At NashTech Connect 2026, the audience was treated to an inspiring session as Alison Hutchinson, CEO of Pennies, took centre stage to recount the charity’s remarkable technology journey and share what it truly takes to scale generosity in the digital age.
In her talk, Alison traced Pennies’ evolution from its origins 15 years ago, when the concept was as simple as digitising the familiar act of dropping spare change into a donation box, to its present status as a leader in omnichannel micro-donations. Attendees heard how this straightforward idea now underpins a sophisticated model that works seamlessly across in-store, online and mobile payments.
The numbers Alison shared were nothing short of impressive: over 300 million micro-donations made, more than £76 million raised, and support extended to over 1,100 charities across the UK, Ireland and beyond. “A donation is made every half a second,” Alison noted, highlighting the scale and impact of Pennies’ operation.
Yet, she was also candid about the challenges behind the scenes. As Pennies’ reach expanded, so did the pressure on its technology stack. Alison described how legacy systems, manual processes, and fragmented data flows began to create operational hurdles, ranging from labour-intensive reconciliation and reporting to inconsistent data sharing and limited scalability in the future.
The solution, as Alison outlined, was not just about patching up the old. Working closely with NashTech, Pennies embarked on a major modernisation journey. Delegates learned how the partnership mapped out end-to-end processes, identified friction points, and delivered a phased transformation roadmap that balanced risk reduction with value delivery.
Alison highlighted several major milestones reached during Pennies’ technology modernisation journey with NashTech. The charity upgraded its core application and streamlined financial flows, significantly boosting efficiency and simplifying donation processing and reconciliation. A robust data architecture was established, and important security improvements were implemented, strengthening trust and protecting donor information at every stage of the platform’s operation.
As the session wrapped up, it was clear that Pennies’ platform is now ready for the future. Alison offered a glimpse into what’s next: enabling self-service portals for merchants and charities, providing real-time visibility, and driving even deeper partner engagement. Her message, ultimately, was that technology is the driving force behind everyday generosity, empowering the charity to keep pace as donations flow in every half second.
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Pennies began 15 years ago with the simple but powerful idea to take the old habit of dropping loose change into a donation box and turn it into a seamless digital micro-donation offered every time someone pays by card. Since the first donation in 2010, the movement has grown across pubs, supermarkets, hotels and high streets, with someone choosing to donate every 0.5 seconds. Supported by hundreds of merchant and technology partners, and embraced by millions of customers each month, Pennies has now powered 300 million micro-donations, raising £75 million for more than 1,100 charities across the UK, Ireland and beyond, proving that small, everyday acts of giving can deliver truly transformative impact.