Donation support system

Abstract

To provide a technique for implementing a mechanism in which a donator can flexibly set a mode of donation.SOLUTION: A donation assistance system 20 receives, from a customer of a predetermined company, a designation on an organization as a donation recipient, and a designation of an account on which information on a privilege provided by the company in a loyalty program of the company is to be recorded, the account providing funds for the donation. When the information on the privilege is recorded on the account, the donation assistance system 20 executes processing to donate at least part the amount corresponding to the privilege to the designated recipient organization.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to data processing technology, and particularly to a donation support system. [Background Art]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 proposes a specific fund designated allocation system in which an investment trust for donation is set in advance, a customer who wishes to make a donation is caused to purchase the investment trust, and the investment profit of the investment trust is donated to a specific donation recipient. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-48241 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] In order to promote donations, it is desirable that donors can set the mode of donation more flexibly. One object of the technology of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that realizes a mechanism which allows donors to flexibly set the mode of donation. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, a donation support system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a reception unit that receives, from a customer of a predetermined company, a designation of a recipient organization and a designation of an account in which information on benefits provided to the customer by the company in a company loyalty program, which are the source of donation funds, is recorded; and a donation processing unit that executes processing for donating at least part of an amount corresponding to the provided benefits to the designated recipient organization when information on the benefits provided to the customer by the company is recorded in the account.

[0006] Furthermore, any combination of the above components, as well as any conversion of the expressions of this disclosure between devices, methods, computer programs, recording media storing computer programs, etc., are also valid as aspects of this disclosure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The technology disclosed herein enables a mechanism that allows donors to flexibly configure the type of donation they make. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the functional blocks of the donation support system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the structure of donation attribute information. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the structure of donor consent information. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the structure of the donation details. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the donation support system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] This diagram shows an example of a donation statement. [Figure 8] This is an example of a receipt. [Figure 9] This diagram shows the structure of donation attribute information for a modified example. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the information processing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a block diagram showing the functional blocks of the donation support system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the donation support system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] This diagram shows an example of a donation statement. [Figure 14] This is an example of a receipt. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] <First Embodiment> Figure 1 shows the configuration of the information processing system 10 in the first embodiment. The information processing system 10 includes multiple customer terminals 12, multiple securities company devices 14, a securities back-office system 16, and a donation platform 18. The computers that make up each of these devices and systems are interconnected via a communication network including LAN, WAN, and the Internet.

[0010] The multiple securities firm equipment 14 consists of multiple information processing devices that support the operations of multiple securities firms. The multiple securities firm equipment 14 includes securities firm equipment 14a of securities firm X, securities firm equipment 14b of securities firm Y, and securities firm equipment 14c of securities firm Z.

[0011] The multiple customer terminals 12 are information processing devices operated by customers of at least one of the multiple securities companies. The multiple customer terminals 12 include customer terminals 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, and 12e. For example, customer terminal 12a is operated by customer A, who uses securities company X. Customer terminal 12b is operated by customer B, who uses both securities company X and securities company Y. Customer terminal 12c is operated by customer C, who uses both securities company X and securities company Z. Hereinafter, when simply referred to as "customer," it means a customer of a securities company.

[0012] The securities back-office system 16 is an information processing system that provides information processing services to support securities operations for multiple securities companies. For example, the securities back-office system 16 supports each securities company in ordering and executing financial products, managing balances, managing customers, settlement operations, custody operations, accounting operations, etc. The securities back-office system 16 may be implemented by a single computer or by the cooperation of multiple computers.

[0013] Donation PF (Platform) 18 is a platform system that executes common processing relating to donations to various organizations (e.g., public interest foundations and general foundations). Donation PF 18 may be implemented by a single computer, or may be implemented by cooperation of a plurality of computers.

[0014] In the first embodiment, a donation support system 20, which is an information processing system that supports donations to various organizations, is implemented through cooperation between a securities back-office system 16 and the donation PF 18. The donation support system 20 donates at least a part of, for example, dividends from financial products held by a customer to a public interest foundation, a general foundation or the like, based on the designation by the customer. In the first embodiment, the financial products held by the customer include securities, for example, stocks, investment trusts, and bonds. Dividends and the like can also be referred to as profits obtained by the customer from holding the financial products. For example, dividends and the like include stock dividends, investment trust distributions, and bond interest.

[0015] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing functional blocks of the donation support system 20 according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 shows functional blocks related to the donation support system 20 provided in each of the securities back-office system 16 and the donation PF 18.

[0016] In terms of hardware, each block shown in the block diagram of the present specification can be implemented by elements such as a computer processor, CPU, and memory, electronic circuits, and mechanical devices, and in terms of software, it is implemented by a computer program or the like. However, functional blocks implemented through the cooperation of these components are illustrated here. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be implemented in various forms by combinations of hardware and software.

[0017] The securities back-office system 16 comprises a data processing unit 30 and a storage unit 32. The data processing unit 30 performs various data processing operations. The data processing unit 30 may be implemented by the CPU of the computer constituting the securities back-office system 16. The storage unit 32 stores data that is referenced or updated by the data processing unit 30. The storage unit 32 may be implemented by the storage or memory of the computer constituting the securities back-office system 16.

[0018] The memory unit 32 includes a customer attribute memory unit 34, a donation attribute memory unit 36, a dividend memory unit 38, and a customer balance memory unit 40. The customer attribute memory unit 34 stores attribute information (customer attribute information) for each customer of the securities company. The customer attribute information includes customer identification information (unique ID, etc.), name, address, telephone number, and date of birth.

