Pennies, the award-winning fintech charity, found in a survey that 48% of UK consumers would be more likely to micro-donate if they knew giving just 35p a week could raise £1 billion annually for charities.
Inspiring Impact: Elevating Charitable Giving Through Pennies Campaigns
Merchant partners have harnessed campaigns with Pennies to boost donation rates and increase impact for their charity partners, while also keeping their fundraising exciting and engaging for customers and colleagues throughout the year.
What we do.
Pennies works with merchant partners to maximise charitable efforts and inspire genuine engagement from colleagues and customers throughout the year. One initiative which is proven to grow donations is campaigning.
By implementing targeted campaigns, businesses have been able to amplify the impact of Pennies micro-donations, raise additional funds for charity, and ensure that their chosen charity partners remain at the forefront of colleagues’ and customers’ minds all year round.
Charity takeover campaign.
Dedicated periods of time with a charitable focus, encouraging involvement and enthusiasm among colleagues and customers.
Example:
Toolstation / Macmillan Cancer Support
Toolstation has partnered with Pennies since 2021, collecting micro-donations year-round in support of Macmillan Cancer Support. A few times a year, for a specified period (typically a week or 10 days) Toolstation run charity takeovers which see increased visibility for Macmillan’s work in stores and colleague fundraising activity on site, amongst other initiatives.
Toolstation recognised a way to maximise funds raised with Pennies during this period too, by increasing the donation proposition to £1. This campaign also prompted engaging discussions among colleagues about Pennies and the significance of customer micro-donations. As a result, one such campaign raised over £14,000 a week and increased the number of micro-donations a week by 22%. Post-campaign, donations reverted to their usual 25p – but the increased awareness of the importance of micro-donations, and the impact for Macmillan, remained.
“At Toolstation, partnering with Pennies for our charity takeover campaigns, supporting Macmillan Cancer Support, was a game-changer. By increasing donations to £1, we sparked meaningful conversations among colleagues and customers, helping us to increase donation numbers and make a real difference.”
Jon Dunning, Head of Trade Sales, Toolstation
Charity awareness day campaign.
Highlighting specific charity days to raise awareness and donations for either your current charity partner, or switching charity to support a particular charity campaign.
Example:
Booths / BBC Children in Need
Booths launched a charity awareness day campaign for BBC Children in Need, strategically timed to align with the charity’s high-profile fundraising days leading up to their TV Appeal. This campaign showcased Pennies’ and Booths’ ability to promptly support important and timely causes. Through a range of promotional efforts and fundraising activities in-store, Booths raised awareness about the charity and encouraged customers to donate at the checkout using Pennies. In total, they raised an impressive £7,865 for Children in Need in just 7 days.
“At Booths, we recognise the importance of seizing the moment for impactful causes like BBC Children in Need. Through our recent campaign with Pennies, we’ve not only raised significant funds but also heightened awareness for BBC Children in Need and strengthened connections with customers and colleagues.”
Helen Skelly, Retail Operations Manager, Booths
Match-giving campaign.
Doubling the impact by the merchant matching funds, encouraging increased customer donations and colleague engagement.
Example:
Domino’s / Teenage Cancer Trust
Pennies supported Domino’s to enable a match-giving campaign on Giving Tuesday, in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Domino’s committed to matching every donation made through Pennies, doubling the impact of each contribution. This match-giving approach not only motivated customer donations but also highlighted Domino’s commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of young people with cancer. They raised £3,223 that day, surpassing the value of donations by 118% compared to a typical Tuesday. Domino’s repeat this campaign each year for Giving Tuesday, thanks to the proven impact on donation rates.
“Domino’s is proud to partner with Pennies on match-funding campaigns like Giving Tuesday, doubling the impact of every donation made. These campaigns give us the opportunity to amplify our impact for Teenage Cancer Trust and showcase the remarkable generosity of our customers.”
Rachel Townsend, Senior Stores and Charities Communications Manager, Domino’s
Seasonal campaign.
Supporting various charities throughout the year, whether on a monthly, quarterly, or amount-raised basis, to maximise the impact across different causes.
Example:
Outdoor & Cycle Concepts
Outdoor and Cycle Concepts – which include brands Cotswold Outdoor, Runners Need and Snow+Rock – organise seasonal campaigns to support multiple charities throughout the year. Through this approach, they’ve raised over £470,000, averaging £40,000 for each charity supported. By refreshing the Pennies micro-donation initiative periodically, always supporting charities closely aligned to their brand and customer values, they’ve kept colleagues and customers engaged, guaranteeing ongoing support and engagement and building a strong sense of community and social purpose.
“Our partnership with Pennies has enabled us to take our charitable giving to new heights. Through engaging seasonal campaigns, we’ve kept both our colleagues and customers excited about supporting important causes.”
Emma Wilcox, Partnerships Manager, Outdoor & Cycle Concepts
Urgent appeal campaign.
Responding swiftly to urgent appeals or crises, mobilising support when it’s most needed.
Example:
Ukraine Appeal
When the crisis in Ukraine developed in 2022, Pennies partners were able to quickly react to the evolving situation. In March 2022, 11 merchants in the UK and Ireland, including Domino’s, Sofology, ASK Italian, Cotswold Outdoor and Whitbread, pivoted their Pennies micro-donations to support causes including the Disasters Emergency Committee, Choose Love and UK for UNHCR. Customers’ micro-donations aided those affected by and fleeing the war in Ukraine and by late June, £340,000 had been raised from more than 1.1 million individual micro-donations.
“Time and again, the public have shown incredible generosity in times of crisis. Pennies has been humbled to be able to play its part during recent events in Ukraine, helping to channel this desire to do good through digital micro-donations. Thank you for every micro-donation – they really do matter.”
Alison Hutchinson CBE, CEO, Pennies
The impact.
By utilising these campaign options, partners can demonstrate their commitment to social impact and motivate colleagues, customers, and communities to join them in making positive change.
Amplified Fundraising
These campaigns with Pennies generate a notable increase in funds raised for charity, highlighting the effectiveness of collective efforts.
Increased Engagement
Partners notice a significant rise in participation from colleagues and customers, creating a stronger sense of community and purpose.
Continuous Impact
Boosting visibility of the impact of micro-donations for charity helps ensure continued support from colleagues and customers even after campaigns have ended.
Interested in running a Pennies campaign?
Get in touch with your Pennies’ Business Development Account Manager today to learn how you can use Pennies campaigns to make an even bigger impact for your charity partner.
For more ideas and inspiration, you can also request access to our Merchant Partner Resources Hub.
Discover more partner stories.
Start your journey now.
From retail, hospitality and technology brands looking to make a real difference, to charities looking to boost their impact, now is your chance to join the micro-donation movement.