Donation technology

A few years ago, we launched a new donation platform that has generated revolutionary results for The Mission to Seafarers.

Over the past few years, we have continued to optimise the system, and have seen an impressive uplift in both the number of donors, and average donation. We have since introduced a monthly and annual donor subscription programme which is currently seeing double the number of donors sign up every year.

The donation feature is built on the versatile React framework, allowing donors to choose the frequency of their donation as well as the amount they donate. Whether they choose to donate one-off or on a recurring basis, the donation engine provides a flexible and streamlined experience for supporters to contribute generously to the charity. The back-end of the platform manages the supporting causes, allowing donors to select their preferred cause for gifting.

The donation engine is seamlessly integrated with the charity’s CRM, creating a profile for each donor which streamlines future communication strategies. Overall, the flexibility of the donation engine has transformed the donor journey and fundraising efforts for The Mission to Seafarers.

Event fundraising infrastructure

Adventure Race Japan is The Mission’s 2023 corporate fundraising event. The platform was built to fully manage the processes in the lead up, from key information being presented, to team sign-up and payment, to a an automated league table of team sponsorship progress. A donation interface runs separately to the charity’s main donor platform, however is seamlessly integrated behind the scenes. The platform is available in both English and Japanese.

The event successfully generated over £1.3M in funds, which is a record both for the charity and the industry. The capital raised through this initiative will be allocated towards their emerging Port Strategy which is currently valued at millions of dollars.

Bespoke data collection platform

The Seafarers Happiness Index is a global and anonymous data collection programme run by The Mission to Seafarers with the aim of improving life at sea using the results collected.

Our data-driven solution surveys the health and wellbeing of seafarers. By asking 10 key questions in a chatbot style process, the platform monitors and benchmarks seafarer satisfaction levels, serving as a vital barometer of their contentment with life at sea.

The platform has been thoughtfully designed around an intuitive user interface, ensuring ease of use and comprehension for seafarers across the world, even if English isn’t their first language. The Seafarers Happiness Index is also available via the native mobile app (below).

The data collected from the surveys is distributed globally to provide indicators of key issues concerning the happiness of seafarers, both on shore and aboard. The results are subsequently shared with industry stakeholders and key decision makers for analysis and assessment. The valuable feedback is then utilised and interpreted for maritime bodies, enabling them to take appropriate action to improve the health and wellbeing of seafarers.

Native mobile app

The primary objective of the Happy at Sea app is to improve the communication between the charity and seafarers globally, as well as foster interaction among seafarers themselves.

Paramount to the organisation’s success is the relationship they have with seafarers. Without a mobile application, seafarers may struggle to access valuable aid and resources due to limited (if any) signal available whilst at sea.

Aiding seafarers in their everyday lives, the mobile application provides them with instant access to assistance from port chaplains, wellbeing resources and news, and allows them to track their journey worldwide via a one-tap check-in process to ports across the globe.

The charity can interact with seafarers who are using the Happy at Sea app via a bespoke Laravel-powered web application which sits separately. This web application also manages app content, allowing instant communications and notifications to be sent out globally or regionally. Some information and resources are also fed directly from the corporate website databases, allowing for seamless integration between all of their platforms.

Corporate website

The primary goal in the planning, design and development of the content-rich and feature-heavy new website for The Mission to Seafarers was to enhance service delivery to seafarers, and promote the charity’s work to the corporate sector and the general public. The objective was to raise the profile of the organisation and attract more public donors, as well as securing corporate sponsorships.

Following the launch of the new website, large advancements have been made as well as continuous developments and additions to optimise the experience delivered for all.

From a technical perspective, the website is managed via WordPress, however it also integrates with a payment processor to manage donations, as well as a CRM via an API connection. The website also feeds information to the native mobile app.