Insights
Pennies makes donating quick, easy and affordable
The most recent UK Giving Report shows that over the past year, charitable giving has decreased by 20%. Despite this, The Pennies Foundation still managed to raise almost one million pounds since its launch in 2010, achieving a growth of 100%.
This impressive figure was accomplished through the platform of “micro-donations”. Pennies created a simple, affordable, and unobtrusive process called an “electronic charity box”. It works by asking customers, as they make a card purchase, to round their payment up to the nearest pound. The difference, in pennies, then goes directly to charity.
With 43 million people in the UK using credit or debit cards, and around one million transactions happening every hour, it could be harmful to ignore a donation platform with such potential. In fact, a total of 150 million pounds could be raised for charity each year if card users clicked “yes” to the offer once a month.
Retail partners include big company names such as Zizzi, Monarch Airlines and Travelodge. These retailers are able to select for themselves the charity they wish to represent. There are 50 charities involved, which cover a wide range of causes, such as Alzheimer’s Society, Walking with the Wounded, and Kids Company.
The Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, says of the success, “It has been fantastic to see an innovative idea like Pennies mature so quickly. I encourage other businesses to join the movement for the benefit of charities across the country.”.
Join us on the 14th of May for our Q&A session. It will provide a whistlestop tour of Microsoft Copilot’s key capabilities, how they can help charities, and answer all your burning questions around Microsoft’s AI service.