Published June 7, 2010

One of the first features we discussed for our soon-to-be-released iPhone app is the ability to donate money to WBUR. As you know, WBUR is nonprofit and funded by the people we serve.

(Ars Technica)

In 1.0, you will be able to call our support team from within the app. But you won’t be able to punch in your credit card number and contribute — that’s surprisingly complicated. And you won’t be able to do what seems like a no-brainer — donate via iTunes, akin to a one-tap “in-app purchase” — because Apple forbids it.

In a guest post for Ars Technica, my colleague Jake Shapiro, executive director of Cambridge-based PRX (which is developing our app) says Apple’s no-donation policy is a copout:

The excuse that “Apple doesn’t want to be held responsible for ensuring that the charitable funds make it to the final destination” is a cop-out. Google Grants has tackled this already, and organizations like TechSoup and Guidestar do a sophisticated job of authenticating nonprofits and charities worldwide. Apple, of all companies, can’t credibly say it’s not up to the technical and logistical challenge.

And Apple is not just preventing app developers from putting “donate” buttons or any language suggesting that users contribute to charitable causes; it is also cutting off nonprofits from the most powerful direct-payment platform in the mobile marketplace. 1-Click payments are transformative for direct giving, and Apple has tens of millions of users with stored credit cards already accustomed to instant purchases—over 100 million if you add in iTunes users worldwide.

Jake also notes that “text-to-give” is promising, but donations are limited to $10 and there are other hurdles. This is another intriguing but controversial idea within the walls of WBUR.

Might a one-click donate button compel you to give to WBUR?