Supporting the UK’s most loved charities with pennies through the Covid Second wave

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Supporting the UK’s most loved charities with pennies through the Covid Second wave.

Pledjar, a new mobile app that allows users to donate rounded-up pennies from everyday purchases, has teamed up with the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) to support the UK’s most loved charities.

Many non-profit organisations have struggled with fundraising since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and, with the UK experiencing a second wave of the virus along with social restrictions set to stay until April 2021, charities could be forced to withdraw vital services or close completely following cuts in funding.

With the pandemic encouraging a greater shift to a cashless society, those charities that do survive may never see the levels of cash donations that were present pre-Covid.

Pledjar are offering a digital solution to charities through their micro-donations fundraising app, which modernises how people donate their spare change. The app automatically rounds-up pennies from purchases to the nearest pound and lets users choose the charity they want to support.

The collaboration with CAF, a charity that exists to support other charities and grow giving, means users can quickly and securely direct their donations to support some of the UK’s most popular charities, including Macmillan Cancer Support, the British Heart Foundation, Oxfam and Samaritans.

The free-to-download app uses the latest in real-time Open Banking technology and lets users securely sync their bank account to the app, which will then automatically calculate the total rounded-up pennies to give from purchases and ensure they reach their chosen charity.

Mujtaba Jaffer, CEO, said: “We know the UK population is a great supporter of charitable causes and even since lockdown people still want to give what’s affordable to them. Pledjar offers a simple solution of micro-giving, which when combined with others, can make real change.

“That’s why we’re delighted to team up with CAF, who give Pledjar users even more choice and diversity when choosing a charity to support. Best of all, we don’t charge users any fees, so they can support anything from animals to vulnerable children and cancer care to food banks.”

Klara Kozlov, CAF’s Head of Corporate Clients, adds:  “CAF’s research tells us that many of our most cherished charities have traditionally relied on cash donations to enable them to deliver vital services to communities and those funds effectively disappeared overnight when the pandemic hit. We are always open to innovative ways to connect donors with charities, and we recognise CAF can play a key role in bringing these two together.

“Pledjar provides a secure and straight-forward way for people to give to causes close to their hearts and we are proud to be working with them to in turn deliver much-needed support to charities at a time when their contribution is never more needed.”

Pledjar, which launched earlier this year, stands out from other donation platforms as they are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, making them a trusted gateway for donations to charities.

Last month, Pledjar ranked 14th place on the ‘2020 Business Cloud’s 100 FinTech Disrupters'. The list pays tribute to UK companies transforming the financial landscape and this recent recognition, in such a short space of time, puts Pledjar as one of the ones to watch in the fintech space.
The app works on both Android and Apple devices and is available in App stores to download now.

Charities supported:

British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, St Johns Ambulance, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Marie Curie, The Guide Dogs for the blind, The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Samaritans, WWF UK, Battersea Dogs’ and Cats’ Home, BBC Children in Need, Save the Children, The Salvation Army, NHS Charities Together, Refuge, Unicef, Royal National Institute of Blind People, Movember and Dementia UK.