Donation Box

[Mike]

I know a lot of us collect donations for various charities around the country but there is no documentation on the forums. I thought I would kick it off and show you mine and hopefully it will give others an idea of what you can achieve.

Any other setups you have post them up

I found a safe at Bunnings for $25 which was red and had a coin slot in the top already. The lock mechanism is very sturdy and has 3 pins on it. I attached it to a piece of 1 1/2" schedule 80 pipe (that means its about 4mm thick walls) that has a base plate welded to it. I bolted it to the base plate using M8 x 30mm Security bolts fitted with nyloc nuts.
A bracket will be bolted to my letter box which is brick and allow the pipe to slide into it and have a pin inserted through and a padlock on the other side (think of a tow hitch receiver and you will get the idea)


Top down view so you can see the key hole and the coin slot


Inside the safe you can see the nyloc nuts which will only allow the security bolts to be undone with the correct security bit and a spanner. Also you can see the 3 pins for the locking mechanism


This pic shows the top of the security bolts going through the base plate into the safe


The bracket that will be used to attach to the letter box (not complete yet)

 

[aussiexmas]

I also use a similar idea. I bought a safe at Bunnings ($20 if I remember correctly). However I had to cut a slot into the side to allow donations. I bolt this to a corner of my brick fence at the entry gate - 2 pairs of bolts in each side of the corner which are only accessible from inside the safe. Painted it purple and attached the letters of authority to collect adjacent. Worked a treat last year.

This year I am adding some fluoro paint to it which will cycle with the MR16 UV lights I am controlling.

Last year and again this year, I have a couple of interactive buttons next to the donation box so that when people donate, they can push a button and get some additional flashing lights local to the donation box.
Regards Geoff

 

[Superman]

Wow great set ups.
My two girls have tins from the Mater Hospital and they don't let any cars past unless they raid there ashtrays.
A box is a great idea.

 

[fasteddy]

One of the issues i do see with just having a coin slot is that people cant put in notes. Many people last year dontated in notes like $5, $10, $20 and if your lucky $50. I found my letter box all dressed up worked well and its secure. But nothing gets more donations than actually going out there with a dontation bucket and being with the crowd.

 

[Mike]

Very true with shaking a tin Eddy.
I have enlarged the slot a little and its quite easy to put in a note. I tried putting some in
Although i did take out the notes again and spend it on lights

 

[fasteddy]

A perfect solution then if you were able to easily open up the slot so the notes can be put in as well.

but i reakon during the peak periods especially christmas eve is the best time to get the donation bucket out, i got nearly 1/2 of my dontations (approx $500) just on christmas eve

 

[Lenrie]

Thanks everyone, all very helpful info!
This year I am going to be running a collection for Give Me Five For Kids, my first time at operating a collection.
So all this helps. I have been trying to work out a few ideas for my donations box, keeping mind that my area con have a few yobbos every now and then, and that I dont have the security and solid foundation of a brick fence or letterbox....
Mind you this is all playing second fiddle to my display for the time being, nothing to donate for if there isnt a display

 

[Mike]

Lenrie, First of all welcome.

You could sink a steel sleeve into the ground and concrete it in and have say 50-100mm sticking out of the ground. That will give you enough room to insert a pin and padlock.

Eddy the slot can be easily opened up on this box. And yes your right about shaking the tins. Its also a great way to let people ask questions about the display too

 

[Lenrie]

Thanks Mike

Just been to Bunnings and bought a safe I've been eyeing off. Not sure if its the one in the pics above, but pretty close - 4.2Lt capacity, coin slot, red. $22.90

Not sure if putting concrete in my lawn is a good idea, I'm renting so I dont want to get into strife with our HoHoHoy real estate agent. Land lord might be ok, but prefer not to risk it....
I've been thinking of putting a right angle bracket off of our mail box's post and attaching it that way. Also since this year my display is a walk though style, that I might attach it to the front of the veranda railing. (But that limits my collection ability from those that dont get out of their cars....)

I'm sure I'll figure out something eventually, but I'll let you all know.

