• Almost half (44%) of respondents say their perception of a business would improve if they offered micro-donations, of which, 21% would be more likely to purchase from there.
  • Nine-in-ten consumers would advise retailers to facilitate micro-donations.
  • 48% are more likely to micro-donate when they know that if every UK cardholder gave 35p a week to charity, charities would raise £1 billion each year.
This month, Pennies shared findings from a landmark survey[1] on UK consumer attitudes and behaviours about donating to charities. Despite the UK public donating £13.9 billion to charities in 2023, up £1.2 billion from 2022[2], increased personal, energy and household costs are the most common reason (56%) cited by those who don’t donate to charities. Meanwhile, consumers reported increased familiarity with micro-donations, citing a preference for giving a small amount of money to charity more often (67%), rather than a lot of money occasionally.

Pennies CEO, Alison Hutchinson CBE, said: “With the increased cost of living in recent years, it is not surprising that many consumers are feeling the pinch, but this also serves to highlight the importance and potential impact of micro-donations, where giving a few pence when paying for a purchase by card or digital wallet can make a huge difference to charities. It is pleasing to see steady momentum in the proportion of consumers who make micro-donations, which increased to 46% this year.”

Growing Trends in Micro-Donations

In-person retail remains the most popular place for people to make micro-donations. Of those that have micro-donated, almost 3 in 4 (72%) have micro-donated in-store, whilst 41% have micro-donated when purchasing food or drink. Online/app/Direct Debit has significantly increased to 40%, compared to 24% in 2023.

Almost half (44%) of respondents say their perception of a business would improve if they offered micro-donations, of which 21% would be more likely to purchase from there. Given that nine-in-ten (90%) consumers would advise retailers to facilitate micro-donations, this bodes well for the growth of micro-donations as nearly half (42%) of UK consumers are now familiar with micro-donations, which is a steady increase compared to the 35% in both 2023 and 2022.

The findings also revealed that the most popular charities to support are those that have a personal connection to the donor or family/friends (favoured by 40%), followed by national charities (30%), local charities (29%), well known charities (19%), and emergency appeals (13%).

Pennies provided further insight about the findings of the survey at its annual Pennies Autumn Celebration Event, which was held on 15 October in London, and attended by over 150 senior leaders from the retail, hospitality, payments and technology sectors.

Get Involved

Retailers can partner with Pennies to allow customers paying by card or digital wallet to easily add a small donation to their purchase—whether in-store, online, or in-app. It’s a simple, affordable, data-free way to donate, with 100% of funds raised going to charity. Since 2010, Pennies has facilitated over 230 million micro-donations, raising more than £55 million for over 1,000 charities in collaboration with more than 150 high street brands including Superdrug, JD Sports, and Poundland.

Together, payment providers, merchants and their customers are helping hundreds of charities make a meaningful difference to the causes and communities they serve.

Because micro-donations matter, now more than ever.

For more information on becoming a Pennies partner or if you'd like to discuss any of the findings from this survey, please contact info@pennies.org.uk.

 

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[1] The survey was conducted by Sapio Research in September 2024 using an email invitation and online survey of 2,000 UK consumers nationally representative of age and gender. This was a repeat of surveys carried out in October 2023 and October 2022.

[2] UK Giving, March 2024, Charities Aid Foundation.