Pennies Marks 200 Million Micro-Donation Milestone at Annual Event 2023

Pennies Autumn Celebration Event 2023, held on Tuesday 7th November, focused on redefining generosity and marked the remarkable achievement of 200 million micro-donations made with Pennies, underlining the power of small, everyday giving.

Rewatch the event in full below, or via our YouTube channel here – or read on to discover the highlights from an amazing night.

Redefining Generosity

Following an introduction by BBC’s Sally Bundock, Pennies CEO, Alison Hutchinson CBE, urged attendees to think about what generosity means to them. She emphasised that generosity can be an act in and of itself but can also be a way that we define how we act and what we do as individuals, as communities, as businesses and leaders.

Alison highlighted the concerning trend of reduced charitable giving due to rising living costs and financial uncertainties and stressed the need to make giving easy and affordable.

The latest research says 24% of additional people are poised to cancel their regular giving, preferring to give little and often or spontaneously, because that’s when they know they can and that’s why we need to try and really work with Pennies to make sure we make it available to more people; to give in a way they can afford, and to give in the way they want to.

Alison Hutchinson CBE, CEO at Pennies

While people give less regularly, the majority of people – 71% in our latest research – say they prefer giving little and often, over larger sums.

And this has been the reality we have seen at Pennies this year. With the number of micro-donations up almost 50%, year on year – Pennies are seeing more and more people pressing ‘Yes’ when they are given the chance.

Celebrating 200 Million Micro-Donations

At Pennies Autumn Event 2023, Alison Hutchinson CBE proudly announced a significant milestone: Pennies has now enabled an impressive 200 million micro-donations. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the generosity of the public and the growing influence of the micro-donation movement, with more businesses embracing Pennies and our redefined concept of generosity.

A huge thank you to our dedicated supporters, partners and their customers for their role in helping Pennies achieve this remarkable milestone.

Gary Grant’s Keynote – Building Generosity into Business

Following on from Alison’s speech, Gary Grant, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of The Entertainer, captivated the audience with his keynote address titled ‘Embedding Generosity in Business.’ Gary reflected on the transformative impact of generosity in today’s business world, how this aligns with the idea of business as a force for good and the role of purposeful brands in today’s economy.

Generosity is the heart of our business, we’re a family business, we have 170 toy shops up and down the country, and The Entertainer loves to, itself be generous, but more importantly to promote generosity. We can see that businesses can be a force for good… and this is not a CSR ticking box exercise, we actually believe in what we do. We do it because we know it’s the right thing to do.

Gary Grant, Co-founder and Executive Chairman at The Entertainer

Panel Discussion – Unlocking Value: The Impact of Prioritising Purpose

Next up was our panel of retail and hospitality leaders who discussed the focus on social purpose, assessing whether it’s delivering real value for business. They provided insight into how organisations are approaching ESG strategies while delivering commercial returns, motivating colleagues and supporting communities; highlighting the particular importance of Pennies for brands in today’s trading landscape.

Our panel were:

• Ed Connolly, Group Chief Commercial Officer, Currys
• Ben Fletcher, Chief Finance & Transformation Officer, The Very Group
• Debbie Robinson, Chief Executive, Central Co-op
• Jonathon Swaine, Managing Director – Pubs, Shepherd Neame Limited

Hear more from the panellists and watch the full discussion here.

The 4th Annual Pennies Awards

Alison Hutchinson CBE delivered this year’s set of special recognition awards, as nominated by a judging panel of leaders from retail, hospitality, and payments technology sectors.

Pennies Awards recognised individuals and partners who are going over and above to accelerate the micro-donation movement and unlock the opportunity for customer giving, supporting the vital work of hundreds of UK charities.

Read the full story of the awards and discover the full list of winners here.

Thank You for Making Micro-Donations Matter

If you were one of our guests on the evening, thank you so much, and a special thank you to all those that joined us virtually on the live stream online too.

Pennies would like to say a huge thank you to FreedomPay for their support for this year’s event. And we also extend a massive thank you to our guests, supporters, partners and everyone who helped make the evening so special.

Watch the Full Event Online Now

If you missed the event of the autumn, we have you covered – you can watch the whole event again or enjoy for the first time below, or on our YouTube channel here.

Start Your Pennies Journey

Contact us today and become part of the Pennies family, where every micro-donation adds up to make a positive difference for charities across the UK and beyond. Let’s work together to make every penny count.