Across Britain, DOPE Magazine is distributed for homeless people to sell on the streets. People ranging from rough sleepers to asylum seekers can pick up the newspaper for free, collect donations and keep the proceeds.
As we move ever closer to a cashless economy, “sorry mate, I’ve got no change” becomes a refrain heard more and more by homeless people.
To combat this, DOPE Magazine teamed up with TiPJAR® to provide cashless, contactless payment solutions to newspaper vendors around the country. This ground-breaking solution has launched in all DOPE distro points from Brighton to Glasgow. The trial has already proven a success and the technology will undoubtedly make a considerable difference in the lives of thousands of vulnerable people across the UK.
“Selling DOPE Magazine was the lifeline I needed – and now being able to use the TiPJAR QR code has been an absolute game-changer making things a lot easier!” – Steve, London
TiPJAR® is an innovative cashless tipping platform, originally designed to disrupt the hospitality industry and combat the clouded legislation surrounding credit card tips in the UK. The HMRC-cleared start-up is now the UK’s leading cashless tipping solution and is on a mission to help tipped workers across the globe earn more as cash disappears.
The radical partnership came about after a DOPE Magazine vendor approached members of the TiPJAR team outside a restaurant in Shoreditch, London.
Angie, Head of Marketing at TiPJAR said “We were approached by a DOPE vendor and as always, didn’t have any cash. We were totally into the concept and instantly realised we had the tools to be able to make a difference in the lives of these people. We reached out immediately, as the partnership seemed like a no-brainer. We don’t usually focus on donations as a business, but there was something about this initiative that we couldn’t just brush off.”
Focussing mainly on seditious literature, and now distributing over 35,000 copies quarterly, DOPE Magazine is published by Dog Section Press, who distribute free bundles to anyone who could use a little solidarity, to “sell” on the street. This means each issue is worth over £100,000 to their street-vendors. Distribution to vendors is via a country-wide network of radical bookshops, social centres, homeless organisations, and independent volunteers.
Both TiPJAR and Dog Section Press were built on foundations of helping others and believe that radical action and change is needed in their respective sectors.
The pioneering partnership also means that vendors of DOPE Magazine can now accept donations online, regardless of whether they have a smart phone, internet connection or access to power points themselves.
Craig, Editor at Dog Section Press commented “This is obviously something we’d always talked about a lot! A few of our vendors do have card readers but it’s not for everyone – apart from anything, it’s another device to keep charged/safe, and that’s not always the easiest if you’re sleeping rough. We’ve always wanted to give our vendors as many simple, accessible avenues as possible to earn some extra money to support themselves.”
Should they wish, DOPE Magazine vendors will now have access to create their own TiPJAR charity account when collecting their magazines which automatically issues a unique QR code for each person. By scanning the code, members of the public will now be able to donate money to them directly in under 5 seconds using Apple Pay, Google Pay or credit and debit cards.