01.jpgI’m sure that most of you have seen the bell-ringing Salvation Army guys in front of retail shops this holiday. You might want to look closer as their traditional red kettles have received a technological upgrade.
In fact, you may have noticed that credit-card reader on the kettles last year. They ran an initial trial last year in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Colorado Springs. Now, they have these wireless debit/credit card terminals in 300 locations in 120 different cities.
My Source says that since their introduction, the average donation of giving is about $15 when before it was two or three dollars in cash and coins.
In case you are curious, those wireless terminals are safe, as no personal information such as credit card numbers is ever stored on these machines themselves. Best of all, for those that want to claim their charitable donation for this year’s taxes, printable receipts are available right there.
I don’t remember seeing these wireless terminals on the Salvation Army kettles that I saw this year, but I have really only seen one or two, and I didn’t look close enough.
I suppose that soon, perhaps even next year, these wireless terminals will be on all of the red kettles. This could result in a lot more giving.