Thanks again for your help and inspiration everyone

 

[Lenrie]

Allllll-righty!
Lighting season is just about over, and so begins the time of study and reflection.

I figured out my donation box situation- and it worked perfectly!
The $20 red Bunnings safe, fixed to a mailbox post, bolted and welded to a 40cm diameter steel base. The base was in turn bolted and welded to some high-tensol chain, and linked through our school yard mesh boundary fence. The base was also pegged into the ground with three 40cm long pegs for extra stability.
All of the post and chain was painted black to make it harder for crim's to see what they're working with.
I then ran some solar multi coloured LEDs through the mesh behind the safe, and put some laminated signs on the front and sides to identify the charity the donations are for.

​

I also bought a coke-can sized tin for rattling.
Tin cost $2 from the reject shop. I used a sharp chisel to puncture the lid and made it large enough for 50c coins to easily pass. Then made you a band to wrap around the outside of the tin, with our charity's logo and our displays name and web details etc. Taped it on neatly, and I was ready to rock 'n' roll!

I kept two $1 coins in the tin at all times for that good solid rattle, and a big bowl of candy canes at the ready.
We offered candy canes to anyone that stopped, or walked through our display, and then let them know we were collecting for Give Me 5 For Kids.

It started of pretty slow, but by 12th of December is was getting pretty busy. We had a local Community College organise to come by, and with the bus and about 30 people standing out front it turned into our busiest night.
We handed out close to 100 candy canes, and collected $120 in donations.

This season saw us hand out 250 candy canes (@ at $6/50 candy canes), we gained 100 'likes' on our facebook page, my boyfriend proposed to me by using Christmas lights on the roof, and we had an interview on the radio and we in the local news paper.
The result of all the feverish activity was that we managed to raise $400 for Give Me 5 For Kids!
Far, far more than I expected. So hyped, I'm already planning for next season!
Thanks again for the help and inspiration!

 

[Benslights]

Job well done Lenrie

 

[aussiexmas]

[attachimg=2]Attached is a photo of my 2011 donation box setup. During the show which repeated every 17 min, I mentioned the donation box in my voice introduction together with the charities I collected for. A little of my fluoro paint either peeled or was scratched off. The only problem I encountered with the Bunnings safe was that a couple of times coins were inserted in the keyhole instead of the big front slot. A piece of masking tape covering the keyhole fixed that problem.

I never felt happy to be a tin shaker, but instead handed our sweets for the 2 weeks prior to Christmas. In that time I distributed over $200 worth of sweets. The secure but unattended donation box was cleared nightly and the contents exceeded my wildest dreams. Takings over the month of December while the lights were on exceeded $4800, more than 6 times my 2010 total. It has been an unforgettable and very emotional season that I will never forget.

Regards Geoff

 

[Lenrie]

WOW!
That's INSANE Geoff!
I'd be gobsmacked if we managed that total one year!
It was our first attempt at fundraising with our display, and our 3rd year of decorating. But we've developed quite a fan-base now and I have no doubt we could do better.
Tin-shaking takes guts, particularly when some people see you and then drive off. But with all the irregular weather, we found that it was our best method of collection. Now people know the process and the charity we support, I think next season they will know the drill and wont need prompting.

On the lighter side, the other large display up the next street that we are regularly compared too, was pressured into establishing a fundraising effort of their own simply because we were. Albeit for one of their own sports teams.

 

[zeph]

This season saw us hand out 250 candy canes (@ at $6/50 candy canes), we gained 100 'likes' on our facebook page, my boyfriend proposed to me by using Christmas lights on the roof, and we had an interview on the radio and we in the local news paper. The result of all the feverish activity was that we managed to raise $400 for Give Me 5 For Kids! Far, far more than I expected. So hyped, I'm already planning for next season!

Very cool. You are clearly on you way up in size, appeal, popularity, etc. But it's going to be hard to top the proposal part next year!

 

[Lenrie]

Hmmm... How about a Christmas light wedding?

Nah, far too stressful lol