Micro-donation charity works with IT supplier to integrate its processes with point-of-sale software

Micro-donation charity works with IT supplier to integrate its processes with point-of-sale software

Pennies, the electronic charity box, has announced an agreement with IBM that will enable easier, quicker and more efficient consumer micro-donations at the point of sale (PoS) for High Street retailers.

IBM has worked with the registered UK charity to incorporate the ‘Pennies donation’ functionality into the latest version of its EPS retail PoS payment software.

Pennies is a simple idea that allows shoppers to donate the small change from a purchase directly to charity. Having gone live in November 2010, it is proving popular with consumers, with more than half a million donations so far made through three participating retailemore and more poised to go live. The donations made to date – many under 10 pence – exceed £126,000, benefitting 14 charities.

Embedding Pennies at PoS

The Pennies electronic charity box has now been turned into reality for many more customers shopping on the High Street as a result of its work with IBM, and partner Smart Technology Solutions (STS), to develop a Pennies software solution for IBM retail customers that provides an easy way to donate money when paying in-store by credit or debit card.

Now consumers just press ‘YES’ on the chip and PIN machine and their payment is automatically rounded up to the nearest pound sending the additional small change to charity.

The ‘Pennies donation’ functionality uses EPS chip and PIN technology already available at the PoS, so retailers upgrading to the latest version of the software have the option to offer its integrated Pennies service to their customers.

Extending functionality to more tills

Alternatively, retailers can take the Pennies component and integrate it into their existing version of the software. The convenience brought about by Pennies inclusion in this software means that retailers need to spend little time and effort managing the technology changes and can focus on the decisions which support and magnify their corporate responsibility strategy.

Alison Hutchinson, chief executive of The Pennies Foundation, which created Pennies, said: “We are delighted that IBM has included the Pennies donation functionality in the latest version of its payments software.

"We have worked closely with IBM for some time with a view to providing retailers with a readymade solution for Pennies. We see this as a springboard that will make a micro-donation option increasingly available through retailers. Since we launched, the consumer response has been overwhelming with hundreds of thousands choosing to donate pennies to a range of charities through Pennies. We look forward to being joined by many more retailers in the coming months.”