[0019] The donation attribute storage unit 36 ​​stores attribute information (donation attribute information) related to donations registered by each customer. Figure 3 shows the structure of the donation attribute information. The donation attribute information includes (1) customer identification information, (2) donation consent date (the date on which the customer consented to the donation), (3) personal information use consent date (the date on which the customer consented to the use of personal information in connection with the donation), (4) designated recipient of the donation, and (5) designated donation amount.

[0020] (4) The recipient of the donation can be set to either category specification or discretionary specification. In category specification, the customer selects one of several predetermined categories. The categories may indicate the purpose, nature, or characteristics of the public interest foundation or general foundation to which the donation will be made. For example, the multiple categories may include at least one of the following: support for people with disabilities, support for single-parent families, support for orphans, and environmental conservation. Discretionary specification means that the decision on the recipient of the donation is left to the donation support system 20.

[0021] (5) The donation amount designation includes information on the securities of the financial products held by the customer that will serve as the source of the donation, and the designation of the donation percentage. The donation percentage designates the percentage of dividends, etc., from the financial products to be donated, or in other words, the percentage of the donation amount relative to the amount of dividends, etc. For example, stock A may be designated as X% (X% of dividends to be donated), and investment trust B as Y% (Y% of distributions to be donated).

[0022] Returning to Figure 2, the dividend storage unit 38 stores information on dividends, etc., provided to the customer (dividend information). The dividend information includes the customer's identification information, the stock identification information, and the amount of the dividends, etc. The customer balance storage unit 40 stores information indicating the balance of the account (securities account) opened by the customer with the securities company (balance information). The balance information includes the customer's identification information, account number, deposit amount, withdrawal amount, and balance.

[0023] The data processing unit 30 includes a consent information receiving unit 42, a consent information linking unit 44, a donation attribute receiving unit 46, a donation recipient information linking unit 48, a dividend recording unit 50, a customer balance update unit 52, and a donation linking unit 54. The functions of these multiple functional blocks may be implemented in a computer program, and this computer program may be installed in the storage of the computer constituting the securities back office system 16. The CPU of the computer constituting the securities back office system 16 may perform the functions of the above multiple functional blocks by reading this computer program into main memory and executing it.

[0024] The consent information receiving unit 42 receives consent information regarding donations from customers of financial institutions. Specifically, the consent information receiving unit 42 receives consent information transmitted from the customer terminal 12 to the securities company device 14 and forwarded by the securities company device 14. The consent information includes information indicating consent to the donation and information indicating consent to the use of personal information. Specifically, the consent information includes the customer's identification information, the date of donation consent, the date of consent to the use of personal information, and the securities company from which consent was given. The consent information receiving unit 42 stores the customer's identification information, the date of donation consent, the date of consent to the use of personal information, and the securities company from which consent was given, as indicated by the consent information, in the donation attribute storage unit 36.

[0025] The consent information linkage unit 44 transmits the consent information received by the consent information reception unit 42 and the customer attribute information indicated by the consent information, which is stored in the customer attribute storage unit 34, to the donation PF18.

[0026] The donation attribute receiving unit 46 receives attribute information (donation attribute information) related to donations from customers of financial institutions. Specifically, the donation attribute receiving unit 46 receives donation attribute information transmitted from the customer terminal 12 to the securities company device 14 and transferred by the securities company device 14. The donation attribute information includes information that specifies the type of donation. Specifically, the donation attribute information includes the customer's identification information, the donating securities company, the designated recipient of the donation, and the designated donation amount. The donation attribute receiving unit 46 stores the designated recipient of the donation and the designated donation amount indicated by the donation attribute information in the donation attribute storage unit 36, which is the donation attribute information identified by the customer's identification information.

[0027] The Donation Recipient Information Linking Unit 48 transmits the designated donation recipient information received by the Donation Attribute Reception Unit 46 to the Donation PF 18.

[0028] The dividend recording unit 50 acquires information on newly generated dividends, etc. (including dividends, distributions, and interest payments) notified from external systems such as the Japan Securities Depository Center (JSDC). The dividend information includes at least customer identification information, stock information, and dividend amount. The dividend recording unit 50 reflects the newly generated dividend information in the dividend information for each customer stored in the dividend storage unit 38, and adds a new record, for example, that includes the amount of the newly generated dividends, etc.

[0029] The customer balance update unit 52 updates the balance information of each customer stored in the customer balance storage unit 40 based on newly generated dividends and other information. For example, the customer balance update unit 52 records the amount of newly generated dividends and other information as the deposit amount and increases the balance by the amount of the dividends and other information.

[0030] The donation linkage unit 54 transmits donation information based on dividends, etc., of the stock specified in the donation amount specification of the donation attribute storage unit 36 ​​(hereinafter also referred to as "target stock") to the donation PF 18. The target stock can also be said to be the stock that serves as the source of the donation. Specifically, the donation linkage unit 54 calculates the donation amount by multiplying the amount of dividends, etc., of the target stock by the donation percentage indicated by the donation amount specification. The donation linkage unit 54 transmits donation information, including the identification information of the donating customer, the target stock, and the donation amount, to the donation PF 18.

[0031] The donation PF18 comprises a data processing unit 60 and a storage unit 62. The data processing unit 60 performs various data processing operations. The data processing unit 60 may be implemented by the CPU of the computer constituting the donation PF18. The storage unit 62 stores data that is referenced or updated by the data processing unit 60. The storage unit 62 may be implemented by the storage or memory of the computer constituting the donation PF18.

