Kudos To Salvation Army
Here’s just a plain old "good news" post.
The Salvation Army has done a terrific job of remaining relevant and vital in changing times. A great case study in organizational renewal, particularly as nonprofits begin to think more and more about competition from "fresh faces" in the sector.
So, as reported in Philanthropy Journal, it’s gratifying to see that donations to their 2009 Red Kettle Campaign went up smartly to $139 million, a 7% increase over 2008 in a down economy.
Incidentally, in a sign of the times, $9.6 million (7%) of the total was donated online.
Well done Salvation Army donors, volunteers and staff!
Tom
2 responses to “Kudos To Salvation Army”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Thanks so much for raising this. Yes, capturing donor information can be helpful for stewardship like newsletters, thank-you letters, impact updates. But how you ask matters. Forcing full data capture introduces friction that can significantly depress conversion, many donors may simply abandon the process. Beyond the friction itself, required fields also shift the emotional experience […]
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Unlike holidays that everyone already knows, Giving Tuesday is a created event. Many donors recognize the name but not the exact timing, so referencing it becomes a helpful cue. It serves as a reminder and taps into social norm activation (“everyone’s giving today”), which boosts response. However, we still want it paired with the mission, […]
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When a subject line leads with the match (“Your gift matched!”), it risks triggering market-norm thinking: the sense that giving is a financial transaction rather than an act rooted in values, identity, and care. This shift reduces intrinsic motivation and, over time, can weaken donor satisfaction and long-term engagement. It also makes the email indistinguishable […]
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There’s no evidence that QR codes suppress mid-value giving; all available research suggests they either help or have no negative effect. In fact, behavioral and usability research consistently shows the opposite: reducing friction at any point in the donation process increases completion rates and total response. And that has nothing to do with capacity and […]
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What you’re experiencing is very common. Resistance often isn’t about capability, but about motivation quality. If board members feel pushed into fundraising, that triggers controlled motivation (low quality motivation) i.e. obligation, guilt, or fear of judgment, which often results in avoidance. Instead, we need to create conditions for volitional motivation (high quality motivation) by satisfying […]
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That’s a really thoughtful question, and you’re not the first to raise it. Many of our clients have been cautious about placing the ask at the very end. To address their concern, we’ve tested both approaches, and the results are clear: when the ask comes last, even if that means it appears on the second […]
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This is actually NOT good news. The Salvation Army is recognized as a religious institution, and as such, fails to file a 990. Therefore, there is little accountability on how they spend donated funds — compared to other non-profit organizations.
I stopped giving to them a couple of years ago, when I realized this, and recently heard a similar complaint from a fundraising professional who left a local Salvation Army organization (where he was emplyoed) when he found out how poor their accounting practices were.
The international branch of the Army does file a 990, and it indicates such low incomes for its lead staff that it is difficult to imagine how they recruit and retain qualified staff to do the diffcult jobs of managing quality programs and stewarding funds at an acceptable level.
Unfortunately, too many people do not perform adeqaute research when deciding which organizations to support. The Salvation Army MAY do good works — but they do not have what I consider adequate documentation of their donated funds to prove how well they steward or manage donations.
Donor beware!
Due to the presence of its on-the-street red kettle collection effort, the Salvation Army has tremendous visibility. The public is prone to interpret this visibility as credibility. Anita, you are right that the public does not perform due diligence before donating.
Your desire for accountability is a growing trend that has been becoming all the more acute in the wake of the financial scandals. It remains to be seen how “retail fundraisers” such as the Salvation Arm, which solicit small amounts from large quantities of donors, will be impacted by this trend.
Certainly, a call for more accountability and a realistic expectation of where money goes is necessary.
I wrote about this very top in my blog post titled “How Much is This Dollar Worth?” and offer alternative measures for evaluating nonprofits.
http://blog.redroostergroup.com/2009/10/01/fundraising-how-much-is-this-dollar-worth/