Member Article

Innovative new application revolutionises charity giving

A new platform helping national charities collect donations and raise money in a digital world has launched with the help of Leeds, Newcastle and Manchester based law firm, Ward Hadaway.

PayBurst, from Allstar Media Services, is the brainchild of Leeds based Ben and John Mustard and is a web application designed to revolutionise giving at charity events, allowing cashless donations and gift aid to be collected in real time.

Charities including Variety are already taking advantage of the new technology to raise money in an increasingly “cashless” world, with PayBurst supporting giving through Apple Pay, Android Pay, credit and debit cards. PayBurst also allows for live voting during charity events.

Ward Hadaway Associate Nathan Bilton, a specialist in providing advice on commercial arrangements and contracts specialising in technology and telecoms, helped the Allstar Media team as they prepared to commercialise PayBurst.

Nathan said; “I’ve worked with Allstar Media for a number of years, helping them with the commercial arrangements for a range of software products and services.

“Because PayBurst generates financial transactions between PayBurst and the charities it works with, as well as the charities and their donors, it was vital the terms of use were watertight. Managing data through the platform is also important, as donors are handing over their personal and financial data. We needed to ensure that PayBurst was compliant with GDPR regulations and had the correct privacy policy in place.”

Ben Mustard, operations director at Allstar Media, said; “We’ve worked with Nathan at Ward Hadaway for a number of years and know and trust his expertise. We wanted to ensure our customers – and their donors – have complete peace of mind when using PayBurst and that their data and financial information is properly protected so they can give with confidence. We also know from experience that going forward, the App Store and Google Play Store will not accept Apps without the correct terms and conditions in place, so getting the right advice was vital.”

PayBurst has already been recognised for its innovative technology after being shortlisted by the Northern Digital Awards 2019 in the Best Digital Tool/Software category.

For anyone considering commercialising an App, whether a web-based application or mobile App, here’s Nathan Bilton’s advice for ensuring your web application is compliant:

1. Always commission tailor made terms and conditions through a reputable lawyer. A copy and paste job from the internet may well tick the box for the App Store or Google Play Store, but may trip you up down the line.
2. Due to GDPR, ensure you have a clear and up to date Privacy Notice. The protection of your customer data is vital.
3. Future-proof your terms and conditions by thinking about what they may need to cover later down the line. Talk to your lawyer about your future plans as this helps them draft terms broad enough to cover future use.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rachel McBryde .