[0032] The memory unit 62 includes a donation recipient master memory unit 64, a donation consenter information memory unit 66, and a donation history memory unit 68. The donation recipient master memory unit 64 stores the donation recipient master. The donation recipient master is information that associates donation recipient categories with specific organizations that receive donations. For example, the category "Support for people with disabilities" is associated with organizations that conduct activities to support people with disabilities.

[0033] The donor consent information storage unit 66 stores donor consent information based on customer attribute information, consent information, and designated donation recipient information transmitted from the securities back office system 16. Figure 4 shows the structure of the donor consent information. The donor consent information includes (1) customer identification information, name, address, telephone number, date of birth, (2) date of donation consent, (3) date of consent for use of personal information, (4) the securities company that gave consent, and (5) the designated donation recipient. (4) The securities company that gave consent is the identification information of the securities company used by the customer who gave consent to the donation.

[0034] The donation history storage unit 68 stores donation details that show the history (in other words, the record) of donations to public interest foundations, general foundations, etc. Figure 5 shows the structure of the donation details. The donation details include (1) customer identification information, (2) name of the securities company from which the donation originated, (3) name of the recipient organization, (4) donation amount, and (5) name of the financial product (target product) that was the source of the donation.

[0035] The data processing unit 60 includes a donor consent information receiving unit 70, a recipient information receiving unit 72, a recipient determination unit 74, a donation processing unit 76, a donation history update unit 78, a receipt generation unit 80, a receipt provision unit 82, and a donation performance notification unit 84. The functions of these multiple functional blocks may be implemented in a computer program, and this computer program may be installed in the storage of the computer constituting the donation PF18. The CPU of the computer constituting the donation PF18 may perform the functions of the above multiple functional blocks by reading this computer program into main memory and executing it.

[0036] The Donor Consentee Information Reception Unit 70 receives customer attribute information and consent information transmitted from the Securities Back Office System 16. The Donor Consentee Information Reception Unit 70 stores the donor consentee information, including (1) customer identification information, name, address, telephone number, date of birth, (2) date of donation consent, (3) date of consent for use of personal information, and (4) the securities company that gave consent, in the Donor Consentee Information Storage Unit 66.

[0037] The donation recipient information receiving unit 72 receives the donation recipient designation transmitted from the securities back office system 16. The donation recipient information receiving unit 72 stores the received donation recipient designation in the donor consent information storage unit 66.

[0038] The recipient organization determination unit 74 determines the recipient organization based on the recipient master in the recipient master storage unit 64 and the recipient organization specified by the customer. For example, if a specific category is specified in the recipient organization specification, the recipient organization determination unit 74 determines the organization associated with that category in the recipient master as the recipient organization.

[0039] Here, if multiple organizations are associated with the category specified in the recipient designation, the recipient determination unit 74 may determine the recipient organization from among those multiple organizations using a rule-based approach. For example, the recipient determination unit 74 may derive the total amount of donations made to each of the multiple organizations corresponding to the specified category based on the donation history in the donation history storage unit 68. The recipient determination unit 74 may then determine the organization with the relatively small total amount of donations made to it as the recipient organization. This allows for smoothing out the total amount of donations made to multiple organizations. As a variation, if multiple organizations are associated with the category specified in the recipient designation, the recipient determination unit 74 may determine any of those multiple organizations as the recipient organization.

[0040] If the recipient of the donation is left to the discretion of the donor, the recipient determination unit 74 may determine the recipient organization from among multiple organizations using a rule-based method. For example, the recipient determination unit 74 may derive the total amount of donations made to each of the multiple organizations based on the donation history stored in the donation history storage unit 68. The recipient determination unit 74 may then determine the recipient organization to be one whose total amount of donations made to the donor has been relatively small.

[0041] The donation processing unit 76 executes a donation process (donation processing) to donate at least a portion of the dividends, etc., of the stocks (target stocks) designated by the customer as the source of the donation funds (target stocks) to the recipient organization specified by the customer, when dividends, etc., are generated for the target stocks. As previously described, the recipient organization can be specified by category. If a category of recipient organization is specified, the donation processing unit 76 will donate at least a portion of the dividends, etc., to one or more organizations belonging to the specified category.

[0042] In the first embodiment, the donation processing unit 76 executes a donation process when it receives donation information transmitted from the securities back-office system 16 due to the occurrence of dividends or other payments on the target securities. The donation processing unit 76 may also execute a process to transfer the donation amount indicated by the donation information to the bank account of the recipient organization determined by the recipient organization determination unit 74. If multiple organizations are determined to be recipient organizations by the recipient organization determination unit 74, the donation processing unit 76 may also allocate the donation amount indicated by the donation information and send the same amount to each of those multiple organizations.

[0043] When a donation is processed by the donation processing unit 76, the donation history update unit 78 stores the details of that donation in the donation history storage unit 68.

[0044] The receipt generation unit 80 generates a receipt addressed to the customer, which includes the name of the recipient organization and the donation amount. The receipt generation unit 80 generates a receipt that aggregates information from multiple donation details related to the same customer stored in the donation history storage unit 68. The receipt provision unit 82 transmits the receipt data generated by the receipt generation unit 80 to the customer terminal 12.

[0045] The Donation Record Notification Unit 84 provides the entities related to the securities that served as the source of the donation funds with information regarding the donation records of individuals (customers) who purchased those securities. The entities related to the securities that served as the source of the donation funds include business companies that issued shares, investment trust management companies, and bond issuers.

