I went on the website and see that St. Vincent de Paul is not rated either, because it is a religious charity. I do know that St. Vinnys does a lot of good.

when I was 8 my father passed away and my Mom had 3 of us 8, 6 and 10 months and received $200 a month from Social Security. St. Vinnys would give us food baskets, sent me and my brother to camp for 2 weeks every year, and gave Mom $ sometimes. Every year the American Legion would give Mom $100 to be used for Xmas.

So my $ goes to St. Vinnies, the Goodfellows “No child without a Christmas” and DH gives to the American Legion. You give to whatever organization touches your heart.

I strongly dislike Salvation Army because of its unabashed proselytizing, often as a condition of receiving benefits, and I would never give them a cent. My experience has been that many Catholic charities, by contrast, seem more likely to emphacize the spiritual benefits received by the GIVERS of generous support and volunteer time to help recipients without regard to their religious affiliation. Aid to recipients accomplishes this mission without strings attached. Very different, no?

As with kathy's touching experiences, one should give to the orgs that seem the best fit. I personally think non-religious organizations do more broad-based good with their activities because they have only one focus but that's for each person to decide.

I didn't realize that charitynavigator excluded religious organizations. I thought I remembered other sites that rated by how much was spent on salaries, advertising, and ultimately given away and I am coming up empty. Will keep trying and hope someone else has a suggestion.

This chart might help.

ratings of the top 50 US Charities

Four family members feel strong gratefulness to the genuine kindness they received from Salvation Army in a crisis episode. I've never heard from them of being forced to listen to, participate in, or affirm any religious positions. They are are life-long donors to SA, and I have become a donor as well.

I have no opinion on the Salavation Army in general,but I do discourage anyone from participating in their angel tree program this time of year. I volunteered at the angel tree distribution center all through high school and later as an adult worked with A LOT of women who got their kids put on the angel tree. These women had men in the house,though not a husband,so the man's income was not taken into consideration (much like it was not when they applied for other benefits) a lot of them were not even raising their own children,their mothers were,and worse of all, the day after they went to get their free gifts, they would all stand around either cackling at or talking smack about the toys and clothes well meaning people bought. Apparently their "babies dont wear walmart shoes!" Most of the toys were not good enough either,and were tossed or sold. The worst story was when one of those "ladies" was spewing fire because she SPECIFICALLY asked for an Xbox for her son on the angel tree, and randon anonymous people did not provide one. She was legitimately furious. No matter. She bought him one anyway. She was not hurting financially. She just wanted someone else to buy it. And since the man living with her at the time was not the boys father he wasn't gonna buy it....

When I volunteered at the distribution center,the women would come in,sometimes with kids in tow. They got their gifts in large plastic bags. More often than not, the bag would be ripped open, gone through and picked apart as if these people had paid a fortune for them. A lot of times they would try to rip into other people's bags that were waiting to be picked up to see if they could steal something better. Sometimes they would just leave the gifts there, as they didnt meet their standards. One of our jobs as high school volunteer minions was to go through the parking lot picking up discarded gifts and toys. And they would storm out,cussing everyone out because the salvation army reps attempted to stop their behavior. This was not an isolated incident. It happened over and over and over again, every single year. The people from the salvation army were used to it, and told us that that's how it is,but they still like to help those families that did need and appreciate help,even though it seemed as though they were in the minority. I tell everyone about my experiences,both behind the scenes and with the beneficiaries of that particular program. Not everyone is worth helping sadly. A lot of times people dont need help, they just want a handout. I suppose that would be a portion of all charities beneficiaries....

I guess that doesn't exclude them from being worthy of your donations. I am sure the SA does good work. But the angel tree needs to go away,if my experiences are the norm.

As for me, I donate through payroll deductions all year to a charity my employer chooses and I have no specific objections too. For any other charity, I prefer that it be local and really prefer they it be animal related.

The mission statement of the Salvation Army is "The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. "

The officers are the clergy.

