Penny for London introduces contactless microdonations on public transport
Howard Lake | 7 November 2014 | News
People travelling around the Transport for London network can now make microdonations to charity via their contactless payment cards in the new ‘Penny for London’ scheme.
Passengers can donate as little as 1p every time they make a contactless payment, in what is described as “the world’s first cit-wide payment giving scheme”.
Funds raised will be distributed to a wide range of London charities and organisations working with disadvantaged young Londoners in the Capital.
Matthew Patten, CEO at the Mayor’s Fund for London, said:
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“With this campaign London is leading the way for the rest of the world in maximising contactless technology to aid social welfare schemes. With Transport for London having just rolled out contactless payment across the network, now is the perfect time to be launching this initiative.”
M&C Saatchi has worked on the scheme on a pro bono basis since the idea was first devised, and has developed all the branding, design, and logos for the campaign. Not surprisingly they have focused on the image of a one penny coin, despite the system’s digital focus.
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, claimed:
“Penny for London is a big, bold idea that will revolutionise the way we give to charity. Enabling people travelling around the city to pool their pennies could potentially add up to hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
To take part in the giving scheme people can opt in via their smartphone or desktop at Pennyforlondon.com.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.