Not-for-profits decry App Store block on tap-to-donate apps

Want to donate to a non-profit? There's no app for that. You'll have to go to a website and fill out the information there. This has led to some wailing and gnashing of teeth from non-profits who know that if they could reduce the "friction," more people would donate. It's the same reason that Amazon has an iPhone and iPad appplusanother app especially designed just for the iPad, rather than requiring you to use their website: the easier it is for you to spend your money, the more are to do so.

So far the only app that was able to do this, for a time, was PayPal, but Apple eventually required that they remove that feature according to a recent New York Times article. Some have speculated that Apple may want to take their usual 30 percent cut, but realize that would be a bad PR move. That doesn't make much sense to me. After all, Apple is happy to let you shop at Amazon through Amazon's various apps without getting a 30 percent cut. An Apple spokesperson declined to explain the reasons for the ban, saying that "We are proud to have many applications on our App Store which accept charitable donations via their Web sites," which is only a little better than if they had said, "Hey! It's a phone, you could just call up and make a donation!"

I realize that Apple is a business, and they aren't under compulsion to support anybody, non-profit or otherwise. I think signing a petition to get Apple to change their minds will have all the effect of spitting into the ocean: it probably won't hurt, but I doubt it will help. Go ahead and sign it if you agree. Truthfully, I suspect this is one of those details of the App Store that just hasn't been solved yet (much like demos for apps - yes I'm mentioning that again). Given time, I expect Apple will find a way to make donations work, and yes, I wish that would be sooner rather than later. In the meantime, those who are threatening to switch to Android (which makes it easier for these kinds of donations to be made) have my admiration. Wait, what's the word for when you roll your eyes at something?

I'm not anti-non-profit (heck, I work for one). I just think that such threats (or mocked up images casting Steve Jobs as the Grinch) carry little weight and probably end up making people who use them seem a little more desperate for attention and a little less sympathetic. That's just my opinion; your opinion may differ. I'm reminded of an old Saturday Night Live skit where someone overturned the dinner table and stormed out of the room ... again, and again, and again. There are only so many times you can use that much drama. Make your voices heard, but be reasonable about it.