[0046] Note that the functional blocks included in the securities back-office system 16 and the donation PF 18 shown in Figure 2 are merely illustrative. As an example, some functional blocks included in the securities back-office system 16 may be included in the donation PF 18. Alternatively, some functional blocks included in the donation PF 18 may be included in the securities back-office system 16. Furthermore, one functional block shown in Figure 2 may be divided and provided in the securities back-office system 16 and the donation PF 18, with the entire system being implemented as a single functional block. Moreover, all the functional blocks provided in the donation PF 18 may be provided in the securities back-office system 16; in other words, the donation support system 20 may be implemented by a single device or system (e.g., the securities back-office system 16).

[0047] The operation of the donation support system 20 in the first embodiment will now be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the donation support system 20 in the first embodiment, and specifically, it is a flowchart showing the operation of the securities back office system 16 and the donation PF 18 in the first embodiment.

[0048] The customer inputs an action into the customer terminal 12 indicating their consent to the donation and the use of personal information. In response to this action by the customer, the customer terminal 12 transmits the consent information regarding the donation (consent to the donation and consent to the use of personal information) to the securities company device 14. The securities company device 14 receives the consent information regarding the donation transmitted from the customer terminal 12 and forwards that consent information to the securities back office system 16.

[0049] The consent information receiving unit 42 of the securities back office system 16 receives consent information regarding donations transmitted from the securities company device 14 and stores donation attributes (in this case, the date of consent for donation and the date of consent for the use of personal information) based on that consent information in the donation attribute storage unit 36 ​​(S10). The consent information linking unit 44 of the securities back office system 16 transmits customer attributes and consent information to the donation PF 18 (S11). The donor consenter information receiving unit 70 of the donation PF 18 receives customer attributes and consent information transmitted from the securities back office system 16 and stores donor consenter information based on customer attributes and consent information in the donor consenter information storage unit 66 (S12).

[0050] The customer selects a category to donate to from several predetermined categories and inputs the target securities to be donated, the donation percentage, etc., into the customer terminal 12. The customer terminal 12 transmits donation attribute information specifying the donation category, target securities, donation percentage, etc., to the securities company device 14 in response to the customer's operation. The securities company device 14 receives the donation attribute information transmitted from the customer terminal 12 and forwards that donation attribute information to the securities back office system 16.

[0051] The donation attribute receiving unit 46 of the securities back office system 16 receives donation attribute information transmitted from the securities company device 14 and stores the donation attribute information in the donation attribute storage unit 36 ​​(S13). The donation recipient information linking unit 48 of the securities back office system 16 transmits the donation recipient designation from the donation attribute information to the donation PF 18 (S14). The donation recipient information receiving unit 72 of the donation PF 18 receives the donation recipient designation and stores the donation recipient designation in the donor consenter information saved in S12 (S15).

[0052] The securities brokerage system transmits information regarding newly generated stock dividends to the securities back-office system 16. The investment trust management company's system transmits information regarding newly generated investment trust distributions to the securities back-office system 16. The bond issuer's system transmits information regarding newly generated bond interest payments to the securities back-office system 16.

[0053] The dividend recording unit 50 of the securities back office system 16 acquires information regarding newly generated dividends, etc., transmitted from external systems such as securities and securities exchanges. The dividend recording unit 50 stores the new dividend information, including the amount of the newly generated dividends, etc., in the dividend storage unit 38 (S16). The customer balance update unit 52 of the securities back office system 16 updates the balance information of each customer stored in the customer balance storage unit 40 based on the newly generated dividend information (S17).

[0054] In the donation support system 20, processing related to donations is performed for each customer who has agreed to donate and registered donation attribute information. Hereinafter, specific customers who are the subject of processing will be referred to as "specific customers." When information on newly generated dividends, etc., relating to a specific customer is stored in the dividend storage unit 38, the donation linkage unit 54 of the securities back office system 16 calculates the donation amount for the specific customer based on the amount of newly generated dividends, etc., and the stock and donation percentage specified in the donation attribute information.

[0055] An example of calculating donations for a specific customer is shown. Here, the specific customer holds stock A and investment trust B, with dividends of 1,000 yen from stock A and distributions of 2,000 yen from investment trust B. In addition, investment trust B is designated as the target of the donation, and the donation rate is set at 10%. In this case, the donation linkage unit 54 calculates the donation amount for the specific customer as 200 yen (distributions from investment trust B of 2,000 yen x donation rate of 10% = 200 yen).

[0056] The donation linkage unit 54 transmits donation information, including the identification information of the specific customer, the target stock, and the calculated donation amount, to the donation PF 18 (S18). Upon receiving the donation information, the donation recipient determination unit 74 of the donation PF 18 determines the recipient organization for the specific customer based on the category previously specified by the specific customer indicated by the donation information (S19). The donation processing unit 76 of the donation PF 18 executes a process to transfer the donation amount indicated by the donation information to the recipient organization determined by the donation recipient determination unit 74 (S20).

[0057] The donation history update unit 78 of the donation PF18 stores the new donation details for a specific customer in the donation history storage unit 68 (S21). Figure 7 shows an example of donation details. The three donation details shown in Figure 7 include two donation details corresponding to two donations made by the specific customer, Taro Yamada, to the AA Foundation, and one donation detail corresponding to one donation made by Taro Yamada to the BB Foundation.

[0058] Returning to Figure 6, when the receipt generation unit 80 of the donation PF18 reaches a predetermined receipt creation timing, it generates receipt data that aggregates one or more donation details of a specific customer stored in the donation history storage unit 68. The receipt provision unit 82 of the donation PF18 transmits the receipt data generated by the receipt generation unit 80 to the customer terminal 12 of the specific customer (S22).

