Salvation Army charity's bright red kettles will soon take credit cards

The Salvation Army is augmenting its traditional holiday red-kettle collections with an electronic option for seasonal givers. The “plastic kettles” are in use in 120 U.S. cities and will be rolled out in New York over the next two weeks. The charity tested the credit-card option last year in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Colorado Springs and found that electronic givers contributed an average of $15, compared to $2 for those giving cash.

Full text article by Katie Nelson is available via the New York Daily News, 12/10/09.

Doing the Most Good, Digitally

In this age of instant communication online, a lot of money could be saved and organizations can be far more efficient and get much broader distribution by going 100 percent to a virtual annual report. A need to transition the Salvation Army's annual report to digital-only occurred to Maj. George Hood, the organization's national community relations and development secretary, and he discusses a downloadable annual report on the organization's Web site — basically a printable version of the mailed annual report.

Full-text post by Abny Santicola is available via Fundraising Success, 10/27/09.

Salvation Army Struggles to Fulfill Terms of a $1.8-Billion Bequest

The Salvation Army’s plans to honor a donor’s $1.8-billion bequest for the organization to build 30 elaborate community centers throughout the country is proving to be nearly impossible.

Full-text article by Stephanie Strom is available via The New York Times, 6.14.09.

Salvation Army Tries 'Texting' for Gifts

The Salvation Army is going to try a new method of getting
holiday-season donors to fill up its famous Red Kettles - by
asking supporters to send a text message that results in $5 being
charged to their cell-phone bills and earmarked for the charity,
according to the Associated Press.

The program will be tested in Ohio beginning in late November,
with plans to expand it nationally if it's successful, said the
organization. It is aimed at younger people who are less likely
to carry cash. The charity raised $118-million from its kettle
campaign nationwide last year.

Full-text article by Kantele Franko is available via MSNBC, 10.22.08.