Salvation Army: Partnership for Giving
Problem
How many people could be helped with the money left on gift cards?
“That will be ninety-eight dollars and twenty-five cents!'
“Here we go again, a buck seventy-five left on my gift card, I can’t buy anything for $1.75.  I guess I’ll just put this one in the stack of gift cards I already have at home. I wonder where they are….” 
This scenario is played out in shopping centers and retail malls every day.  Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters left as balances on gift cards.  Most of the time, the gift cards are stuffed in the back of a wallet, or shoved into a drawer, forgotten, and unused.  This $1.75 and the remaining balances on all those other gift cards could be used to fund programs to help someone in need. How many Salvation Army programs could be funded with these pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters? According to my friend Delmy Vasquez, who is a volunteer worker for The Salvation Army in Northern Virginia, the organization can always use more money to help people who are in need.
Gift cards are given throughout the year for any and all occasions.  Most of the time, the recipient of the gift card spends as much as he or she can as quickly as possible, but as we all know, very few purchases round out to whole dollars or the exact values of these gift cards.  Wouldn’t it be great if that money went to the Salvation Army?  

Solution
So, how do you make this possible? I propose a partnership between The Salvation Army, an electronic kiosk manufacturer to develop a kiosk that accepts “used” gift cards for donations, and a few major department stores.  Many people get gift cards from a variety of stores that reside in the same mall.  A kiosk could be developed to accept gift cards from all the stores in the mall, thereby giving The Salvation Army access to many left over balances.
Of course, the stores that issue the gift cards would have to be involved, since legally, it is their money. This program could be promoted to the retailers as “good will" marketing, and as tax deductible, charitable contributions.  “Good will" marketing generally increases the public’s opinion of retail stores. A Cone/Roper report of cause-related buying trends found that “aligning your business with a charity or social cause can not only woo customers, but can also help with hiring and retaining employees" ("Cause-Related Marketing").   The report stated, "Eighty-three percent of consumers say that they have a more positive image of a company that supports a cause they care about, and two-thirds of consumers say that if price and quality are equal, they are likely to switch to a retailer associated with a good cause." 
One potential kiosk manufacturer is the GivingKIOSK company.  This company has already developed the software and hardware to read the electronic strip on the back of debit and credit cards. According to the company Web site, “The GivingKIOSK features a new design that supports an MSR Card Reader, Bar Code Scanner and Receipt Printer. With the optional 32” Flat Panel Video Display which attaches above the touch screen, your message is delivered using video and audio...” (GivingKIOSK).  So, why not add gift cards?  With gift cards, the whole card goes into the “gift card” slot, depositing the money into The Salvation Army account.  The plastic card could be recycled, an added environmental benefit.

Benefits
GivingKIOSK  has discovered the beauty of the debit/credit card donation; people are more likely to give ten or fifteen dollars rather than a dollar or two when they use their debit or credit card.  GivingKIOSK has a number of “beta” programs in churches in Texas; and in some retail stores that sponsor programs such as “Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure” (GivingKIOSK).  
A partnership such as this one could significantly increase The Salvation Army bottom line. Just imagine what The Salvation Army could do with this money. Picture all of the people who could be helped, or the facilities that could be funded.  Think of the future of these many good works programs.  Although the balances on gift cards are but change, all that change can add up very quickly. People toss change into The Salvation Army’s red kettles nationally at Christmastime every year.  This change must add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash donations annually; otherwise, The Salvation Army would not run these campaigns. The money left on gift cards could do the same thing and would be received throughout the year, increasing the monthly cash flow.  A program such as this would allow the good work to go on all year long without the concern of reduced funding during traditional “non-giving” months such as July or August, when the needs are just as pressing.  And as I stated earlier, the stores could benefit from the positive image that “good will” marketing provides.  

Conclusion
Now, let’s imagine kiosks strategically placed in shopping malls, grocery stores or where ever people make purchases; and imagine if you will an electronic kiosk with a graphic of the Big Red Kettle. According to The Salvation Army, “The traditional red kettle is an integral part of the Christmas scene, with millions of dollars donated each year to aid needy families, seniors, and the homeless, in keeping with the spirit of the season.” Such a kiosk with a slot to insert a “used” gift card would leave no doubt in the contributor’s mind where the donation is going.
I want to propose a partnership between The Salvation Army, GivingKIOSK and several retail stores in a mall such as Springfield Mall, Manassas Mall or Tyson’s Corner Malls, to install gift card kiosks. These kiosks could double or triple The Salvation Army’s donations providing much needed funding throughout the year.
Works Cited
“Cause-Related Marketing Creates Goodwill with Customers and Employee.” Art Business

News. March 2001. Bnet Business Network. Web. 21 November 2008 .
     GivingKIOSK. 2008. Web. 21 November 2008 
     The Salvation Army.  2008. Web. 21 November 2008 
      Vasquez, Delmy. Personal interview. November 25, 2008.