Donations Opt-in not Opt-out - are you compliant?

For the arts and festival industry, at issue, is the opt-in versus opt-out for voluntary donations at ticket purchase check-out.

Opt-in versus Opt-out

Opt-in versus opt-out means that the customer must actively consent to the payment. For example, in the case of ticketing, a pre-ticked box (during the check out process) adding a donation to a theatre or a venue will no longer be allowed. The customer must actively "click a box" to opt-in for the donation.

The Challenge for Arts Organisations

This change will have an impact on arts organisations, when you consider the psychology of giving. Defaults are typically left as is in the check out process so an opt-out donation box, especially for a "low" amount such as £1 or 50p, generates quite a bit of income. Opting in will likely generate less.

What Can You Do?

Definitely consider how to message and position the donation. Creating a strong motivation and (suggested giving amount) can help keep donations steady. One example, is to state the goal clearly : "We would like to raise £1,000 this year and with your help we can! Just £1 from you is all it takes."

How Does Ticketsolve Support this Change?

Ticketsolve's donation feature takes patrons through to separate donations page during check out. Here is how it works - in a simple example:

1. Patrons add tickets to their basket.
2. Once they click "buy now" they are taken to their cart.
3. Their cart will show the their line item purchases.
4. One item is "donations" which is set at "free" or "zero" (see below on how to do this).
5. When they click "proceed to checkout" they will be taken to a donations page where they can set the donation amount - if they wish - and continue with the check out process.

If you use the auto donate feature in Ticketsolve, here is what you need to change in order to be compliant.

1. Change the "price" field to 0
2. In the "donation prices" box enter 0 as the lowest price, separating from other prices with a comma.
3. Change the value for the auto tag to 0, e.g., "auto:0"

If you don't currently use the donation feature, but would like to set it up contact support and we can get you started.

Do you use the auto donate feature? How has it worked for you?