From initial integration to ongoing engagement with members and colleagues, Central Co-op has made a significant impact in local and global communities through its partnership with Pennies, driving both social good and ethical retailing with micro-donations.
Central Co-op wanted to offer customers a chance to “give a little” – making it easy and affordable for individuals to support charity as part of everyday life. With shoppers often visiting multiple times a week, it was essential to strike the right balance between regular giving and maintaining customer satisfaction.
Pennies provided the perfect solution: a simple, tech-led option to give back – without interrupting the customer experience or increasing pressure on store colleagues.
In summer 2023, Central Co-op launched Pennies micro-donations to all manned tills across its food stores – offering customers and members the opportunity to give small, affordable donations when paying by card or digitally at manned tills.
Central Co-op’s payments provider, Opayo with Elavon, was engaged right from the start, with weekly check-ins and a collaborative approach that ensured a seamless integration of Pennies.
The rollout of Pennies was supported by clear planning and strong internal teamwork and collaboration:
Working with Central Co-op and Pennies has shown how technology can help make a real difference, without complicating the customer experience. Our teams met weekly during implementation and rollout to make sure everything worked seamlessly – and the results speak for themselves.
Within just three months, over 1 million micro-donations had been made, raising £126,000 for then charity partner, Dementia UK. As a business embedded within the community for over 180 years, Central Co-op has used Pennies to build a meaningful and ongoing dialogue with its members – around both the causes they care about and the impact they’re helping to create, together.
Customer and colleague response has exceeded expectations with around 15% of customers regularly choosing to donate – a strong opt-in rate that demonstrates how well Pennies fits into Central Co-op’s community-first culture.
Our customers and members have embraced Pennies because it’s affordable, meaningful, and rooted in the values of the community. It’s inspiring to see how quickly it has become a natural part of the shopping experience. Pennies micro-donations are a perfect fit for us – enabling meaningful giving while staying true to our community values.
Central Co-op has embraced the flexibility built into the Pennies solution to grow donation and engagement levels.
Having polled its members about the causes most important to them, the business temporarily changed charity partners during the 2023 festive period to support Shelter, helping those facing homelessness during the colder season – a shift that felt timely and meaningful for local communities.
In Autumn 2024, Central Co-op began supporting Samaritans as their primary charity partner, after a vote by members and colleagues. Pennies also supported the business to pivot quickly in response to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal for 3 months, during which time donations were split between Samaritans and the DEC.
Celebrating milestones has been key to keeping momentum strong too. Central Co-op marked their 1 million donation milestone with thank-you messaging across stores, while top-performing branches were recognised internally, boosting team motivation and driving greater support for Pennies across all stores.
Central Co-op has embraced micro-donations as a powerful, simple way to support the causes that matter most to its communities. Their commitment to making giving easy for customers – and empowering members to have a real impact – has set a remarkable example for others in the sector. It’s been an absolute privilege to support their journey.
100% of every micro-donation made by Central Co-op customers has helped unlock vital support for people facing real challenges – whether that’s living with dementia, struggling with homelessness, or experiencing a mental health crisis.
Together, customers and members have raised over £700,000 through more than 7 million micro-donations, delivering tangible results for charity partners including Dementia UK, Samaritans, Shelter, and the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).
Every 7 minutes, Central Co-op customers raise enough money through Pennies micro-donations to help fund another life-saving call for help to Samaritans.
Thanks to Central Co-op’s approach – grounded in listening to members and responding with empathy – Pennies is helping them deliver charitable support that truly reflects the needs and values of each local community.
And most importantly, doing so in a way that ensures every penny counts.
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.