[0059] Figure 8 shows an example of a receipt. Figure 8 shows a receipt based on three donation details for a specific customer, Taro Yamada, as shown in Figure 7. The receipt generation unit 80 may generate a single receipt (a single receipt addressed to Taro Yamada in Figure 8) based on multiple donation details for a single customer by matching the customer's identification information. The customer identification information used for matching may be an ID previously assigned to the customer, or it may be a combination of the customer's name, address, and date of birth.

[0060] Returning to Figure 6, the donation performance notification unit 84 of the donation PF18 transmits information regarding the donation history of individuals (customers) who purchased the stocks to the devices (not shown) of the issuers of each of the multiple stocks that served as the source of the donations. The donation performance information may include the amount donated from the dividends of a particular stock (for example, the total amount of donations from multiple customers), or the percentage donated (for example, the percentage of the total amount of donations to the total amount of dividends). Alternatively, the donation performance notification unit 84 may transmit to the devices of the company that issued the stocks (the same applies to investment trusts and bonds) information indicating each individual who purchased the stocks and donated the dividends of those stocks, as well as donation performance information including the amount of each individual's donation. By providing donation performance information to the entities of each stock, it is possible to support the visualization of the entities' contributions to social responsibility (ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)).

[0061] The first embodiment of the donation platform 18 can support donations to organizations designated by customers (e.g., public interest foundations) using dividends from financial products designated by the customer as the source of funds. Furthermore, the first embodiment of the donation platform 18 allows customers to specify any securities as the source of their donations, enabling a flexible donation mechanism. In addition, the first embodiment of the donation platform 18 allows customers to specify donation recipients by category, making it easy to set donation recipients that match the customer's wishes. Moreover, the first embodiment of the donation platform 18 can automatically issue receipts to provide customers with tax benefits from their donations.

[0062] The present disclosure has been described above based on the first embodiment. The contents described in the first embodiment are illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in combination of the components and processing processes of the first embodiment, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0063] A modified example relating to the first embodiment will now be described. In the donation support system 20 of the first embodiment, the customer of the financial institution making the donation specified the securities of the financial products that would serve as the source of the donation. As a modified example, in the donation support system 20, the customer may specify an account that the customer has opened with the financial institution, which will be the source of the withdrawal of the donation.

[0064] In this modified example, the donation attribute receiving unit 46 of the securities back-office system 16 receives donation attribute information transmitted from the customer terminal 12 to the securities company device 14 and transferred by the securities company device 14. The donation attribute information in this modified example also includes customer identification information, designated recipient of donations, and designated donation amount. The designated donation amount in the donation attribute information in this modified example includes information about the customer's account from which the donation will be withdrawn (e.g., account number of a securities account). The designated donation amount also further includes specifying the donation percentage (e.g., X%) to be allocated to the donation from the total amount of dividends deposited into the customer's account, or specifying the donation amount (e.g., YY yen) to be allocated to the donation from the total amount of dividends deposited into the customer's account. It is also possible to specify a donation percentage according to the category of the total amount of dividends deposited into the customer's account, such as X% if the total amount of dividends deposited into the customer's account is less than YY yen, and XX% different from X% if it is YY yen or more.

[0065] The donation attribute receiving unit 46 stores the donation attribute information in the donation attribute storage unit 36. Figure 9 shows the configuration of donation attribute information in a modified example. In this modified example, the donation amount specification differs from the first embodiment in that account information and a donation percentage or donation amount are specified. When dividends, etc., from financial products held by a customer are deposited into the customer's account (hereinafter referred to as the "specified customer" subject to processing), the donation processing unit 76 of the donation PF18 executes a process to donate at least a portion of the dividends, etc., to the recipient organization specified by the specified customer.

[0066] Specifically, the donation linkage unit 54 of the securities back-office system 16 calculates the donation amount for a specific customer based on the amount of newly deposited dividends, etc., and the donation percentage or donation amount specified in the donation attribute information, when dividends, etc., are newly deposited into the account of a specific customer stored in the customer balance storage unit 40. The donation processing unit 76 of the donation PF 18 then transfers the donation amount calculated by the donation linkage unit 54 to the recipient organization.

[0067] Here is an example of how to calculate the donation amount for a specific customer. The specific customer holds stock A and investment trust B, with dividends of 1,000 yen from stock A and distributions of 2,000 yen from investment trust B, and the total amount of dividends, etc. deposited into the specific customer's account is 3,000 yen. If the donation rate is set to 10%, the donation linkage unit 54 calculates the donation amount for the specific customer as 300 yen (total amount of dividends, etc. deposited into the account of 3,000 yen × donation rate of 10% = 300 yen). Also, if the donation amount is set to 500 yen, the donation linkage unit 54 determines the set donation amount of 500 yen as the donation amount for the specific customer, since the total amount of dividends, etc. deposited into the account of 3,000 yen ≥ the set donation amount of 500 yen.

[0068] The donation support system 20 of this modified version also has the same effects as the donation support system 20 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, with the donation support system 20 of this modified version, even if a customer holds many financial products, the customer can designate their own account as the source of the donation, making the donation setup easier.

[0069] <Second Embodiment> The second embodiment of this disclosure will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment, with descriptions of common points omitted as appropriate. The features of the second embodiment can be combined with any combination of features of the first embodiment or modified examples. Components of the second embodiment that are the same as or corresponding to components of the first embodiment will be appropriately denoted by the same reference numerals in the description.

