Salvation Army Kettles

Did not donate                                      1.58                 18.24      X2 = 34.57

___________________________________________________________

The Chi-Square’s degree of freedom is 1

(Rows – 1)(Columns -1) = df

Chi-Square (X2) = 34.57

p < .001

Discussion of Results

As discussed in the “Control of Sources of Invalidity” section, because of the narrow scope of the study, these results are not necessarily applicable to society. Also, as the value of Chi Square (34.57) shows, the microcosm portion of the study does not necessarily represent the usual actions of society’s usual donation behavior.

In both donation scenarios, the kettle was in a very visible location and random observances by the researcher showed that shoppers were acknowledging the kettle when there was no attendant. Some people even looked at the kettle then scanned the area for the bell ringer as if they were thinking “if I’m not getting credit, I’m not giving.”

In two separate cases, after the study, shoppers returning to the store admitted to the bell ringer that they did not donate on the “unattended” weekend because they like the reaction of the bell ringer as much as they like giving.

In nearly every instance of donation to the attended kettle, a smile was shared between solicitor and contributor. In some cases of the few donations to the unattended kettle, contributors actually appeared annoyed when placing change in the slot.

In discussions with colleagues, the subject of guilt was brought up. It was pointed out that shoppers may be more apt to give to an attended kettle for reasons of guilt rather than the pursuit of recognition. Another study may be performed to debate this argument, possibly with two kettles on either side of an entrance with an attendant close to one and far from the other. Also, there was the presence of a security guard in the unattended scenario. Security personnel may incite as much feelings of guilt as a bell ringer, but probably do not offer the same potential of recognition as a volunteer bell ringer.

One note of interest: there were two personal checks in the attended kettle with the givers’ name and personal information blacked out…contributors satisfied with just the smile of the bell ringer.

Review of Literature

Salvation Army staff (2003, September). The Salvation Army Annual Report. Salvationarmyusa.org. Retrieved December 8, 2006 from http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn.nsf/766d2187c97e6bf180256cf4005d2284/0241be91850b4e0885256e4b0056f94f/$FILE/TSAReport04.pdf

Review: The Salvation Army’s Annual Report provided the foundation information for this study. The numbers revealed in the report explain the averages of kettle contributions as well as how and when people contribute.

Locke, Tom (2006, December). Looking for a Good Time? Ring a Bell. The Flume. Retrieved December 5, 2006 from http://theflume.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=3899&TM=46658.61

Review: This article may have provided the most important piece of information for the study as well as the inspiration. In the article, a Salvation Army coordinator explained that attended kettles bring in a much higher amount in donations than unattended kettles.

Woolsey, M (2006, October). Americas Most Generous States. Forbes.com.

from http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2006/10/24/leadership-philanthropy-charity-lead-cx_mw_1024states.html

Review: Although the researcher lives in Minnesota and the study would have been done here despite contrary information, this article reinforced the supposition that Minnesota would be an ideal location for the study as it consistently ranks within the top five charitable states in the nation. The increased amount of charity creates a larger and more definable sample for observing purposes.

Cole, A (2006, November). Canadians plan to spend $20 billion on gifts this holiday season. Visa.ca. Retrieved December 8, 2006 from http://www.visa.ca/en/about/mediacentre/article.cfm?pid=75

Review: In an effort to address possible areas of internal invalidity, this article was used to compare Canadian charitable habits with American charitable habits. In comparison, the nations are close to each other in charitable contributions to The Salvation Army.

Anonymous staff (2004, June) Poor make most generous donations. BBC News. Retrieved December 8, 2006

from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3844027.stm

Review: This article (as well as Locke’s story in The Flume) explained that, on average, people below the average income line make more generous donations than those above. This helped decide the location of the kettle as the average annual income of a Wal-Mart shopper is $40,000 compared to $60,000 at other box stores.

Anonymous staff (2005, October) National Charity Report: The Salvation Army. Give.org/Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. Retrieved December 8, 2006 from http://www.give.org/reports/report.aspx?ID=398&ReportType=1

Review: This report was used as a non-biased backup to the Salvation Army’s Annual Report.