Obama campaign using Square for fundraising

With the U.S. presidential election coming up, you’ll likely be hit up by campaigns to donate some money and if the request is coming from the Obama campaign, they may be able to take your credit-card donation via an iPhone, iPad or Android thanks to Square.

For those who don’t know, Square is a payment platform which enables businesses to take credit card and debit cards at a lower cost than the traditional methods, which include hefty cuts of the transaction and costly hardware. Square provides companies a free dongle which plugs into the headphone jack of the iPhone, iPad or Android device. Because campaign donations have a few more hurdles than just outright purchases, Square has worked with the campaign to tailor it.

“Whether you]re a Republican or a Democrat, running for president or local assembly, Square makes it easier than ever for candidates, organizations and volunteers to fundraise for their cause,” said a spokesperson for Square, in a message to TechCrunch.

During his first presidential campaign, Obama was known for utilizing technology in a better way than the competition. Part of that was the staffing of the campaign but now that it’s clear how important mobile and social technology can be, I bet this won’t be the first time we hear about a presidential candidate utilizing mobile technology in a cool way.

[Via TechCrunch, photo via Shutterstock, Filip Fuxa]