Are QR Codes The Salvation Army’s Digital Salvation?

In the past, The Salvation Army experimented with putting credit card readers alongside the red kettles, but found that usage was low and caused more confusion than served a useful purpose.
This year, the red kettle brigade is experimenting with QR codes to reach customers who want to donate, but aren’t carrying cash. “We always get a lot of responses about people saying, ‘well, we don’t carry cash, we want to be able to donate with a credit card,'” said Stephanie Pena, donor development director and volunteer coordinator for The Salvation Army of Amarillo, Texas. “I know I don’t carry cash either, because if I do, then I spend it. So The Salvation Army is doing something new this year. We actually have QR codes on our red kettles.”