Can Red Kettle DipJar Save Fundraiser Decline
Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Christmas campaign started more than 120 years in San Francisco with a guy who felt bad about people going hungry. Donations are down as the world and Christmas shoppers change directions. Can the DipJar credit card system attached to approx. 500 buckets help?
Holiday shopping has changed significantly in a few short years. Headlines in one paper this week reported Amazon drivers have become Santa’s Slaves, delivering 200 boxes per day with nary a bathroom break. Shoppers have readily ditched tradtional box stores and malls for the convenience of having all the world has to offer delivered directly to their door.
With a touch of the phone or click of the mouse, we can buy the finest silk sheets from China, mens’ size 15 shoes, and even our favorite Northern Quilted toilet paper in bulk without having to step outside the house. It can make one feel guilty if reports are true that some Amazon drivers are having to pee into a bottle because they don’t have time for breaks. This trend is impacting charities such as Salvation Army, which relies on donations outside busy stores during the holiday season.
Salvation Army Red Kettle
- Less volunteers
- Store closures and fewer places to set-up
- Cashless society means less change in the bucket
- New DipJar credit readers may yield higher donations per person
Red Kettle Donations Down in 2017
- ALBANY, NY: Red Kettle campaign donations down 15%
- ST. JOSEPH, MO: Donations are drastically down
- CHEYENNE, WY: Donations are significantly down
- DAYTON, OHIO: Last year’s efforts fell well below; this year lower
- YELM, WA: Volunteers and donations down
- RAPID CITY, SD: Donations falling short