[0070] Figure 10 shows the configuration of the information processing system 10 of the second embodiment. The information processing system 10 of the second embodiment includes multiple corporate devices 22 instead of the securities company device 14 and securities back office system 16 of the first embodiment.

[0071] The multiple corporate devices 22 are information processing devices for multiple companies, and include corporate devices 22a, corporate devices 22b, and corporate devices 22c. The multiple companies are companies that provide some kind of product or service and that grant customers benefits under a loyalty program (also called a points program). In the second embodiment, the benefit is points. Customers can, for example, use these points to pay for part of the price of future purchases, or exchange these points for goods or services.

[0072] In the second embodiment, a donation support system 20 is realized by linking the corporate device 22 and the donation PF18 to support donations to public interest foundations and general foundations. Based on the customer's designation, the donation support system 20 donates at least a portion of the monetary equivalent of the points held by the customer to public interest foundations, general foundations, etc. Hereinafter, a company that provides loyalty program benefits to customers and whose donations to public interest organizations etc. are supported by the donation support system 20 will also be referred to as a "target company".

[0073] Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the functional blocks of the donation support system 20 in the second embodiment. Figure 11 shows the functional blocks related to the donation support system 20 provided by the corporate device 22 and the donation PF 18, respectively.

[0074] The enterprise device 22 includes functional blocks similar to those of the securities back-office system 16 in the first embodiment. Specifically, the enterprise device 22 includes a customer attribute storage unit 34, a donation attribute storage unit 36, a customer balance storage unit 40, a consent information reception unit 42, a consent information linkage unit 44, a donation attribute reception unit 46, a donation recipient information linkage unit 48, a customer balance update unit 52, and a donation linkage unit 54.

[0075] The donation PF18 of the second embodiment has the same functional blocks as the donation PF18 of the first embodiment. Specifically, the donation PF18 includes a donation recipient master storage unit 64, a donor consenter information storage unit 66, a donation history storage unit 68, a donor consenter information reception unit 70, a donation recipient information reception unit 72, a donation recipient determination unit 74, a donation processing unit 76, a donation history update unit 78, a receipt generation unit 80, and a receipt provision unit 82. The differences from the first embodiment will be explained below.

[0076] The donation attribute information received by the donation attribute receiving unit 46 of the corporate device 22 and stored by the donation attribute storage unit 36 ​​of the corporate device 22 includes the designation of the recipient and the designation of the donation amount. The designation of the donation amount includes the designation of an account in which information regarding benefits provided by the target company to customers in the target company's loyalty program, which will serve as the source of the donation, is recorded. The designation of the donation amount also includes the designation of a donation percentage or a donation amount. The donation percentage is the percentage (e.g., X%) allocated to the donation from the number of points newly recorded in the customer's account (the number of points newly provided). The donation amount is the number of points (e.g., YY points) allocated to the donation from the number of points newly recorded in the customer's account.

[0077] The donation processing unit 76 of the donation PF18, when information regarding the benefits provided to the customer by the target company is recorded in the customer's account, executes a process to donate at least a portion of the amount corresponding to the benefits provided to the customer to the recipient organization designated by the customer.

[0078] In the second embodiment as well, the recipient organization can be designated by category or by discretion. If a category of recipient organization is specified, the donation processing unit 76 of the donation PF18, as in the first embodiment, performs processing to donate at least a portion of the amount corresponding to the benefit provided to the customer to one or more organizations belonging to the category specified by the customer, as determined by the recipient determination unit 74.

[0079] In the second embodiment as well, the receipt generation unit 80 of the donation PF18 generates a receipt addressed to the customer that includes the recipient organization and the donation amount. The receipt generation unit 80 also generates a receipt that aggregates information from multiple donation details related to the same customer among the multiple donation details stored in the donation history storage unit 68.

[0080] Note that the functional blocks included in the corporate device 22 and donation PF 18 shown in Figure 11 are merely illustrative. As a variation, some of the functional blocks included in the corporate device 22 may be included in the donation PF 18. Also, some of the functional blocks included in the donation PF 18 may be included in the corporate device 22. Furthermore, one functional block shown in Figure 11 may be divided and provided in the corporate device 22 and the donation PF 18, and a single functional block may be realized as a whole. Moreover, all of the functional blocks provided in the donation PF 18 may be provided in the corporate device 22, that is, the donation support system 20 may be realized by a single device or system (for example, the corporate device 22).

[0081] The operation of the donation support system 20 in the second embodiment will now be described. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the donation support system 20 in the second embodiment, and specifically, it is a flowchart showing the operation of the corporate device 22 and the donation PF18 in the second embodiment.

[0082] The consent information receiving unit 42 of the enterprise device 22 receives consent information regarding donations transmitted from the customer terminal 12 and stores the donation attributes based on that consent information in the donation attribute storage unit 36 ​​(S30). The consent information linking unit 44 of the enterprise device 22 transmits the consent information to the donation PF 18 (S31). The donor consenter information receiving unit 70 of the donation PF 18 receives the consent information transmitted from the enterprise device 22 and stores the donor consenter information based on that consent information in the donor consenter information storage unit 66 (S32). In the first embodiment, the donor consenter information recorded the identification information of the consenting securities company, but in the second embodiment, the donor consenter information recorded the identification information of the consenting company (the business operator that awarded points to the customer).

[0083] The customer terminal 12 transmits donation attribute information to the company device 22 in response to customer operations. The donation attribute information includes specifying the category of the recipient of the donation and specifying the account where the balance of benefits (in this case, points) provided to the customer through the company's loyalty program, which will serve as the source of the donation, is recorded. The donation attribute information also further includes specifying the donation percentage or donation amount.

