The 12-month programme started on 16th February with the terminals funded by Santander Corporate & Commercial for the purposes of the pilot. Santander has been the banking partner for a number of Mind’s retail shops since 2014 and, if the pilot is successful, the contactless terminals could be rolled out across more of Minds’ shops.

At a time when cash donations are falling and two out of five adults admit they give less to charity1 as they do not carry as much cash, industry research shows that the average contactless donation is three times higher than cash collection tins. The impact that contactless technologies have had on general payment trends in the UK has been profound: there are now a total of 108m contactless cards in issue in the UK, with £3.9 billion spent on them alone in April 2017 (an increase of 148% on the previous year)2.

Founded in 1946 as the National Association for Mental Health, Mind celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2016. Mind offers information and advice to people with mental health problems and lobbies government and local authorities on their behalf. It also works to raise public awareness and understanding of issues relating to mental health. The charity currently has 158 shops around the UK.

Santander Corporate & Commercial is committed to supporting the charity sector, and has relationships with many UK charities, large and small, who perform a vital role in society. The bank has developed a compelling charity banking offering, providing discounted transactional banking for registered charities. This also includes international payment and foreign exchange services, access to the Post Office to pay-in cash deposits, a payments solution allowing donors to make regular payments at Post Office and Payzone outlets, and attractive deposit solutions for charities with surplus cash.

Lianne Smith, Relationship Director, Charities and Not-for-Profit Sector, Santander Corporate & Commercial, said: “The contactless trial with Mind is a demonstration of Santander’s deep commitment to the charity sector by providing innovative solutions to help organisations generate much needed donations and tackle the challenge associated with the decline in cash. Through our relationship with Elavon, Santander will support the contactless donation revolution.”

Amanda Day, Mind Retail, said: “We are very grateful for the bank’s support. Santander has become a valuable, trusted partner to us and in helping Mind tackle the challenge of donations is extending its support even further. Technology, digital solutions and new payment processes will continue to have an impact on the sector so it is vital that charities adapt and evolve, and work with partners that can help us capitalise on these trends.”