WIREDGOV

People will be given the opportunity to make donations to charity at 12,000 cash machines (ATMs) across the UK this summer, Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, announced recently.

Ministers have been looking at new ways to make it easier for people to give small amounts of money to charity. They have been working with cash machine operator LINK to ensure that cash points can start offering people the opportunity to donate to charity in time for the 2012 Olympics. With an influx of people visiting the UK this summer, the Government is keen to give them every opportunity to support worthy causes when they wish to.

Charity donations will be made possible at all 12,000 ATMs belonging to Royal Bank of Scotland and cash machine operator Bank Machine this summer, which is already being heralded as the ‘summer of social action’. The country will be united in celebrating the Diamond Jubilee and London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games, with many people volunteering and organising street parties for their community. The banks taking part in the scheme will nominate a number of charities and people will be able to choose who they support at the cash point.
 
Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said:

People in this country have always given generously to worthy causes. We want to make it easier for people to give small amounts to charity if they want to. By making it possible to add donations at cash points we can make an even greater difference to other people’s lives.

“It’s important that as a Government we bring public sector bodies, businesses and civil society organisations together to find new ways to support charitable and voluntary action. That’s why later today we are holding a summit so that we can find new ways to support charitable and voluntary action.”

Steve Lampshire, Senior Community Affairs Manager Royal Bank of Scotland, said:

We know that finances are tight for many people, but if our customers do want to make a charitable donation we want to make the process as easy as possible. In turn our selected charities will receive a steady income to enable them to carry out their vital community work.

Melanie Knight, Bank Machine’s Director of Communications & Resources, said:

Bank Machine was the first ATM operator to announce its participation in the ATM Charity Giving scheme.  We have received registrations of interest from over 550 charities that wish to take part. We have asked an independent panel to decide which charities will participate as we want to ensure that as many worthy causes as possible are able to take part.

Tuesdays (may 8^th 2012) announcement came ahead of the Giving Summit which took place later through out the day bringing together public sector bodies, business and civil society organisations who discussed how they could work together to make Britain and even more generous country.

The Government has already taken measures to make it easier to give, so that it becomes a part of everyday life. It has, for example, supported measures such as text giving and financed innovative crowd-funding platforms. Through the £10 million Innovation in Giving Fund the Government supports creative ideas so that they can scale up grow and become self-sustaining.

Notes to Editors

1. The Government identified in the Giving White Paper the potential for ATM giving as a way to facilitate and promote giving. 

2. The Government has been working with LINK to encourage the development of such facilities. This has led to charity giving will be possible at selected cash machines (ATMs) over the summer.  

3. At a first phase charity donations can be made at all 12,000 ATMs belonging to Bank Machine and Royal Bank of Scotland, with other ATM operators will follow on later in 2012 and into 2013.  This service will be initially available to selected LINK card-holders.

4. The Government will invest over £40m in volunteering and social action over the next two years – we have already invested in excess of £23m in the last year through the Social Action and Innovation in Giving funds.

5. Government has also promoted giving through a number of match funding initiatives, including street smart, text Santa, and localgiving, a total of £1.2m of government funds have leveraged equivalent private donations. 

6. Community First, a large scale match funding programme (£80m) is already in place and reaching some of most deprived communities in the country.  Over 100 senior Community Organisers are already deployed to listen and spark social action in communities with low social capital. 

7. We have also made headway in supporting a change in social norms – 8,000 young people took place in the National Citizen Service last year and civil servants are now actively encouraged to take part in volunteering, with over 26 permanent secretaries already signed up to take part on the speakers for schools initiative. 

8. Gift aid will also be available on small donations for the first time from April 2013.