[0084] The donation attribute receiving unit 46 of the enterprise device 22 receives donation attribute information and stores the donation attribute information in the donation attribute storage unit 36 ​​(S33). The recipient information linking unit 48 of the enterprise device 22 transmits the recipient designation of the donation attribute information to the donation PF 18 (S34). The recipient information receiving unit 72 of the donation PF 18 receives the recipient designation and stores the recipient designation in the donor consenter information saved in S32 (S35).

[0085] The customer balance update unit 52 of the enterprise device 22 receives point information, including the number of points to be provided, from an external device (not shown) or an application (not shown) at the time when points are provided from the enterprise to the customer (S36). The customer balance update unit 52 increases the account balance of the customer to whom points were provided (hereinafter referred to as the "target customer"), which is stored in the customer balance storage unit 40, by the number of points provided (S37).

[0086] The donation linkage unit 54 of the enterprise device 22 calculates the donation amount of a target customer based on the amount of points added (in other words, the number of newly provided points) and the donation percentage or donation amount specified in the donation attribute information, when points are added to the account balance of the target customer.

[0087] The donation linkage unit 54 converts the added points into monetary value based on predetermined conversion rules, or in other words, calculates the amount of currency equivalent to the added points. An example of calculating the donation amount for a target customer is shown below. Here, the added points in the target customer's account balance are assumed to be 2000 points, and the conversion rate is assumed to be 10 points = 1 yen. The donation rate is also assumed to be 20%. In this case, the donation linkage unit 54 multiplies the added points amount of 200 yen by the donation rate of 20% to calculate the target customer's donation amount as 40 yen.

[0088] The donation linkage unit 54 transmits donation information, including the donation amount of the target customer, to the donation PF 18 (S38). Upon receiving the donation information, the donation recipient determination unit 74 of the donation PF 18 determines the recipient organization for the target customer based on the category previously specified by the target customer indicated in the donation information and the recipient master in the recipient master storage unit 64 (S39). The donation processing unit 76 of the donation PF 18 executes the process of transferring the donation amount indicated in the donation information to the recipient organization determined in S39 (S40).

[0089] The donation history update unit 78 of the donation PF18 stores the new donation details for the target customer in the donation history storage unit 68 (S41). Figure 13 shows an example of donation details. The three donation details shown in Figure 13 include two donation details corresponding to two donations made by the target customer, Taro Yamada, to the AA Foundation, and one donation detail corresponding to one donation made by Taro Yamada to the BB Foundation.

[0090] Returning to Figure 12, when the receipt generation unit 80 of the donation PF18 reaches a predetermined receipt creation timing, it generates receipt data that aggregates one or more donation details of the target customer stored in the donation history storage unit 68. The receipt provision unit 82 of the donation PF18 transmits the receipt data generated by the receipt generation unit 80 to the target customer's customer terminal 12 (S42).

[0091] Figure 14 shows an example of a receipt. Figure 14 shows a receipt based on three donation details for the target customer, Taro Yamada, as shown in Figure 13. The receipt generation unit 80 may generate a single receipt (a single receipt addressed to Taro Yamada in Figure 14) based on multiple donation details for one customer by matching the customer identification information.

[0092] The donation support system 20 of the second embodiment has the same effects as the donation support system 20 of the first embodiment. Specifically, the donation support system 20 of the second embodiment can promote donations by customers of a company that provides benefits through a loyalty program. That is, the donation support system 20 of the second embodiment can support donations to an organization designated by the customer (e.g., a public interest foundation) using the loyalty program benefits recorded in an account designated by the customer as the source of funds. Furthermore, in the donation support system 20 of the second embodiment, the customer can also designate any account (e.g., any account where loyalty program benefits are accumulated) as the source of the donation, realizing a flexible donation mechanism.

[0093] The present disclosure has been explained above based on the second embodiment. The contents described in the second embodiment are illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in combination of the components and processing processes of the second embodiment, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0094] A variation of the second embodiment will now be described. In the second embodiment, the company awarded points to customers as a reward for their loyalty program. As a variation, the company may award customers in kind (in other words, goods) as a reward for their loyalty program. The donation processing unit 76 of the donation support system 20 may perform a process to donate at least a portion of the amount obtained by converting the in-kind reward into monetary terms, based on predetermined criteria.

[0095] Specifically, the donation linkage unit 54 of the corporate device 22 may convert the in-kind benefits provided to the customer (target customer) into monetary value based on predetermined conversion criteria. The donation linkage unit 54 may also calculate the target customer's donation amount based on the monetary value of the in-kind benefits and the donation percentage or donation amount specified in the donation attribute information. The donation processing unit 76 of the donation PF 18 may donate at least a portion of the monetary value of the in-kind benefits by transferring the donation amount calculated by the donation linkage unit 54 to a public interest organization. According to this modification, even when benefits are provided in kind, donations to organizations designated by the customer can be realized.

[0096] Modifications applicable to the first and second embodiments are described below. In the first and second embodiments, the customer specified the recipient of the donation by category or left the selection to the discretion of the customer. As a modification, the customer may specify the desired organization itself as the recipient of the donation. In this case, the recipient determination unit 74 of the donation PF18 may determine the organization specified in the donation attribute information transmitted from the customer terminal 12 as the recipient organization.

[0097] Any combination of the above-described embodiments and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present invention. The new embodiments resulting from these combinations possess the combined effects of each of the embodiments and modifications. Furthermore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the functions to be performed by each component described in the claims can be achieved by the individual components shown in each embodiment and modification, or by their combination.

