UK sitting on “hoards” of pennies – but charities missing out on vital funds

Today the BBC reports on UK Finance’s survey revealing UK households are sitting on “hoards” of spare physical change that showed little chance of being spent in the next two or three months. As we know at Pennies, small and ad-hoc donations can be the lifeblood of charities – and it remains the UK’s favourite way to give to charity – but with fewer opportunities to donate in traditional collection tins, this money is lying dormant. 

Pennies CEO Alison Hutchinson went on the airwaves of BBC Radio Kent’s Steve Ladner show to express how Pennies and digital micro-donations can help, “can you imagine if every UK adult gave the equivalent to their favourite chocolate truffle once a week? That would raise a billion pounds of new money for the UK charity sector. And so, pennies are really, really valuable.” 

Our research shows that around a third of us would pick up a penny from the street, but the question is – how did we use it? 

Since 2011, Pennies has unlocked £30m from over 125 million donations – and there’s still more to be unlocked. The power of digital micro-donations is incredible – there’s an annual £1bn opportunity for the UK charity sector if every one of us collectively donated just 35p a week. 

And they add up to real, meaningful impact.  

Did you know? Just 10 minutes of Pennies digital donations from people ordering pizza in-app or online with Domino’s could fund an hour of tailored emotional support for a young person with cancer with Teenage Cancer Trust. 

With 65+ live merchants currently using Pennies, and a rise in ethical consumers and Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) agendas demanding more from business, this is a pivotal time for more brands to adopt and embrace micro-donations. 

Listen to the full BBC Radio Kent show here and please get in touch to find out how you can be the next partner joining the movement. Because micro-donations matter, now more than ever.