Smartphone app lets users donate a Euro to charity for free everyday

Tinbox helps companies make their charitable work visible to the public by enabling them to sponsor individual users' daily donations.

Those with charitable inclinations but limited funds can now support their favorite causes without spending their own money via a new mobile app called Tinbox. The Paris based start-up enables users to donate EUR 1 to a charity of their choice for free. The donations, which can be made once a day, are financed by one of the sponsor companies the start-up is working with — who in turn ensure that their charitable deeds don’t go unnoticed.

Tinbox enables companies to communicate their charitable work with the public: in particular to the socially conscious 18-30 demographic who are strongly concerned about companies’ contributions to society. Each day, the app prompts Tinbox members to browse a selection of causes. The user chooses which cause they wish to support and what area of the project they want their allotted EUR 1 to go towards. Then, when they make their donation, the logo of the company that sponsored it appears on their screen.

Tinbox acts as matchmaker between charities, donors and the public, helping companies maintain a positive public image and helping important causes receive the funding they need. Tinbox is not only a social enterprise: it is free to use for app users and charities but companies are charged a small fee on top of their donations. Are there other ways that companies could involve their customers in their charitable deeds?