Branded
Electronic Payment Machines Give Donors New Method to Help Those in Need
ALEXANDRIA, VA (November 25, 2009) - No pocket change to drop in a Red Kettle? Now you
can use your credit or debit card to make a donation to people in need at more
than 300 Salvation Army Red Kettles in more than 120 cities across the country.
The nation's largest direct provider of social services is offering the new
payment options, in addition to spare change, to help deliver food, toys,
clothing and other critical services to people in need during the Christmas
season and throughout the year.
"More and
more people are using credit and debit cards as a primary means for their
retail transactions. These electronic payment machines let everyone get into
the charitable Christmas spirit even if they don't have quarters, dimes and
nickels," said Major George Hood, National Community Relations and Development
Secretary. "Our local units are taking the initiative to meet donors wherever
they are, and however they would choose to give, whether that be with a credit
card, online, or in our traditional Red Kettles."
Salvation
Army units in Dallas, Los
Angeles and Colorado
Springs test marketed the branded electronic payment machines during the 2008
Red Kettle campaign. Average donations rose from $2 in physical kettles to $15
dollars when donors used the cashless option. The new payment machines are branded with The
Salvation Army's iconic Red Shield logo and are attached to the traditional Red
Kettle stands. They are as easy to operate as any other electronic retail
purchase and accept major credit cards. None of the personal information is
stored on the machine and donors receive a printed receipt for their tax
deductable donation.
Despite the
economic downturn, last year's Red Kettle Campaign set a record of $130
million. The organization hopes to meet and exceed that total this season. The
Red Kettle campaign kicks off nationally on Thanksgiving Day with a featured
performance by Daughtry at the halftime show of the Dallas Cowboys game versus
the Oakland Raiders at Cowboys Stadium. It will continue through Christmas Eve in
cities across the country.
The Red Kettle Campaign, the oldest
annual charitable fundraiser of its kind in the United States, helps raise money
for those who need it most in communities nationwide - providing toys for kids,
coats for the homeless, food for the hungry and countless social service
programs year-round. From its humble beginnings as a fundraiser started by a
Salvation Army captain in San Francisco in 1891, the Red Kettle Campaign has
grown into one of the most recognizable and important charitable campaigns in
the United States. As part of the campaign, more than 25,000 Salvation Army
volunteers spread throughout the country to ring bells daily and solicit spare
change donations to the iconic red kettles from holiday shoppers.
The Salvation Army will offer the
payment option in the following cities, and more are being added:
Albany, OR
Arlington, TX
Asheboro, NC
Asheville, NC
Battle Creek, MI
Beaufort, SC
Bend, OR
Big Spring, TX
Billings, MT
Boise, ID
Bremerton, WA
Bryan, TX
Bullhead City, AZ
Burlington, NC
Cathedral
City,
CA
Chandler, AZ
Chapel Hill, NC
Charlotte, NC
Charlottesville, VA
Chattanooga, TN
Chicago, IL
Chico, CA
Colorado
Springs,
CO
Conway, SC
Dallas, TX
Denton, TX
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
Durham, NC
Durham, NC
El Cajon, CA
El Centro, CA
El Paso, TX
Escondido, CA
Eugene, OR
Eureka, CA
Fort Collins, CO
Fort Worth, TX
Fredericksburg, VA
Fresno, CA
Gaffney, SC
Garland, TX
Gastonia, NC
Georgetown, SC
Grand
Junction,
CO
Grand Rapids, MI
Grass Valley, CA
Greenville, SC
Greenwood, SC
Harrisonburg, VA
Hickory, NC
High Point, NC
Hot Springs, AR
Idaho Falls, ID
Irving, TX
Jacksonville, FL
Kalamazoo, MI
Kansas City, MO
Kingman, AZ
Knoxville, TN
Laredo, TX
Las Vegas, NV
Leesburg, VA
Lewisville, TX
Lexington, NC
Louisville, KY
Lufkin, TX
Madison, WI
Mckinney, TX
Medford, OR
Memphis, TN
Midland, TX
Minneapolis/St.
Paul, MN
Modesto, CA
Moreno Valley, CA
Mountain Home, AR
Murrieta, CA
Naples, FL
New York, NY
North
Charleston,
SC
Phoenix, AZ
Plano, TX
Port
Charlotte,
FL
Portland, OR
Raleigh, NC
Raleigh, NC
Redlands,CA
Reno, NV
Richmond, VA
Rock Hill, SC
Roswell, NM
Sacramento, CA
Salem, OR
Salisbury, NC
Salt Lake
City,
UT
San Antonio, TX
San Bernadino, CA
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
San Rafael, CA
Santa Clara, CA
Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Fe, NM
Seattle, WA
Sherman, TX
Sierra
del Mar, CA
Sierra Vista, AZ
Smithfield, NC
Spokane, WA
Tacoma, WA
Tempe, AZ
Temple, TX
Tulare, CA
Turlock, CA
Victor Valley, CA
Watsonville, CA
Waxahachie, TX
Waynesboro, VA
Waynesville, NC
Winston
Salem, SC
Yuma, AZ