First Essential
Donation payments and kiosks for charities UK
Make it easy for people to give wherever your cause is at work, with contactless donations and kiosks, a UK based team you can actually ring, and friendly help when you need it. You look after the cause, we look after the giving.
Payments for charities, built around your cause
Food banks, community causes and fundraisers run on goodwill and tight budgets. We get that. Our payments for charities are built to fit how you raise money, not the other way round. With our donation payments and kiosks, you stop losing gifts because a supporter had no cash, and you stop losing volunteers to paperwork. Easy ways to collect every gift, a simple home for your supporters, and a UK team on the end of the phone.
What gets in the way of giving
Most charities we talk to lose donations in the same handful of places. Hardly anyone carries cash now, so a willing supporter at a stall or in a shop walks away because there is no easy way to tap and give. Volunteers spend evenings on spreadsheets instead of helping people. Gift-aid paperwork piles up. And when something breaks, the helpline is overseas or there is no helpline at all. We built our donation tools to close every one of those gaps.
The cashless problem
Cash giving keeps falling year on year. Without a card reader or card machine on the stand, the gift simply does not happen.
The admin problem
Donors, volunteers and gift-aid live across notebooks, inboxes and spreadsheets, so people slip through the cracks and thank-yous get missed.
The "after hours" problem
Your foyer or shop is busy when staff are stretched thinnest, and giving stops the moment a volunteer steps away.
The support problem
When a terminal plays up mid-event you need a real person on the phone, not a ticket queue or a chatbot in another time zone.
What is a charity card machine, and how do donation fees work?
A card machine (also called a card reader, card terminal or contactless donation terminal) is a small handheld device that lets a supporter give by tapping a card, phone or watch. An Electronic Point of Sale system, or EPOS, is the till software behind it that records each gift, handles your charity shop sales and keeps the totals tidy. For charities the two work together: the card reader takes the gift, the EPOS keeps the books, and your supporter database keeps the donor.
On fees, every card payment carries a small processing charge set by the card networks. Our card payment rates start from 0.3%, and rates vary by card type and business, confirmed at setup. The lower the rate, the more of each gift reaches your cause instead of disappearing into charges. We will always show you the full picture before you sign anything, so there are no surprises later.
How card payments work
Contactless card machines and card readers for charities
A quick tap with a card, phone or watch and the gift is done, whether or not anyone carries cash these days. Portable card machines for events, countertop readers for the shop, all taking Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Fewer missed donations at events, on the high street and in your shop, and lower fees so more of each gift reaches the cause.
Self-service donation kiosks for your space
Put a giving point in your foyer, shop or at an event, and supporters can donate in seconds: tap, choose an amount, done. No bucket to pass round, no volunteer tied up all afternoon, and no cash to count at the end of the day. You set the suggested amounts and add your own branding.
Everything you need to raise more, on one platform
Card payments, EPOS, kiosks, giving pages, supporter tools and AI help, all from one UK partner instead of five separate subscriptions.
Card machines and donations
Contactless and online giving so every supporter can donate in seconds, cash or no cash.
Learn moreEPOS for charity shops
Till software that records gifts and shop sales, tracks stock and keeps your totals tidy.
Learn moreDonation kiosks
Smart self-service donation points for your foyer, shop or event that take gifts day and night.
Learn moreGiving pages and websites
Warm, easy giving pages and a website that tells your story and turns visitors into supporters.
Learn moreSupporters and CRM
Keep donors, volunteers and email in one place, so you can thank people and keep them close.
Learn moreAI help for charities
An AI helper to answer supporter questions and capture enquiries, so small teams never miss one.
Learn moreWhich giving setup suits your charity?
Every cause raises money differently. Pick the picture closest to yours and we will tailor the rest.
Food banks and community causes
Portable card readers for collection points, a tidy supporter list and gift-aid kept ready, plus a simple giving page to share.
Book a demoCharity shops and venues
EPOS till and countertop card machine for the shop, plus a self-service donation kiosk in the foyer that gives day and night.
Book a demoEvents and fundraisers
Tap-to-give terminals for stalls and galas, a kiosk for the entrance and an online giving page so supporters can chip in from home.
Book a demo
Online giving pages that follow your cause
Wherever your cause is at work, a simple giving page lets supporters donate from any phone or laptop in a minute. Tell your story, share it on social, and give visitors an easy way to chip in, all on a website built around what you do.
Supporter tools and CRM in one place
Donors, volunteers and email all live in one place, so a thank-you takes a couple of taps and nobody slips through the cracks. With the admin off their plate, your volunteers get back to helping people, and gift-aid details stay tidy and ready when you need them. It all runs on First Essential One, our all-in-one platform, with a 14-day free trial so you can try it before you commit.
Clear pricing, no small print games
A lot of providers in this space bury the real cost in long contracts and add-ons. We would rather show you ours up front.
| First Essential | Some other providers | |
|---|---|---|
| Card payment rates | From 0.3%, rates vary by card type and business, confirmed at setup | Headline rate, with higher "non-standard" rates buried in the terms |
| Card machine cost | Free card machine when you take an EPOS setup | Monthly device rental, often locked in for years |
| Platform trial | 14-day free trial of First Essential One, our all-in-one platform | No trial, or card details needed before you can look |
| Contract and lock-in | Terms explained plainly before you sign | Long minimum terms with steep early-exit fees |
| Support | UK based real people, 7 days a week | Ticket queues or overseas call centres |
| What you get | Card payments, EPOS, kiosks, giving pages, supporters and AI from one partner | One product only, the rest bolted on or bought elsewhere |
We are describing patterns charities tell us they have run into elsewhere, not any one named provider. Your exact rates and terms are always confirmed in writing before you commit.
Start taking gifts
- Card reader free with an EPOS setup
- Card rates from 0.3%, confirmed at setup
- Take Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay and Google Pay
- UK support, 7 days
Run the whole charity
- Supporters, volunteers and email in one place
- Giving pages and your website
- Donation kiosks and AI help
- Try First Essential One free for 14 days
Safe giving and data you can trust
Supporters trust you with their generosity and their details, so we treat both with care. Card payments run on secure, industry-standard processing, and supporter data is handled in line with UK GDPR. Your donor and gift-aid records stay tidy and access stays in your control, so you can answer to your trustees and your supporters with confidence.
Charity payments and EPOS, your questions answered
How do charities take donations without cash?
What does a card machine for a charity actually cost?
Is there a long contract or lock-in?
How quickly do donations reach our bank account?
Is supporter data kept safe and GDPR compliant?
Can we keep donors and volunteers in one place?
Can we switch from our current card machine or till easily?
Let us help you raise more
Book a free, no-obligation demo. We will walk you through the simplest way to collect every gift, contactless and online, and keep your supporters close, with a UK team on hand the whole way. Browse our other industries or learn about First Essential.
Book a demo