Impact By Sale vs Pennies ‑ Digital Charity Boxfor Shopify (2026)
Impact By Sale and Pennies ‑ Digital Charity Box both target the Donations category on Shopify, but they approach the problem from fundamentally different angles. Impact By Sale focuses on integrating social impact *directly* into each sale, offering merchants a way to automatically support vetted environmental projects like planting trees and removing ocean plastic. Their core value proposition is demonstrating tangible, measurable impact to customers and employees, driven by automated rules tied to sales. Pennies, on the other hand, acts more like a traditional 'digital charity box', allowing customers to optionally donate to a charity of the merchant's choosing during checkout, offering control over charitable giving. The key differentiator lies in the level of automation and impact narrative. Impact By Sale automates charitable giving as part of the core product offering, tying it directly to sales and providing a built-in story for marketing and customer engagement. Pennies offers flexibility in choosing a charity and control over implementation and presentation, but it requires more active management from the merchant in terms of selecting the charity, promoting the donation option, and communicating the impact. Impact By Sale is positioned as a comprehensive solution, while Pennies is a more flexible add-on donation tool.
At a Glance
Impact By Sale
5 reviews
Pennies ‑ Digital Charity Box
0 reviews
Detailed Overview
Impact By Sale
Turn every sale into tangible impact with Impact By Sale. Positive impact made easy!
Key Features
- Create automatic, tangible, measurable impact with every sale using Impact Rules
- Micro-donate by: Portion of Sales, Customer Add-on, or Round Up
- Embed your 'Impact Ticker' on your site to display total impact in real-time
- Get automatic tax receipts
- Robust storytelling & donor feedback (videos, photos, stories)
Pennies ‑ Digital Charity Box
Give your customers the option to add a donation to charity when they shop
Key Features
- You can nominate your own charity partner. There are no restrictive lists
- Pennies takes care of governance, due diligence and granting
- Easy to implement with Step by Step guide and user friendly dashboard
- ‘Widget Styling’ feature allows you to tailor to your brand
- Clear back end reporting makes tracking impact and reconciliation simple
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 0/5 |
Rating Impact By Sale5/5 Pennies ‑ Digital Charity Box0/5 | ||
| Reviews | 5 | 0 |
Reviews Impact By Sale5 Pennies ‑ Digital Charity Box0 | ||
| Impact Type | Automatic, pre-vetted environmental projects | Merchant chooses their own charity |
Impact Type Impact By SaleAutomatic, pre-vetted environmental projects Pennies ‑ Digital Charity BoxMerchant chooses their own charity | ||
| Automation Level | High; automatic impact rules tied to sales | Low; customer-initiated donation |
Automation Level Impact By SaleHigh; automatic impact rules tied to sales Pennies ‑ Digital Charity BoxLow; customer-initiated donation | ||
| Customer Engagement | Impact Ticker, robust storytelling & donor feedback | Relies on merchant's communication |
Customer Engagement Impact By SaleImpact Ticker, robust storytelling & donor feedback Pennies ‑ Digital Charity BoxRelies on merchant's communication | ||
| Reporting | Automatic tax receipts, proof of impact | Clear back end reporting, reconciliation |
Reporting Impact By SaleAutomatic tax receipts, proof of impact Pennies ‑ Digital Charity BoxClear back end reporting, reconciliation | ||
| Target Merchant Type | Merchants wanting automated, demonstrable environmental impact | Merchants wanting to support a specific charity of their choice |
Target Merchant Type Impact By SaleMerchants wanting automated, demonstrable environmental impact Pennies ‑ Digital Charity BoxMerchants wanting to support a specific charity of their choice | ||
| Ease of Use (initial setup) | Potentially easier due to automated rules and pre-vetted projects | Requires merchant to choose a charity and configure the donation widget |
Ease of Use (initial setup) Impact By SalePotentially easier due to automated rules and pre-vetted projects Pennies ‑ Digital Charity BoxRequires merchant to choose a charity and configure the donation widget | ||
| Value Proposition | Integrate social impact directly into sales, providing a demonstrable impact narrative | Offer customers the option to donate to a charity they care about |
Value Proposition Impact By SaleIntegrate social impact directly into sales, providing a demonstrable impact narrative Pennies ‑ Digital Charity BoxOffer customers the option to donate to a charity they care about | ||
Our Verdict
For merchants seeking a hands-off, integrated solution to automatically incorporate environmental impact into every sale and showcase tangible results, Impact By Sale is the better option. Its automatic rules, pre-vetted projects, and robust reporting simplify the process of making a difference and demonstrating that impact to customers. This is ideal for brands that want to make environmentalism a core part of their brand identity.
Pennies ‑ Digital Charity Box is more suitable for merchants who have a specific charity they already support or want to support and who want to give their customers the option to contribute. It offers greater flexibility in choosing the recipient of the donations but requires more active management and communication from the merchant. This is a good choice for businesses that want to empower their customers to donate to a cause they are passionate about.
Common Questions
Which app is easier to set up?
Impact By Sale may be easier to set up initially due to its automated rules and pre-vetted projects. Pennies requires the merchant to select a charity and configure the donation widget.
Which app provides more control over the charity selection?
Pennies ‑ Digital Charity Box provides significantly more control, allowing merchants to choose any charity they want. Impact By Sale uses pre-vetted environmental projects.
Which app offers more detailed reporting?
Both apps offer reporting, but Impact By Sale emphasizes proof of impact and automatic tax receipts, while Pennies focuses on reconciliation and back-end reporting. The focus differs based on the charitable strategy.
Which app is better for integrating social impact into marketing?
Impact By Sale's impact ticker and storytelling features are designed to be integrated into marketing, making it easier to showcase the company's positive impact. Pennies relies on the merchant's own marketing efforts.
Which app is more cost-effective for a small business?
Without pricing information, it is impossible to say definitively. The cost-effectiveness will depend on the pricing models of each app and the volume of sales or donations.
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