Wells Fargo customers logging into ATM machines this month found a new option on their screens. Next to the box that says "Deposit Cash" is one saying "Donate to Charity."
Donate they did. In just 10 days, the ubiquitous ATM machines collected more than $1 million for Japan relief efforts by the American Red Cross. The experiment marks the first time ATM machines have been used nationwide -- by any bank -- to raise money for a charity, say national banking officials.
Given the dramatic public response, it's unlikely to be the last.
"I think we've demonstrated that ATMs are a tool we can draw upon for fundraising," said Jonathan Velline, a Wells Fargo vice president in charge of ATM operations. "Our customers have spoken with their wallets."
Until now, ATMs rarely have been tapped for charity fundraising. Neither the American Bankers Association nor the Minnesota Bankers Association was aware of any previous campaigns. However, one official said a Cleveland bank used its ATMs to raise money for its local United Way in the 1990s.
Wells Fargo officials said they experimented last year with using local ATMs to raise money for disaster relief for Colorado wildfires, as well as for a San Francisco gas-line explosion. In 2009, ATMs were tapped for flood relief donations for North Dakota and Minnesota.
But Wells Fargo had never before put up a home screen on all of its 9,000 ATM machines nationwide announcing "You Can Help People Affected by Disasters" -- much less received an avalanche of $1 million.
The American Red Cross is thrilled.