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18/11/2009 -
The red Salvation Army kettle, along with its famous bell, has been a fixture of the holiday season since 1891. But this year, there may be a different sound added to the familiar ringing bell - the sound of credit card swiping.
Several locations have decided to add credit card machines to their holiday donation stands, so that passing people can donate more easily to the cause, which helps feed needy families during the holidays.
"It's a response to the way in which the public spends money - people are using cash less and plastic more," Mike Smith, director of kettle development for the local Salvation Army chapter, told the Colorado Gazette.
The kettle campaign forms the majority of the Salvation Army's fundraising, and in the U.S. alone helps feed more than 4.5 million people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
The credit card machines are expected to help boost fundraising that has slumped during recent years – Smith told the newspaper that the economy has pushed demand up 25 percent but has made donations fall by 10 percent.
In addition to the Salvation Army, an increasing number of businesses are turning to wireless credit card machines, as their portability and convenience can help increase sales and smooth cash flow, experts say.
