Even a penny can help UK charities

Even a penny can make a difference--it costs individual consumers little to donate but spare change from many people adds up over time. This is an aspect of consumer behavior being applied by several non-profit groups to encourage micro-donations to charities.

For example, the UK charity Pennies has, for 5 years, been collecting pennies from consumers who agree to 'round up' their purchases at Domino's Pizza and other participating merchants. So far, the group has raised more than 2 million pounds for worthy causes, as you can see by reading its impact report here. Also check its Facebook page for the latest news.

Another non-profit group encouraging micro-donations is Penny for London, part of the Mayor's Fund for London. Here, the focus is on encouraging 1p to 10p donations by consumers who pay for transport or food with contactless methods such as smartphones.

Coinstar, the coin-counting machine network, also encourages micro-donations of coins for its participating charities, including British Red Cross, the Children's Society and Unicef. Pennies do count!