Charity begins at the ATM

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/jun/13/charity-donations-banks-atm

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People are now able to donate money to charities including Cancer Research UK, Barnardo's and Age UK at the same time as withdrawing cash at thousands of ATMs.

More than 8,000 cash machines on the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) group network have been enabled to accept donations of between £1 and £150 for eight charities.

The scheme is now live through RBS machines and will be rolled out by NatWest, Ulster Bank and Coutts, which are part of the same banking group, tomorrow.

The other charities to benefit are Children in Need, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Appeal, which helps finance relief for people affected by major disasters in poorer countries, Oxfam's Emergency Work and the RSPCA at NatWest ATMs.

RBS cash machines will also allow donations to the STV Appeal, which helps children and young people in Scotland who are affected by poverty.

RBS said that if just 1% of the withdrawals it processes included a £1 donation, it would raise £6.5m a year, although the bank could not give a precise figure for how much it expected to raise.

Tesco Bank said people could donate to its chosen charities at ATMs at more than UK 2,200 stores. People do not need to be RBS or Tesco Bank customers to use their machines to donate money, the banks said.

This is the first phase of a wider government drive to boost charitable giving, which is being rolled out through Link, the UK cash machine network.

A hundred million cards, making up almost every debit and ATM card issued by a major UK bank, will eventually be enabled to make donations through ATMs.

Those using the Tesco machines can give £1 to £300 in one transaction to a choice of seven charities: Action for Children, Barnardo's, Teenage Cancer Trust, Together for Short Lives, Save the Children, Cancer Research UK and the DEC Appeal.

Steve Lampshire, RBS senior community affairs manager, said: "Over 2bn ATM transactions were made in the UK last year; and 25% of those are made through our network, so it's pretty obvious it is a regular part of most people's daily lives.

"We know that finances are tight for many people, but if our customers do want to make a donation, we want to make the process as easy as possible for them."

Donations will be offered as a separate menu item on the ATM screen, or as a post-transaction option, so that making a donation will not delay those who just want to withdraw cash or check their balance.

Claire Rowney, head of corporate partnerships at Cancer Research UK, said the charity was delighted to be included in the initiative.

She said: "We're always keen to find new ways to make it quicker and simpler for our supporters to donate."

Barnardo's chief executive, Anne Marie Carrie, said she hoped people with busy lives would find the initiative convenient. "All donations are vital however small. Every pound really does makes a difference."

HSBC already allows its customers to donate to charity through its cash machines, in an initiative that has been operating since 2005. HSBC said £341,623 was donated in 2010, despite the general squeeze on consumers' budgets.