[0098] <Note> Based on the above description of embodiments and modifications, the following technology is disclosed. [Technology 1-1] A reception desk that receives designations from financial institution customers regarding the recipient organization of the donation and the specific financial products held by the customer that will serve as the source of the donation. A donation processing unit that, when dividends etc. are generated for the specified stock, executes a process to donate at least a portion of the dividends etc. to the specified recipient organization, A donation support system equipped with the following features. This donation support system allows financial institutions to support donations to organizations designated by their customers (e.g., public interest foundations), using dividends and other proceeds from securities designated by those customers as the source of funds. [Technology 1-2] A reception desk that receives from customers of a financial institution the designation of the recipient organization for donations and the designation of the customer's account from which the donations will be withdrawn. When dividends, etc., from financial products held by the aforementioned customer are deposited into the aforementioned account, a donation processing unit executes a process to donate at least a portion of the aforementioned dividends, etc., to the designated recipient organization. A donation support system equipped with the following features. This donation support system allows financial institutions to support donations to organizations designated by their customers (e.g., public interest foundations), using dividends and other funds deposited into accounts designated by those customers as the source of the donations. [Technology 1-3] The recipient organizations can be designated by category. The donation processing unit executes a process to donate at least a portion of the dividends, etc., to one or more organizations belonging to a specified category. The donation support system described in Technology 1-1 or 1-2. This donation support system allows customers to specify a category rather than an individual organization as the recipient, making it easy to donate to an organization that aligns with their wishes. [Technology 1-4] The system further includes a receipt generation unit that generates a receipt addressed to the customer, including the recipient organization and the donation amount. A donation support system as described in any of the technologies 1-1 to 1-3. This donation support system can automatically generate receipts to provide customers with tax benefits from their donations. [Technology 1-5] It further includes a memory unit that stores multiple donation details, The receipt generation unit generates a receipt that aggregates information from multiple donation details relating to the same customer. The donation support system described in Technology 1-4. This donation support system allows for the provision of receipts that aggregate information on multiple donations from the same customer.

[0099] [Technology 2-1] A reception desk that receives from customers of a designated company the designation of the recipient organization for donations and the designation of an account in which information regarding the benefits provided by the company to the customer in the company's loyalty program, which will serve as the source of the donations, is recorded. When information regarding the benefits provided by the company to the customer is recorded in the account, a donation processing unit executes a process to donate at least a portion of the amount corresponding to the provided benefits to the designated recipient organization. A donation support system equipped with the following features. This donation support system allows a designated company (a company that provides customers with benefits through a loyalty program) to support donations to an organization designated by the customer (for example, a public interest foundation), using the benefits recorded in the customer's designated account as the source of funds. [Technology 2-2] If the benefit is in kind, the donation processing unit performs a process to donate at least a portion of the amount obtained by converting the benefit into monetary terms based on predetermined criteria. The donation support system described in Technology 2-1. This donation support system allows customers to make donations to organizations of their choice, even when the reward is provided in kind. [Technology 2-3] The recipient organizations can be designated by category. The donation processing unit performs the process of donating at least a portion of the amount corresponding to the provided benefit to one or more organizations belonging to a specified category. The donation support system described in Technology 2-1 or 2-2. This donation support system allows customers to specify a category rather than an individual organization as the recipient, making it easy to donate to an organization that aligns with their wishes. [Technology 2-4] The system further includes a receipt generation unit that generates a receipt addressed to the customer, including the recipient organization and the donation amount. A donation support system as described in any of the following technical sections 2-1 to 2-3. This donation support system can automatically generate receipts to provide customers with tax benefits from their donations. [Technology 2-5] It further includes a memory unit that stores multiple donation details, The receipt generation unit generates a receipt that aggregates information from multiple donation details relating to the same customer. The donation support system described in Technology 2-4. This donation support system allows for the provision of receipts that aggregate information on multiple donations from the same customer. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0100] 10 Information processing system, 16 Securities back office system, 18 Donation PF, 20 Donation support system, 42 Consent information reception unit, 44 Consent information linkage unit, 46 Donation attribute reception unit, 48 Donation recipient information linkage unit, 50 Dividend recording unit, 52 Customer balance update unit, 54 Donation linkage unit, 68 Donation history storage unit, 70 Donation consenter information reception unit, 72 Donation recipient information reception unit, 74 Donation recipient determination unit, 76 Donation processing unit, 80 Receipt generation unit, 82 Receipt provision unit.

Claims

1. A reception desk that receives from customers of a designated company the designation of the recipient organization for donations and the designation of an account in which information regarding the benefits provided by the company to the customer in the company's loyalty program, which will serve as the source of the donations, is recorded. When information regarding the benefits provided by the company to the customer is recorded in the account, a donation processing unit executes a process to donate at least a portion of the amount corresponding to the provided benefits to the designated recipient organization. Equipped with, If the benefit is in kind, the donation processing unit performs a process to donate at least a portion of the amount obtained by converting the benefit into monetary terms based on predetermined criteria. Donation support system.

2. The recipient organizations can be designated by category. The donation processing unit performs a process to donate at least a portion of the amount corresponding to the provided benefit to one or more organizations belonging to a specified category. The donation support system according to claim 1.

3. The system further includes a receipt generation unit that generates a receipt addressed to the customer, including the recipient organization and the donation amount. The donation support system according to claim 1.

4. It further includes a memory unit that stores multiple donation details, The receipt generation unit generates a receipt that aggregates information from multiple donation details relating to the same customer. The donation support system according to claim 3.

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