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Posted on Thu, Nov 12, 2009 : 5:52 a.m.

Washtenaw County Salvation Army holiday kettle drive gets high-tech boost

By Paula Gardner

The biggest annual fundraiser for the Salvation Army of Washtenaw County is getting a high-tech boost this year: Credit card machines.

When the annual kettle drive starts Friday, four of the traditional donation pots will be manned by bellringers equipped with credit card machines to accept donations.

The local Salvation Army is the first in eastern Michigan to put the machines to use, said Maj. Dianna Williams, Corps Officer for the Salvation Army of Washtenaw County.

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Salvation Army Corps Officer Dianna Williams shows off the new credit card donation buckets at the Salvation Army headquarters in Ann Arbor. Starting this Friday, the new machines will be put into play by the Salvation Army bellringers during the annual holiday fundraising effort.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

Credit card machines have been used by the Salvation Army in other states. Williams’ son, stationed with the Salvation Army in Georgia, recommended the Ann Arbor Corps get a machine as soon as they were available.

“We jumped on them,” Williams said. “… As soon as we saw the email (saying they could be available), we said we want them.”

The group will have four machines. Three will be at Briarwood Mall, and one will be at Sam’s Club in Pittsfield Township.

The technology won’t change the basic job of bellringing much, Williams said. It still requires a person to ring a bell, greet people, accept donations and take charge of the kettle.

Now the element of swiping cards - and possibly answering questions about the new process - will be added to the task.

The ease of the machines will let the Corps get donations from consumers who don’t carry cash - or who may have already spent it when they end up in the proximity of a bellringer, Williams said.

“It’s a very simple machine to use,” Willliams said. “You swipe your card, enter the last 4 numbers, get the receipt and put that into the kettle.”

And if people want a receipt, they can fill out an envelope to have one mailed to them.

The credit card machines, Corps leaders said, should help them reach their goal of collecting $600,000 in Washtenaw County this season.

That amount includes $300,000 in Ann Arbor, $150,000 in Ypsilanti and $150,000 from mail campaigns.

The timing of the device seems right, since the presence credit cards in American homes continues to grow: 78 percent of American households -- about 91.1 million -- had one or more credit cards at the end of 2008, according to an April consumer Nilson Report. A year earlier, 90.4 million households had cards.

Benefits to the Salvation Army include direct deposits of the money into its accounts within 48 hours.

Also, Williams said, the machines are solar-powered and use batteries instead of electrical cords - making them portable enough to be mobile in the mall.

The cost of the machines won’t be known until the final price is negotiated by the regional Salvation Army headquarters in Chicago, Williams said.

But Williams is confident they’ve already paid for themselves. One person recently showed up to make a donation, but didn’t have cash - and used the machine.

“In a minute he was gone,” Williams said.

The funds generated during the drive fulfill an important mission for the Salvation Army. In addition to funding the general operating budget, the money raised will help the group’s commitment to help at least 650 local families this year, up from 500 in 2008.

The $600,000 goal is unchanged since 2008.

“We know the economy is bad,” Williams said. “But we’re hoping to make at least what we did last year.”

Comments

Nikki S.

Thu, Nov 12, 2009 : 10:47 a.m.

Rosie - anyone interested in volunteering as a bell ringer can go to The Salvation Army's Web site, www.sawashtenaw.org. Bell ringing info can be found in the Volunteer section. There is also information on the site about ways people can volunteer with or donate to the Angel Tree toy drive and Adopt-a-Family holiday programs. Thanks for asking about volunteer info!

Rosie

Thu, Nov 12, 2009 : 9:28 a.m.

You might want to include information for those who would like to volunteer to be a bell ringer or in some other capacity this holiday season.