INDIANAPOLIS — Red Kettles and ringing bells are common sights and sounds during the holidays. But the Salvation Army says it is getting fewer donations, as well as volunteers.
"I was a bell ringer when I was a kid,” Jake Brown, a Salvation Army volunteer, said. “So I started out as a bell ringer and now I do bell ringing, I do Angel tree, and several other volunteer activities with the Salvation Army."
Brown has been volunteering with the Salvation Army for a few years. He says there is one thing that keeps him coming back.
"It's the gratitude that a lot of folks who are less fortunate than I have,” Brown said. “When they come to stuff like Angel Tree. We can provide them with opportunities that they wouldn't otherwise have."
All the resources the Salvation Army provides are made possible through donations.
According to the organization, about 82% of donations to the Salvation Army go directly to program funding, to help people in need of housing, are facing food insecurity, or are combatting addiction. Fewer volunteers though mean fewer dollars raised.
"We have, in central Indiana, maybe somewhere around 7,000 volunteer shifts available. We currently just have a few thousand of those filled,” Malinda O'Neill, the Area Commander of The Salvation Army of Central Indiana, said.
The Salvation Army isn't alone in their struggle. A philanthropy expert from Indiana University says donations are harder to come by this year and have been in years past too.
“Around the time of the great recession, we started to see those giving numbers decline and the participation rates,” Una Osili, with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, said. “We haven't seen them rebound, even when the economy improved. “
Osili says when people are more economically secure, they are more inclined to give. While inflation impacts the everyday donor, it also impacts nonprofits’ bottom lines as well.
She says that’s why it’s important that nonprofits continue to build trust with their volunteers and donors so they know their donation is going to a good cause.
“Nonprofits should continue to look at how they can build trust, build engagement and move into that type of more sustainable fundraising approach and build relationships with donors of all different backgrounds,” Osilli said.
According to the Salvation Army, one shift of bell ringing can raise enough money to feed 25 families for a week. A plea from an organization looking to do the most good.
"Nobody is donating because we don't have kettles out there if there is not someone there to stand with the kettle,” O'Neill said.
Here in central Indiana, the Salvation Army hopes to raise $3.6 million this holiday season.
If you are interested in volunteering your time, you can find out how to sign up by clicking here. If you would like to donate, click here.