If you didn't know that, that's fine. There are many who don't support that mission and I'm one of them. It's a church that does good but within the confines of what's good for the church. Secular charities don't have biblical "messages" to impart nor do many other non-evangelical non-profits. As I've said, everyone should choose what works for them and do so generously.

Yes, I’m aware of those facts. Evangelization is not solely accomplished through “proselytizing” The very next sentence you omitted from your quote of the Salvation Army’s Mission Statement was that the SA does not discriminate.

If you, Elmer, came to the Salvation Army hungry or cold because your electricity had been shut off, you would be welcomed through our doors and offered any assistance available without regard to your opinions.

I took a couple of my senior clients to the SA in Salinas for the free lunches, and I'd then pick them up later after they had some nice social interactions. And during the summer, there were free lunch programs for kids, too. I hung around enough to see that there was no more than a simple grace before the meal.

Amylou's experience with her volunteer work is disheartening. Not a reflection imo on The Salvation Army, but on the recipients of the charity provided. We always hope for better appreciation...

When dd was away attending college, where the need for social services is exceedingly high, one of the apt buildings she lived at was next door to a Salvation Army center where they provided meals and services to those in need. I will say, that was a very busy center caring for the hardest of in need folks I think I've ever seen. Two windows of the apt faced the center, one could not not see what was going on over there...the patience the staff of SA displayed daily was saint-like with severely mentally ill and drug influenced people. It made me think differently of the SA.

I had not given much thought to SA previously outside of the bell ringers during the holidays prior. This experience caused me to think inwardly about how they appear to do much needed work for those in need, seemingly without complaint.

I've always been a supporter of Red Cross and an animal rescue in our area (cheetahs, tigers, lions, wolves, owls, tortoises, etc that have been abused or injured and can not be released to their natural habitats for one reason or another. The cost to feed and keep animals of this type is enormous).

I've since also been a contributor to Salvation Army as the need is there and if what I witnessed is true of other SA centers, they seem to be OK by me. I'm not aware of their internal spending habits of course, but I did see a lot of services provided to an otherwise very needy population. I think I'll carry what I witnessed with me forever.

A good resource for researching charities is Guidestar: guidestar.org. If you set up a free account you can see a lot of info, including some of the organization's financials. And they do list the SA, both the parent organization and its various subsidiaries.

I used to give to SA, until they sold my info. I was inundated with requests for donations. I support rescue road trips, which takes dogs from high kill shelters in the south to new homes in the north.

I thank you all very much for your thoughtful responses. Both ends of the spectrum are definitely represented here.

Thanks Maddieee and Bookwoman for the links which I'll definitely check into. I appreciate everyone's thoughts and opinions and experiences.

I always donate to those red kettles! I have seen first hand of the good they have done to help people in my area. And if some organization helps others who are not so fortunate, then I will continue to donate to them if they have religious connections or not.

I do support the Salvation Army because they were the only group who came forward to help put my homeless son back on his feet, otherwise he was headed toward the life of a jailbird, or worse.

"Evangelization is not solely accomplished through “proselytizing"

Huh? The words "evangelize" and "proselytize" are synonyms. I'm not adding any personal opinion to its mission, that's how it describes itself.

"The very next sentence you omitted from your quote of the Salvation Army’s Mission Statement was that the SA does not discriminate."

Another huh? Why would any proselytizer waste time on someone who already has the same beliefs as they do? The point is to win a new member, someone who DOESN'T have the same beliefs. If someone in a missionary/proselytizing role "discriminated" against those with different beliefs, they'd have no one to talk to.

There are enough other denominations, and other religions for that matter, who keep their hands and their beliefs to themselves, and other charities who have no religious beliefs to propagate, that are more worthy of support. I'll never knowingly give a penny to any organization that's out to convert others through proselytizing.

Those who support the Salvation Army's mission are welcome to give them money,

I tend to donate to local organizations that directly help my community such as the local animal shelter, local homeless/domestic violence outreach and the local theater group. I also donate when something terrible happens such as a wildfire, flooding or hurricane that destroys everything in its path.

