'Tis the www.season.com to give online
This Salvation Army kettle doesn't come with bell-ringers, shoppers or nasty weather.
And you don't dig into your pocket for a coin, but click your mouse for a screen that accepts credit card donations. It's the "cyber-kettle" -- a new twist on a holiday tradition.
An online version of the familiar red kettle has been installed on the Web site of the charity's Pittsburgh-area division -- just in time for Light-Up Night and the start of the Army's annual holiday money-raising drive. Located at www.salvationarmy-wpa.org, a banner below the kettle announces that "It's Kettle Time!" while computer-generated coins and bills trickle into the pot.
The kettle does a little jiggle when the money hits.
"Many people do their shopping, their mail, everything online. The Army has always been about going to the people where they are," said Ginny Knor, Salvation Army spokeswoman for the 28-county Western Pennsylvania Division based in Pittsburgh.
Knor said the cyber-kettle is not intended to replace real kettles. The official kettle campaign kicks off after Friday's Light-Up Night and with holiday events next week. The 2003 Allegheny County goal is $575,000 -- $50,000 more than last year's take -- and the divisional goal is $2.8 million.
As much as 20 percent of the Salvation Army's budget is funded by traditional kettles. The cyber-kettle is aimed at a different group of potential donors, Knor said. "We need to communicate with people at all levels."
Online donations also tend to be larger, averaging about $20. Donations at actual kettle sites usually amount to coins or a dollar bill.
"We certainly don't want to discourage people from that," Knor said, "because it adds up."
Active kettles generate about $150 a day. During a season, each kettle can raise about $3,000.
The Salvation Army is again concerned about finding enough volunteer bell-ringers to staff 500 kettle locations, including about 150 kettles in Allegheny County. The organization must pay minimum wage for workers who staff locations where volunteers are not available.
The holiday kettle tradition dates to 1891, when a Salvation Army captain in San Francisco used a large pot to collect donations to help with Christmas dinner for the poor. By 1895, 30 Salvation Army corps along the West Coast were using kettles. The idea took hold in the East in 1898.
The Salvation Army provides such necessities as food, shelter, clothing and furniture for people in need. Since Sept. 11, 2001, it has provided about $300,000 in assistance to laid-off US Airways employees.
Bob Mays, 58, of Scott, a sales representative for a box company, has volunteered to help at the holiday kettles since he was a child. Instead of ringing a bell, Mays plays Christmas songs on his clarinet.
"I love it. I get quite a few compliments. One lady last year said, 'I have to tell you. You make my Christmas,' " he said. "You can't do that online."
To volunteer at a kettle, contact Melissa Fereday at (412) 394-4863.
