10 January 2012

The Pennies Foundation has created Pennies, the electronic charity box to make giving to charity easy, quick and affordable. It’s a new method for the old habit of dropping a few coins into the charity box on the shop counter.

Customers can simply and safely donate pennies whenever they use their debit or credit card to pay for goods and services. Customers are asked via the chip and PIN terminal whether they would like to round up to the next pound or to make a one-off donation of around 25p, meaning donation is private and the customer’s choice every time.

'Micro-donations are powerful, and not to be underestimated,' says Alison Hutchinson, Chief Executive of The Pennies Foundation. 'There are 43 million card holders in the UK today, and around one million card transactions an hour. If the UK’s card-holders donated 30p each month, over £150 million would be raised for charity every year.'

Retailers who join forces with Pennies nominate the charity or charities to benefit from most of the money collected. The rest is split equally across 10 other UK charities, which cover a range of causes such as cancer, homelessness and causes benefiting vulnerable children and the elderly. Other charities that are supported by Pennies include Great Ormond Street Hospital, RNIB, the Alzheimer’s Society and Cancer Research UK. There is also the option for more localised giving.

Pennies is now available in a range of national retailers and restaurants with more going live as we speak; we encourage everyone to donate their ‘spare change’ when they see the Pennies sign. You can find a full list of participating retailers at www.pennies.org.uk. For more information or if you are interested in adopting the scheme, please contact info@pennies.org.uk or call 020 7600 9286.