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.
Poundland and Poundland Foundation: Transforming Lives through Micro-Donations
Discount retailer Poundland partnered with Pennies in 2019, introducing micro-donations to their checkout and enabling customers to support their charity partners and the Poundland Foundation. With the introduction of donations for contactless transactions in 2023 too, customers are making a vital impact on charitable causes close to Poundland’s customers’ hearts.
Poundland launched the Poundland Foundation in 2021, with a mission to support families and change lives across the UK. Having used Pennies in their stores for two years, in support of other charity partners, Poundland looked to build on this blossoming relationship to help raise both funds and awareness for the Foundation with customers and colleagues.
In addition, Poundland was keen to explore ways to significantly boost fundraising and awareness with Pennies. The initial Pennies implementation didn’t provide them with the option for customers to donate when paying by contactless, so exploring options to enable Pennies donations for contactless payments was also a high priority.
What we did.
Collaborating closely with Pennies, Poundland transitioned seamlessly from supporting three charities through micro-donations to supporting their own Poundland Foundation, a grant making charity working to support families and change lives across the UK. This helped raised awareness of Poundland Foundation and kickstarted fundraising efforts. Pennies has become embedded in Poundland’s business model, and the integration was optimised for their specific customer experience.
In 2023, Poundland successfully introduced Pennies for contactless payments too. As Poundland looked to make a change to their payments technology, it was a perfect moment to integrate Pennies micro-donations into the contactless payments journey too.
Pennies worked closely with the teams at Poundland and Worldpay to complete the work, making it effortless for customers to donate 25p at checkout – whether they pay by Chip & PIN or contactless. This move propelled Poundland’s weekly fundraising from an average of around £3,000 to an impressive £27,000.
Pennies worked closely with us to ensure a smooth integration with our customer experience and enhance our contactless payment journey. As a discount retailer that places great importance on value, our customers have warmly embraced the micro-donation option at checkout, and we are delighted by the positive response. Our customers have shown remarkable generosity through their contributions, with millions opting to support the Poundland Foundation’s mission.
The impact.
Since launch, millions of customers have embraced micro-donations, resulting in over £1.1 million raised for charity from over 4.6 million donations. Poundland’s journey into digital giving and their partnership with Pennies have delivered remarkable results. Through the generosity of customers, they have not only raised substantial funds for Poundland Foundation but also kindled awareness and engagement among their customers and colleagues.
Charitable Giving
Over £1.1 million raised, benefiting national charity partnerships and community grant programs.
Social Responsibility
Enhanced their value and ethics-led vision, fostering a strong connection among colleagues.
Customer Engagement
Millions of Poundland customers now actively support the charity Poundland Foundation.
The recent addition of Pennies micro-donations to Poundland’s contactless payments has been transformative, significantly enhancing their ability to create a meaningful impact. The impact on donations once contactless had been enabled has seen an increase in what they raise consistently for their national charity partnerships Make-A-Wish Foundation UK, Tommy’s and Whizz-Kidz.
- Just 30 minutes of micro-donations from Poundland customers can enable Tommy’s to hold two Tommy’s Clinics to help two women and their families keep their babies safe.
- 1 day of micro-donations from Poundland customers could help Whizz-Kidz deliver a piece of life-changing mobility equipment to a young person.
- 1 week of micro-donations from Poundland customers can help Make-A-Wish UK grant the wishes of 10 children with a life-limiting condition.
There is immense power when a group of people work together toward the same goals. This is evident in what Poundland have achieved collaborating with Pennies, making a significant difference to their Foundation and the local communities they serve. Pennies is proud to be part of this journey.
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Verifone and Pennies reach milestone of £6 million raised for charities via micro-donations on payment devices
Verifone and Pennies are delighted to announce they have facilitated more than £6 million in charitable donations since first partnering in 2011.
Pennies Partners with Acrelec UK to Amplify Micro-Donations
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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.