I always give to the red kettles. The SA was the only charity my father would give to. When he was on the troop train from the east coast to the west coast at the stops the SA and/or the Red Cross would be there. The SA gave the service men coffee and donuts for free. The Red Cross charged them. My husband was a volunteer firemen in his younger days. So was his father. A house fire wasn't even out and the SA would be there assisting the family with clothing and housing . They also brought coffee and food for the firemen.

I will always choose the Salvation Army as their members are some of the hardest working people on earth, with little regard to themselves and any benefit for them. I've never heard of them proselytizing - they're just there when help is needed. Ninety-two cents of every dollar donated goes for relief. They do so much good.

function, I think different service members had different experiences. My father was in the Army during WWII and he EXPRESSLY was angry at both the Red Cross and the Salvation Army because of his experiences with each and never gave either any money. Instead, he supported the USO starting after the war and for the rest of his life because of what he felt they did for him and others.

I don't give to Salvation Army either, even though my grandmother was in it in her youth, playing guitar in a little street corner band I've been told. I never talked to her about it when she was alive, to my regret.

While they certainly do good works, I do know that in their shelters, they require attendance at religious services as a condition of housing. Of course, that's their choice, but it's the main reason I won't give them money - because I don't share their beliefs and don't want my money used to "convert" or "save" people.

Exactly! Thank you olychick. The others who've commented about liking the Salvation Army either didn't know, don't care, or in fact may support the proselytizing. Like you I don't, as I said before.

I might sound like a Grinch but I don't give to the SA either. Red kettles at every store and ads in the paper for bell ringers-they pay all these people to ask me for money. I'm not contributing to salaries for that. I prefer small local charities.

I don’t personally know about SA and their proselytizing but have not heard about it here. I have heard many stories similar to what Amylou described, not just with SA, but with several charitable organizations that collect toys for kids, SA and Angel Tree being prominent among them.

The story I heard was about the recipients returning the toys to Wal-Mart for refunds in the form of gift cards. They then used the gift cards to purchase things for themselves or somehow managed to sell the cards for cash for other purposes, which certainly wasn‘t for food or clothing. I’ll leave that to your imagination what they used the cash to purchase. So sad, and it makes me angry to think those innocent kids didn’t get the gifts intended for them.

I have worked for the Salvation Army in a detox program in Hawaii and as a Social Worker in another state.

i have about seven yrs experience working for the SA army. I do not subscribe to their religion or beliefs and of course they did not ask me about my religious beliefs when I was interviewed for a job.

Many, many people of all religious beliefs as well as non believers work for the Salvation Army. They do not proselytize while working and do not discriminate and serve everyone who needs their services.

They also are a huge organization with many, many federal grants and are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion or require attendance at religious services.

i personally don’t care if people support them or not, but I don’t like false and/or misleading information out there

I rarely post on this board, but sometimes follow. I have to say that I'm lost, just lost, anymore as to charity contributions. It seems as though every single time you have one that speaks and works for you, it goes south. So, I just muddle along hoping for the best. As for the Salvation Army, I have trouble with them and some of their political stances. But, my sister did a six month internship with them (in San Francisco) and said they were the BEST! So, ruling out the really bad ones, I think it's always going to be plusses and minuses with charity donations.

PS: My family never donated to Red Cross because of WWII experiences.

theresa, while I appreciate your perspective, you should know that the SA is only doing the right thing because they were sued for their previous actions to require a religious test for employees. This isn't the same as requiring attendance at religious service for residents, but I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't similar actions in that arena because of them receiving federal funds:
https://www.adl.org/blog/salvation-army-case-has-important-implications-for-faith-based-initiative

Their policies aren't based on what they believe but what they were forced to do.

I keep it local and support only one charity that helps with the
immediate needs of citizens living in my county. When in doubt try
keeping your financial and volunteer services close to home where you
can witness the results.

