When national media ask how the Christmas kettle campaign is doing, The Salvation Army has not been able to provide an up-to-date account on any given day of the campaign. “Though information may be available about a specific community's kettle income,” says Graham Moore, territorial public relations and development secretary, “we have not been able to make the results from the entire country available until several months after the campaign is over.”

The THQ information technology department has developed a Christmas kettle reporting system that enables the public relations and development department to report the total daily income across the territory at any point in the campaign. All that is required is for each ministry unit to record each day's income on the computer program. “Christmas kettles remain a local responsibility,” says Moore, “but reporting the income promptly enables us to provide the media with a national perspective throughout the campaign.”

A useful feature of this new software is that it also breaks down the daily income from each kettle location. A couple of weeks into the campaign, the system will identify which kettle locations are bringing in the lowest income and which days are the least productive. Adjustments can be made promptly to maximize income and minimize losses.

Additionally, by recording the daily income from the kettles in, for example, all of the Loblaws' stores across the country, the Army can quickly discover on any day the total income for these particular locations.

“Businesses want to be good corporate citizens,” Moore stresses. “Providing national income figures throughout the campaign strengthens the partnership we enjoy with the financially supportive business community. Communicating our national total income throughout the campaign enables us to keep the public informed and to alert them if contributions are behind.”

Last year, 100 ministry units began using this daily reporting system, representing 814 kettle locations that raised over $8 million (out of $16 million raised). “Our hope for this year,” says Moore, “is that $11 million will be reported through this new system.” Local ministry units wanting to participate can contact helpdesk@can.salvationarmy.org or 416-422-6300. Training is available via web-conferencing.