QR Codes seem to have nine lives

For nearly a year now, Australians have been conditioned to use QR codes to move about freely during the COVID-19 pandemic. We scan these codes when we enter or exit most establishments. QR codes are something that was once considered to be innovative and, then, left for dead. QR Codes seem to have nine lives. COVID-19 seems to have breathed new life into this tool.

QR codes are indeed everywhere. They’ve even started to re-appear on response devices for charity appeals, again! This week alone, I have received three appeals with QR codes prominently placed on the response devices.

Appeals received today from the North Foundation, Odyssey House, and The Wilderness Society all featured a QR code placed prominently on their respective response devices for their latest campaigns. Just last week I was at Monash Health Foundation where QR codes are in abundant use on promotions for their recent eating disorders appeal.

Now that Australians are used to using the QR code on a daily basis, is your organisation bringing back the QR code?

Steps to set up a QR code

  1. Visit a QR Code generator site, such as QR Code Generator (it’s free)
  2. Select URL and enter your donation page URL
  3. Save the QR Code to your desktop
  4. Insert the QR Code into the art for your response device and on any promotional material

Years ago, I wrote a blog post about the use of the QR code and why they were not more prevalent in the charity sector. These codes appear to have made a comeback in a big way. Perhaps they are here to stay. Equally, perhaps we can thank COVID-19 for conditioning people to accept them for a multitude of uses.

Consider ways in which your non-profit organsiation might deploy a QR code similar to the great non-profit organisations featured here.