Retail leaders join charity Pennies in micro-donation movement
Fintech charity Pennies has attracted 40 leaders from across retail, hospitality, payments and technology to accelerate the ubiquity of its micro-donation movement.
Members include leaders from the British Retail Consortium, UKHospitality, The Very Group, Hello Fresh, Nando’s, Greene King, Adnams, Worldpay from FIS, UK Finance, and Natwest Group. Pennies was advised by the MBS Group on a pro-bono basis in making advisory board appointments.
Over the last decade Pennies has revolutionised digital customer giving, meeting the demands of consumers moving away from cash and embracing digital – and proving a seamless way to donate to charity when making a purchase by card and digital wallet. Pennies’ ‘digital charity box’ gives customers paying by card, digital wallet and emerging payment channels, a convenient way to add a small donation to their purchase when shopping with participating retailers. Whether in-store, online and in-app, it’s a simple, affordable, data-free way to donate, with 100% of funds raised going to charity.
Retail veteran and non-executive Director, Angela Luger chairs the retail and services group and said, “The retail sector has been pivotal to the adoption and success of Pennies, helping to unlock over 125million micro-donations which has transformed individuals’ lives and communities across the UK, yet Pennies is possibly one of the best kept secrets in our industry. This voluntary income is more vital now than ever as charities face a decrease in donations, but a greater demand on their services post-pandemic.
“The new Retail and Services Advisory Board that I have the honour of chairing, aims to support the continued growth of pennies as we work towards our audacious goal to raise £1bn per year in micro-donations’ for UK charities. We cannot wait to get started.”
Alison Hutchinson CBE, CEO of Pennies said, “We are thrilled and overwhelmed by the support from the retail industry, stepping forward to unlock even faster growth of this fantastic movement that has raised over £30M for 750+ charities – which for us is really just the start. Our success so far belongs to the millions of people who have given their digital spare change when shopping – and our next challenge is to ensure every consumer is able to do just that, no matter the environment in-store, online or in-app. There is a great deal to do together.”
