When someone returns a lost item through DokiFinder, they receive a finder's reward from the owner, held safely in escrow until the handover is confirmed. But many finders tell us the same thing: they did not do it for the money. So we built a way for them to give their reward to a charity instead — and we are now opening applications for charity partners.
How donating a reward works
- When the handover is confirmed, the finder can choose to donate the reward and select a partner charity.
- The donation is recorded and held in a dedicated charity balance.
- Donations are distributed to partner charities through a reviewed, approved process, and are shown publicly on our charity impact page.
The option only appears once there are approved partners to choose from — which is why we are inviting charities to apply now.
Who can apply
We welcome registered non-profit organisations, including:
- NGOs and registered charities
- Foundations
- Social enterprises
- Public or government bodies with a charitable purpose
How to apply
- Go to our charity impact page and open the partner application.
- Provide your organisation's name, type, registration number and address, a contact person, and supporting documents.
- Our team reviews each application before a charity is listed.
Why it matters
A lost wallet, passport or phone returned is already a small act of kindness. Turning the reward into a donation multiplies it — and gives finders one more reason to come forward. Research on lost wallets suggests people are more honest than we expect — as reported by Scientific American, wallets containing money were returned more often than empty ones. Read what an experiment with 17,000 wallets found.
FAQ
Is donating the reward mandatory?
No. It is entirely the finder's choice, made at handover.
Does the owner pay more if the finder donates?
No. The owner pays the same reward; the finder simply chooses where it goes.
How do charities receive donations?
Donations are collected in a charity balance and distributed to partners through a reviewed and approved process.