Hungarians Embrace Bank Cards for Easier Donation Experience

According to recent representative research by Visa, three-quarters of Hungarians donate regularly. Some 7 out of 10 of regular donors believe that paying by credit card makes it easier and simpler to donate. The majority of donors currently donate by bank transfer or cash, but nearly half of them said they would also use a bank card if they had the opportunity. The most common reason given by those who prefer to donate digitally is that this is how they typically pay for their everyday expenditures. Many also said that they carry little cash.

The survey found that a third of regular donors give every six months. In terms of amounts, more than half of the regular donors typically give less than HUF 5,000, and almost a third donate between HUF 5,000 and 10,000. More than half of respondents (54%) said that if they had the opportunity to donate by credit card, they would be happy to donate smaller amounts each month for up to a year.

"The power of touch belongs to all of us. With a single gesture, we can make purchases or help our fellow human beings. Our aim is to raise awareness of social inclusion, as Visa's core mission is to help create a more inclusive environment and enable everyone everywhere to thrive. We already know the significant impact that digital payment adoption has on businesses. We believe that similar results can be achieved by non-profit organizations that rely on donations to do powerful work," added Bence Sármay, Visa's country manager responsible for Hungary.

To encourage donations by credit card, Visa has launched a campaign on World Day of the Deaf (September 24), reflecting the fact that the sign language "give" gesture is very similar to the gesture of a one-touch credit card payment. A young woman with a hearing impairment presents the sign for donation on a screen at designated donation points in prominent locations. In order to raise awareness as widely as possible, the campaign will also be extended to social media platforms, where several key sign language phrases can be learned.

Sinosz is the beneficiary of the campaign. The proceeds from donations will be used to support basic communication accessibility, including in-person and virtual sign language interpretation and accessibility tools such as mobile induction loops and interactive smart boards for sign language education.

According to EuroTrak 2020 data, 1.01 million Hungarians consider themselves hearing impaired, which means that 10.3% of the country's population is affected.  

The professional quality and equipment needed to provide sign language and sign language interpreting services are currently limited. The main objective of Sinosz is to ensure that as many services as possible are made available to deaf and hard-of-hearing people in our country.

"Our mission is to promote the social inclusion of deaf and hard-of-hearing people. We strive to improve their quality of life and promote accessibility. In addition to financial support, we believe that Visa's campaign will help to raise awareness of our cause and expand donation habits," added Csilla Csetneki, president of Sinosz.

This year, Visa has partnered with Change Hungary to introduce a wider program of donation terminals. Its aim is to provide an easy and simple way to contribute to good causes and to further promote digital transactions.

"In an increasingly cashless society, charities should consider how one can make it easier for donors to give. Solutions based on innovative technologies can make fundraising and donating easier," added Gábor Fodor, founder of Change Hungary.