Prep Talk

QR Codes Make Donating a Snap

Posted February 4th, 2014

You may notice flyers hanging on the walls around campus at St. Augustine Prep with a hodge-podge of black and white boxes in the lower right-hand corner. They represent the latest technological advancement in fundraising.

“Many of us are accustomed to receiving a letter in the mail with a reply envelope to donate to our favorite charity,” said Mr. Zappariello, Director of Alumni and External Affairs. “But with the help of the IT department, the Prep is now able to offer our families and friends an easy way to donate to the school with nothing more than their smartphones.”

QR (Quick Response) code technology is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode that was initially created for the automotive industry in Japan but has quickly become the default standard for many businesses for processing their online commerce transactions.

“I can’t believe how easy and secure it is to make a donation now, not only to St. Augustine Prep, but to any charitable organization. After downloading a free QR code reader (QRREADER) from my app store, it took less than two seconds to snap a picture of the QR code to get connected to our secure donations page at www.hermits.com,” said Mr. Zappariello. “I look forward to utilizing this technology in future fundraising and marketing efforts.”

For those who haven’t contributed to the 2013-14 Annual Gift Appeal, you don’t have to wait until you’re on campus. You can scan the QR code from this poster to make you donation or pledge. All proceeds will benefit tuition assistance for St. Augustine Prep families in need.