But...but....what about the wildfire victims? Call the SA. :)

I'm not a big fan of SA but I will toss some money into a kettle a few times a year.

I prefer to donate both monetarily and in food stuffs to Harvesters or a local food pantry.

Every December my company has a holiday luncheon for the employees and brings in the SA band to play Christmas songs. They play so loudly that nobody can even have a conversation in our office lobby. Company employees volunteer as bell ringers over the kettle that is set up by the elevators. I call it extortion but at least we are fed well. lol

I keep in mind that the Salvation Army is a large organization -- individual locations probably vary somewhat in how they approach their charity work, and their faith. Maybe some of us have run into some overbearing people -- that's unfortunate but not reason for all of us to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I'm also aware the SA has been around for a long time. Things change, internally (SA's own policy and procedures) and externally (govt rules and regs). That's okay too. For here and now, our SA does a lot of good. I have no issue supporting their work.

I just dropped about $5 in change in the red kettle yesterday. Just recently the local Habitat for Humanity ( which does a lot of good in the community) store burnt down and I read in the paper where the SA was first on the scene with food and hot coffee for the firefighters. I don't have a problem donating to them through the holidays.

Giving, just like religion is a personal choice. Why someone would give or not give to a specific organization was not the OP’s question. Why even when it comes to giving, does one’s opinion about the OP’s choices have to be debated?

This is timely for me, because this morning a gay friend posted on social media urging people not to donate to the Salvation Army because they are anti-gay. This surprised me, so I looked it up. Here, in part, is Salvation Army's denial of this charge, as it appeared in an op-ed in USA Today:

We have a dorm in Las Vegas exclusively for transgender individuals. In Minneapolis, an estimated 20% of the 550 or so individuals who seek rest in our Harbor Light shelter each night are members of the LGBTQ community. In San Francisco, we operate a detoxification facility that caters to those infected with HIV/AIDS. Our Young Adult Resource Center provides day shelter to homeless youth in Houston, many of whom identify as LGBTQ. We work with the City of Baltimore tocombat trafficking among transgender individuals, a growing need there. And every other Salvation Army program, shelter or center nationwide is open to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

One of my closest friends is the daughter of high-ranking SA officers. She was raised in Asia as a missionary kid. Her husband used to manage a SA facility. They are the best people--the smartest, kindest, and most tolerant you can imagine, capable of both deep thinking and great humor. When my daughter died they hadn't known me long and had never met her, but they offered a beautiful, natural outdoor space (owned by the Salvation Army) for her memorial service. Afterward they served lunch to everyone. They wouldn't let me pay for a thing.

They know I don't go to church and don't subscribe to any organized religion, but that has never been an issue in our friendship, which has involved zero proselytizing.

Don't let one rotten apple spoil the bunch. I worked for a resident based family health center for 14 years in a lower income area. With the recommendation of our social worker we would choose one family in need to help with gifts for their children at Christmas. The staff, doctors, etc all pitched in money for gifts for the children and usually there was extra money for a nice Christmas dinner for the family. One set of parents took their kids gifts to the bar and sold them and drank and ate. True, one family were jerks, but 13 families were truly helped over the years.

"Why someone would give or not give to a specific organization was not the OP’s question."

Sorry lukki, you seem to have misread the original post. Janie asked:

"And/or do you have an opinion on donations to The Salvation Army?"

The conversation has been precisely in response to her question. People have been sharing their opinions about the Salvation Army.

Functionthenlook, I hear ya, but in my experience,it was a barrel of rotten,stinking apples. Several barrels of them. My experience was not an isolated incident with one family. The women I worked with that sold off the gifts or just threw them away were in the dozens, and they did it yearly. None of them kept the gifts. The rotten stinking apples at the distribution center far outnumbered the normal people. It was a miserable experience at the time but I am grateful that I learned something from it. I have saved lots of money,time, and sympathy that would have been wasted over the years.