"Damien": the first iDonAid App

In close collaboration with the Damien foundation we started developing. This process resulted in a fully developed and working Charity App. which was available (localized) in 3 languages.

• "Damien" English
• "Damien" French
• "Damiaan" Dutch

This was supposed to be the explanatory text to be published on the App Store:

Application Title : Damien

"Damien" is your ultimate tool in the fight against leprosy and tuberculosis!
"Damien" is an App from the Damien Foundation, a Belgian non-governmental organization that is active in 15 countries throughout Africa, Asia and America. In 2008 its medical teams treated more than 349,410 patients with leprosy and tuberculosis.

The "Damien" App is:

• A valuable source of information: It contains educative and unique footage on leprosy, tuberculosis and the projects of the Damien Foundation. It also contains unique images of our patron "Saint Damien".
• The easiest way to donate money on your mobile device: Pick an amount and make a donation thanks to the In App Payment functionality and the iDonAid-service. Making a donation is as easy as downloading a song! You can follow up how much charity money has been collected by "Damien" and see how much you have donated to the Damien Foundation. By purchasing this application, you've already made your first contribution to the Damien Foundation.
• A unique promotional tool: Promote the work of the Damien Foundation by activating your social network (Mail, Facebook and Twitter integration). In doing so you become a volunteer and although it may seem a small effort to you and your friends, in the fight against leprosy and tuberculosis it can make a big difference.

Screenshots:

Banners:

How Apple could change its charity application policy

First some facts:

• The approval procedure in general is under extreme pressure from the developer community. It is time for change…
• Apple is not making itself very popular in banning charity apps from its store.
• It is actually very discriminatory to exclude charity organizations from benefitting from the AppStore. [I even wonder if there is a the legal basis for this ban…]

Just a thought:

What if Unicef asked Apple to publish an App?

This is what Apple could do to solve the problem:

• Allow bona fide charities to make full use of the AppStore's payment facilities (paid apps, in app payments, subscriptions)
• Come up with clear and public rules for charity organizations
• Partner with a charity watchdog. They can/must do the pre-approval and clear a charity organization based on facts, figures and the public set of Apple rules. The charity watchdog becomes the guardian for the integrity of Apple's charity apps.
• Lower the 30% rule for approved charity Apps (this way every charity App also is partly an act of Apple charity)
• Start a "Charity" category in the App Store. Instant success gratified!

That's it, that's my iDonAid plea. It really would be a brave move for Apple if they would reconsider their charity app policy and - at least - make it public. I just hope that our efforts raised the awareness that mobile donations are the way to go.

Basically:

Think different for charity.

Kristof Van Brussel

Founder
iDonAid