Australians are getting a new coin in their change to encourage them to give to charity

During the pandemic, the shift away from physical money such as notes and coins has had significant consequences on giving to charities. Now in Australia, a new campaign is encouraging people to give by creating a special "donation dollar" coin as legal tender.

The Royal Australian Mint, which worked on the project with agency Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne, has pledged to mint a "Donation Dollar" for every Australian. The idea is that when people receive the specially designed coin in their change, it acts as a gentle reminder to donate. It says that if every Australian gave just one Donation Dollar a month to charity, charities could benefit by an additional $3 billion Australian dollars over 10 years. 

Launching on International Charity Day, the project is supported by a campaign including film, social media and earned media, handled via Publicis Groupe agency, Herd MSL.

“We do hope that the Donation Dollars act as a gentle reminder that as individuals we have the power to help those that are doing it tough—the act of giving these dollars, multiplied over and over for many years, has the potential to make a significant contribution to the lives of many,” said Mark Cartwright, Royal Australian Mint executive general manager, marketing, sales & innovation, in a statement.