Many people balk at the idea of paying a hefty surcharge at the ATM.
But what if a portion of that surcharge went to a good cause?
That’s the idea behind ATMs for Good, a project of Syracuse ATM. Kathryn Bolster, who owns Syracuse ATM, said she thought of the program as a way to bring more meaning to her work.
“Having successfully managed Syracuse ATM for the last decade, I wanted to find a way to transform the things that are important to me — creating community, supporting each other and building relationships — into a working model that we could continue to build our business on,” Bolster said. “It’s all about taking something mundane and tweaking it just a little to transform it into something meaningful.”
The idea behind ATMs for Good is simple: an ATM associated with a local nonprofit is placed in an area business. The business chooses the nonprofit to which it wants to donate. Every time you use the machine, a portion of the surcharge is directly deposited into the account of the nonprofit. The surcharge can be split three ways: part goes to Syracuse ATM to pay for the maintenance of the machine, part goes to the nonprofit and part to the business, though the business can choose to donate its portion back to the nonprofit.
That’s what the owners of the B’ville Diner chose to do with their portion. Jim and Laura Orlando put in an ATM for Good late last month, opting to help out Baldwinsville-based Maureen’s Hope, which provides services to cancer patients or others facing a life-altering diagnosis.
“My sister-in-law passed away from cancer, so we got to know Sue [Bertrand, founder of Maureen’s Hope] and what she does firsthand. She’s got a great organization, and it meant a lot to my sister-in-law and to my wife while she was taking care of her in the end,” said Jim Orlando. “Syracuse ATM is another group we do business with, and they mentioned they were doing this ATMs for Good, and we decided to put one in the diner.”
Orlando said it was important for the diner to make sure every cent possible went to Maureen’s Hope.
“The diner waived our [portion of the surcharge] so everything goes to Maureen’s Hope, because it’s all about raising money for her [Sue Bertrand],” he said.
Bertrand said she found out about ATMs for Good at a women’s business conference this past winter, when she and Bolster struck up a conversation. They met a few weeks later about partnering up to help Maureen’s Hope. Shortly thereafter, she approached the Orlandos, who were looking for another way to help the foundation. They installed the ATM, complete with a Maureen’s Hope wrap, in June.
“In addition to raising funds for our mission, this will also increase awareness about the work of Maureen’s Hope and perhaps inspire B’ville Diner customers to join us,” Bertrand said. “Each time a surcharge occurs at the ATM, a portion of that surcharge will be directly deposited into Maureen’s Hope Foundation’s bank account. It’s that simple.”
And the B’ville Diner isn’t the only local business to feature the service. Basta on the River has also installed an ATM for Good; this one, too, benefits Maureen’s Hope.
“You know where your money is going,” said Basta co-owner Jason Rieth. Like the B’ville Diner, Basta is giving its share of the surcharge to Maureen’s Hope. “With a lot of charities, maybe 10 to 12 percent is going to, let’s call it the end user. That’s not going to do much. But with Maureen’s Hope, you know it’s going to the right place and it’s helping people who need it.”
While the B’ville area businesses have focused on Maureen’s Hope, other nonprofits have also benefited from ATMs for Good. The Rescue Mission, Ophelia’s Place, Griffin’s Guardians, the Syracuse Poster Project, Paige’s Butterfly Run and The Boys and Girls Club are all receiving funds from the project, and ATMs have been installed at Café Kubal, Funk N Waffles and Pascale’s Italian Bistro at Drumlins.
Bolster said everyone stands to benefit from ATMs for Good, from nonprofits to businesses to members of the community.
“The nonprofits receive the benefit of a steady revenue stream that doesn’t require any ongoing effort on the part of their staff or volunteers. They also have the benefit of driving awareness of their mission to new audiences,” she said. “Businesses benefit by increasing foot traffic, lowering credit card fees and inspiring customer community involvement and awareness. Customers benefit by getting the cash in hand they need and having an easy way to learn more about and contribute to the community. [It’s] a brilliantly simple way to contribute to the community in a positive way.”
Orlando said it offers businesses a more concrete way to give back to the people that support them every day.
“You need to help the people that support your business. That’s critical,” he said. “That’s what makes the world go ‘round. They support the diner, so the diner supports them in whatever we can. In most cases, it’s supporting teams or little leagues. It’s nice to be able to help a local organization.”
Rieth said he hoped more people took advantage of the ATMs for Good.
“Instead of going to the bank or to the gas station, if you’re going to go to the ATM, I think people should know this option is there,” Rieth said. People don’t mind paying that little bit extra if they know it’s going to help people in the community.”
To learn more or to sign up your business or nonprofit, SyracuseATM.com or ATMs
forGood.org or contact Bolster at [email protected] or 657-7376.
