Currys, in partnership with the award-winning UK fintech charity Pennies, has successfully raised over £1 million for charity. This milestone has been achieved through customer micro-donations, demonstrating the power of collective small contributions.
The partnership has enabled support for various charities, including the Digital Poverty Alliance in the UK and My Canine Companion in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). Currys offers customers the option to make micro-donations via the card terminal screen when they pay for their purchases in-store. This process is designed to be simple and discreet, offering a straightforward ‘yes or no’ option for customers wishing to donate.
The impressive sum was reached following more than 3.6 million individual micro-donations from Currys’ customers. These donations have significantly contributed to the causes supported by the charities.
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In Currys’ UK stores, a single day’s worth of customer micro-donations is sufficient to provide two disadvantaged families with laptops through the Tech4Families scheme, an initiative of the Digital Poverty Alliance. Digital inclusion is crucial in today’s society, as lack of digital access exacerbates poverty and inequality. Addressing this issue aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goal of reducing inequality within and among countries.
In ROI, four weeks of micro-donations contribute to funding the training of a specialist puppy for My Canine Companion. This organization is recognized as the largest provider of service dogs to children and young adults with autism in Ireland, playing a crucial role in improving the lives of these children and their families.
Alex Baldock, CEO of Currys Group, said, “We pride ourselves on helping everyone enjoy amazing technology, and that extends to those living in digital poverty. My most heartfelt thanks go to the millions of customers who generously choose to donate, especially in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. I’m proud of how far we’ve come in helping eradicate digital poverty for thousands of families across the UK. With our customers’ continued help and tireless work by the Digital Poverty Alliance, we want to make digital poverty a problem of the past.”
Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, expressed her gratitude by saying, “We are so grateful to every customer of Currys who has donated to our Tech4Families scheme. Hundreds of children have already benefitted this year by receiving a laptop bought with these contributions. Seeing first-hand how transformative access to a device is for the families we’ve been able to help is incredible. We’re looking forward to being able to help many more in the months and years’ to come, and want to thank Currys and its customers for their continued support.”
Keith Daly, Country Manager Currys Republic of Ireland, acknowledged the support of Currys’ customers in Ireland: “I’m overwhelmingly grateful for the generosity of Currys’ customers in Ireland, in helping us raise such vital funds for My Canine Companion. We’ve seen how hard the charity works and the incredible impact the dogs have in helping children and families across Ireland. Thank you for all you do, and thank you to our wonderful customers too!”
Niall Ruddy, CEO of My Canine Companion, shared his appreciation for the ongoing partnership with Currys: “We are delighted to announce that our fantastic partnership with Currys is to continue after another very successful year working with the company. The partnership has enabled us to continue to be the largest provider of service dogs to children and young adults with autism in Ireland. We would like to thank the staff and management of Currys for their hard work and dedication to the partnership so far and look forward to working with them into the future. We also want to thank all of Currys’ customers who contributed at the tills to our work through the Pennies initiative. Every cent is making that difference and changing lives.”
Pennies CEO, Alison Hutchinson CBE, also added: “Congratulations to the team at Currys and your amazing customers for reaching over 3.6 million micro-donations for charity. These small acts of generosity have enabled all those small digital donations to add up £1 million making a huge difference for the great work that Currys’ nominated charities in the UK and ROI do so brilliantly. Thank you to the Currys team and to all those kind customers in the UK, Northern Ireland and ROI who press ‘Yes’ – your small acts of kindness make such a difference.”
This achievement by Currys and its customers, in collaboration with Pennies, is a testament to the impact that small, individual acts of charity can collectively make, significantly benefiting both the Digital Poverty Alliance and My Canine Companion.
