DIY retailer B&Q will partner with leading UK charity Pennies to make it easier for customers to donate to good causes by offering micro-donations at checkouts across its UK & Ireland stores.

Micro-donations give shoppers the opportunity to make a small contribution to charities when paying by card or mobile-wallet at store tills. The collaboration will create a new way of fundraising for B&Q, with the potential to raise over £1.7million annually through optional donations made by its shoppers.

“By partnering with Pennies, we aim to make it as simple as possible for our customers to donate what they can to causes we both care about,” Tom Hampson, Director of Marketing at B&Q, said. 

All proceeds from the B&Q-Pennies partnership will go towards supporting the B&Q Foundation and Shelter (including its charity partners Shelter Scotland, Shelter Cymru and Housing Rights).

B&Q surpasses £5million fundraising milestone for Shelter

The partnership marks several key milestones in B&Q’s longstanding charity work. Since 2017, B&Q has raised over £5million for Shelter. This year, the B&Q Foundation also turns 5, having awarded 1.9million grants to 195 charities last year, all aiming to help people benefit from safer spaces. 

“This builds on the outstanding, long-term fundraising efforts of our dedicated colleagues and customers for both Shelter and the B&Q Foundation. We firmly believe that everyone deserves a safe place to call home and we’re excited to partner with Pennies to help raise even more funds for those who need it most,” Hampson added. 

“Pennies is proud to be partnering with B&Q to support the brilliant missions of the B&Q Foundation and Shelter,” Alison Hutchinson CBE, CEO at Pennies, said. “Micro-donations add up quickly – just a few minutes of donations from customers could mean a safe space for someone facing homelessness, or better facilities for vital spaces in our local communities.”

Small donations, big impact

Speaking alongside Hutchinson at Retail Technology Show 2025 in April, Simon Wells, People Director at Poundland, described how micro-donations had supported its fundraising efforts, showing how small donations can make a big difference.

Having worked with Pennies since 2019, the retailer has raised over £1.1million for its charity partners through 4.6million+ micro-donations, as reported by RTIH. Wells attributed the success to the simplicity and ‘non-disruptive’ nature of Pennies’ fundraising format. “The Pennies process is simple – it doesn’t tie people up at the till or disrupt the process. It’s not disruptive and it can make a real difference,” he said.

Speaking on the same panel, Travelodge’s Chief Revenue Officer, Tom Edwards, also explained how Pennies had supported its fundraising efforts on behalf of British Heart Foundation (BHF) with one in every ten Travelodge customers opting to make a 50p donation when booking a hotel room online.