Donations Off Target, Sally Ann Considers Debit Machines
Prince George, B.C. – With donations down at Christmas kettles across the province, it’s time to get creative says the Salvation Army.
“We have to get with the times, this is the 21st century,” says business coordinator Bill Glasgow.
“There’s been people coming by saying I’d donate $20 but I only have my debit card.”
He says one way to get creative would be to have portable debit machines at each kettle location.
“We had that conversation this (Friday) morning but there’s a cost to that. We’re also looking at ways of setting up online donations to the kettle because a lot of people sit at their computers and want to donate but there’s no way to do it.”
To date he says the kettle campaign has raised just over $160,000, or about $1,700 daily away from meeting their target ($250,000) and says provincially donations are down “in the millions.”
As a result of these challenges, Glasgow says bringing in debit machines next year is a real possibility.
“It was too late in our planning to get it done for this year but it’s something that will be brought up in our cooling off meeting this year.”
Comments
Made our donations online, one for PG, one for Yellowknife on behalf of brother’s family rather than shipping a box of stuff to their house. At the age when we don’t need too much stuff and glad to put the money to work directly instead. We’ve had a good year financially and increased our donations budget too.
Stop making excuses! Go to a bank machine, got some money out and donate.
As missing Poppa said…The Salvation Army has a website that accepts Visa, Mastercard etc.
The money goes to their head office and is sent back to the town of the donor.
Secure and simple to do! OR do as johnnyBelt suggests, take out some cash!!
Lots of places now give the option of taking out extra cash at check out. That’s what I do since I rarely carry cash, and just drop it in the kettle on my way out of the store.
Interact/Debit is the best method at the kettle, very very low fee per donation (6 to 3 cents depending on service provider) as apposed to credit cards. Secure, no cash floating around so no temptation to steal it. You could still have the kettle for the cash donations but a wireless terminal would also be available for donations. I bet the local Credit Unions would hop on board with that for a cause like the Salvation Army.
This is the ONLY church I will donate to. They are the only ones who sincerely look after those that are unable. And from what I hear, they collect the least in pay for the absolutely incredible job that they do.
Rock on, Sally Ann!
I would would use a debit machine as I rarely carry cash with me anymore.
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