Time and Cash Donations Help More than 100 Nonprofits

DURANGO, CO – December 20, 2011

Less than a year ago, Mercury Payment Systems® launched a philanthropy program to give back to the communities where they live and work.

Today the company announced that employees reached the 2011 goal of volunteering 6,512 hours, set to match the elevation of Durango, where the company is headquartered. Almost 300 employees volunteered time with more than 100 nonprofit organizations in the Durango and Denver areas.

The company’s philanthropy arm, MercuryGives, set aside approximately one percent of compensated employee hours to enable each employee to volunteer up to 20 paid hours to community nonprofits.

Employees volunteered the equivalent of 350 work days and 462 personal days to organizations in the areas of arts and culture, education, environment, and health and human services. In addition to time, MercuryGives made financial donations in 2011 to local, national, and global nonprofit organizations.

“MercuryGives is the single best thing we did as a company this year,” said Matt Taylor, Chief Executive Officer. “We made an impact in serving the needs of nonprofit organizations that mean a lot to our local communities, employees, and business partners alike.”

Beneficiaries included the Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI), a national organization helping vulnerable children worldwide. Through RetailROI, retailers and retail service providers such as Mercury®, donate funds to help more than 400 million children.

“By supporting RetailROI as a Super Saturday sponsor at the January National Retail Federation (NRF) show in New York, we’ll be adding our dollars to the many other contributions from retailers and vendors to make a stronger impact,” Taylor said.

More than 50 nonprofit organizations in Durango and Denver, where Mercury has offices, also received financial assistance.

“When a parent or social worker calls to say that their child has been begging to come to Durango Nature Studies for the summer, but can’t come without a scholarship, it is an amazing feeling to say that their child can come for free,” said Sally Shuffield, Executive Director of Durango Nature Studies. “Mercury allows us to fulfill the dreams of children who want to learn about the natural world.”

Employees tracked volunteer time donated on the company’s intranet and displayed progress throughout the year on large posters in the lobbies of office buildings. Many employees not only used their 20 hours of paid work time, but also contributed personal time. Erin Olinger logged 1,180 hours with Durango’s Sexual Assault Services Organization, while Kathy Mello-Nelson volunteered 308 hours with the Denver Rescue Mission.

“This year, we set what we thought was a lofty goal, one we might not be able to meet the first year,” Taylor said. “We far exceeded that expectation, and know we can do much more in 2012.”

About Mercury Payment Systems

Mercury Payment Systems is one of the fastest-growing payment processing companies in North America. Mercury partners with point-of-sale (POS) developers and resellers in a unique business model to provide merchants with integrated payment solutions. Their processing platform is integrated and available for free in hundreds of POS systems. Mercury’s award-winning products and services are distributed solely through the company’s business partners. For more information call 1-800-846-4472 ext. 1820 or go to www.MercuryPay.com.

Media Contact:

Jan Owen
Mercury Payment Systems
800-846-4472 ext 3472
JOwen@MercuryPay.com