Panel (left to right): Melanie Knight of Bank Machine; Dunmore; Pharoah; Oppenheim; Etherington
It will be chaired by the NCVO's Sir Stuart Etherington and choose six charities for each of five regions
A high-profile panel of voluntary sector experts has been appointed to select the 30 charities that will benefit from donations made through cash machines operated by the ATM provider Bank Machine.
The panel will be chaired by Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, and will select the charities from more than 550 registrations of interest.
The group will choose 30 charities in all - six for each of five regions across the UK. After a year more expressions of interest will be sought and another selection made.
Bank Machine, which operates 4,000 ATMs in the UK, said the emphasis would be on selecting charities whose work directly affected the different regions.
Other members of the panel are: Stephen Dunmore, chair of the BBC appeals advisory committee, who will be vice chair of the group; Cathy Pharoah, professor of charity funding at Cass Business School; and Gerald Oppenheim, chair of the trustee board at the Camden Society.
Etherington said: "Our role is to ensure that a fair and robust process is put in place to select the charities. "Particularly in a recession, it is more important than ever that charities are supported by original approaches to fundraising, and I sincerely hope that concepts such as ATM giving become successful."
Bank Machine said it expected its cash machines would be able to start processing charitable donations in July.
The ATM giving initiative was announced by the Cabinet Office in May. It will involve the 65,000 cash machines operated by the Link network, starting with those owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland.
RBS will select eight charities to appear on its cash machines, said the Cabinet Office at the scheme’s launch. Donations through RBS cash machines will be available shortly.
Ron Delnevo, managing director of Bank Machine, said: "We have not rushed to launch with a small number of big charities. Our measured and thoughtful approach has allowed us to support 30 charities, both national and local.
"ATM giving could bring in millions of pounds in donations, and it is crucial the public has a good choice of charities. We want to ensure that every part of the UK sees some benefit."
