Respect and Donations: Why the Salvation Army Gets Both

The Salvation Army has taken a new approach to fund raising, putting donors in control. The Salvation Army understands that everyone who donates has a reason for doing so. Each donation represents a selfless act and sacrifice.

Yet no donor appreciates seeing their contributions being used to solicit more contributions. Knowing this prompted The Salvation Army to try something new.

Beginning in 2008, donors were given the opportunity to control the number of solicitation requests they receive from The Salvation Army, an approach that contradicts the thinking of most non-profits. Many non-profits send constant solicitations, fearing they will be forgotten if they don’t.

As it turns out, those who respect their donors and limit the number of mailings, may be the ones best remembered. Roger Glick, Assistant Development Director for The Salvation Army Central Territory, says the program has been well received: “People love it! We have actually seen an increase in donations. People usually have an idea how much they plan to give each year and are not influenced by more solicitations.” Repeated requests do not generate more contributions.

The new program allows donors to decide when and how often they are contacted. For example, donors may select to receive solicitations three times a year or on an important date. Glick says most people just say, “Send me a notification at Christmas or Easter.”

While the Salvation Army does send two newsletters each year, these are to inform, not solicit. Glick says they intend to continue the program as “it has met with great success.”

No doubt they have seen an increase in money available for fulfilling their purpose, too. By reducing or eliminating redundant, often ignored and discarded solicitations, The Salvation Army directs more donors’ money to those in need.

Another innovative approach from the Salvation Army is called the Online Red Kettle. This allows an individual to set up a Red Kettle then send a link to friends through social networking sites, encouraging them to donate through a simple click. This feature also makes it very simple for businesses to collect group contributions or run challenges, and it allows corporations a simple method of matching employee contributions. It takes just a moment to set up the Online Red Kettle, according to Glick.

True Sense Marketing of Pittsburg, Pa. developed the new solicitations approach for the Salvation Army. The Central Territory office in Kansas City, Mo. was one of the first to give it a try. Donors are glad they did!