development and tell our story.
Working with Zai has been a joy – they treat us as a partner rather than a client, backing us to succeed. We can’t wait to see what the future holds with Zai, and to use the technology and expertise around payments to build the best donor experience we possibly can.
Change 4 Change went live with Zai’s payment technology at the beginning of July 2022. Check back in soon when we’ll catch up with Tim again to see how the onboarding process went and to look at the benefits the company is experiencing as a result of the partnership.
In the meantime, to find out how Zai can help you, contact our sales team here.
