We need salvation from this greedy army

September 22, 2007

Guest Post by Morbo

The Salvation Army is perhaps the most overrated organization in America. Everyone gets a warm fuzzy seeing their bell ringers outside the Wal-Mart at Christmastime. Woe to anyone who dares to point out that this band of right-wingers in uniforms are just homophobic religious fundamentalist adept at tapping the public purse.

Everyone knows the Salvation Army provides a lot of social services — often with our tax dollars. So the Army operates as a government contractor and thus must meet certain laws and regulations, right? Not quite. Even as its leaders continue to seek taxpayer handouts, the Army demands the right to be free from oversight and regulations that apply to any other social-service agency. It New York City, Army officials demanded and won the right to fire gay people and suspected gay people, even though those folks were working in jobs that were not religious in nature.

Now the Army is at it again. It owns an apartment building in New York City that has for years provided affordable housing for single women. The building is located in a tony Manhattan neighborhood, and someone got the bright idea that the building could be sold and turned into luxury condos, netting the Army a ton of money. All the Salvation Army had to do was evict all of those women.

But wait a minute. New York has strict laws dealing with tenant rights. You can’t just throw people out on the street. So what did the Salvation Army do? It argued in court that, since it is a religious organization, it can do whatever it wants.

And what it wants to do is evict those women and sell the building for at least $100 million. The state Supreme Court (which in New York is, confusingly, not the highest court in the state) has sided with the Army, but an appeal is expected. (See the women’s blog here)

Every year, the Salvation Army sucks up millions in your taxpayer dollars. Last year, the Salvation Army received a $1.5 billion bequest from the estate of Joan Kroc, whose husband founded McDonald’s. It was the largest gift ever given to a charitable organization in American history. This organization is not hurting for cash.

Religious groups provide many social services, and by and large I’m okay with that. I don’t even mind them getting some tax help as long as the services they provide are secular and free of proselytization and they don’t impose religious standards on employees for taxpayer-funded jobs.

The Salvation Army isn’t willing to play by those rules. I say cut them off from their taxpayer-provided subsidies and let them do what most houses of worship in the country do: Get support from the people sitting in the pews.

I say thee, Yea!

  • Everyone gets a warm fuzzy seeing their bell ringers outside the Wal-Mart at Christmastime.

    Not me, actually. I don’t shop at Wal-Mart, and the idea of an organization that links the concepts of “military force” and “going to heaven” in its name is just too creepy for me.

  • What RSA said. The bell ringers are an annoyance more than anything, and when asked I will say that I don’t give to charities that discriminate.

  • This is why I object to the “Faith Based Initiative”. Not one penny of taxpayer money should go to religious organizations. They refuse to adhere to (and typically aren’t governed by) the same regulations as secular charities.

  • Please get your facts straight:

    The $1.5 billion received from the Kroc estate was for a specific purpose. Therefore, The Salvation Army is not, “…not hurting for cash.”

    Do you know what The Salvation Army does with the $1 billion that Americans give each year? $860,000,000 goes into serving hurting Americans nationwide. (In case you cannot do the math, only $140,000,000 nationwide is used to provide these needed services.

    There are few social service organizations, Christian or not, that can provide services in this efficient way.

    Tell me and your readers: How do you react to Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhism groups that provide human social services?

  • Interesting point(s) of view. I bit ill-informed, but certainly interesting. First, please let me say how much I enjoyed the “band” tie-in. I don’t know if it was intentional, but it was certainly appropriate–and funny.

    The belief structure that is its doctrine and precepts are no where near the “fundamentalist” stances or views. In fact, if you were to attend services at both denominations, you see just how really silly that statement is.

    The formal stance– “position statement”– of The Salvation Army (hereafter TSA) is actually rather gray on homosexuality. However, because support for each local TSA unit comes solely from the public (among other reasons), the local unit has quite a bit of autonomy–this sometimes leads to irrational decisions (such as the terminations you referred to — though I don’t know any thing about the case, but if your side is the whole story, it would, in my mind, seem irrational. However, it is VERY dangerous and equally irrational to paint an enormous (more than 100 countries) organization with such general/generic brushstrokes.
    As for Government Funding, it wouldn’t take but 15 seconds with TSA’s national annual report (available on their website http://www.salvationarmyusa.org) to see just how little of its overall support (10% this past fiscal year) comes from government agencies. That said, I agree, if TSA agrees to accept funding with existing strings, they need to accept the strings and live within those guidelines. In general, this happens; they allow their “hands tied” in the name of effectively and efficiently meeting human need–often with very little fanfare I might add. That said, organizations of every shape, size, color, and feel–for-profit and not-for-profit–receive government support and often times they ask for waivers or exceptions from certain restriction and some receive them. What TSA has done in these situations is nothing more than what the others have done. More importantly, what they have done has been done with the ‘blessing’ of the local (often elected) officials. It seems a bit hypocritical to spew venom only at one link in this chain of inconsistencies.

    You want to talk about strings, the Kroc gift you referenced came to TSA with more strings, conditions, and problems than anyone could have imagined. Any community which has gotten involved with this gift and its voluminous restrictions has paid a very high price.

    The eviction you refer to seems off-putting to me as well. I don’t know the story, and it does not sound like something TSA should be involved in, or any human-aid organization for that matter. I hope that the full set of facts–that we may never know–would show a very different story.

    There are exceptions, but they tend to “prove the rule”—TSA and those who serve in that uniform are unexceptional people doing exceptional work. They are not greedy, in fact, many struggle to just keep their lights on. In many communities across this country these lights are the only ones ‘on’ to meet that need. Keep in mind that TSA does NOT discremonate in the distribution of services.

    I openly admit some of the points you bring up are disturbing and warrant further investigation. However, a number of your issues and statements are simply misguided. I would hope that you would spend a bit more time investigating some facts before letting loose with inflammatory titles such as on the one on this blog–however catchy it might be.

    In closing, as I dare to say it, yes: May God bless you! For the record, I do not say in that in jest or with ‘tongue-in-cheek’; it is a genuine wish…May God bless you!

  • Dear CL Mc:

    The dear friend who rents a room in our house is a former Salvation Army Captain with more than 20 years of service to the organization. He has been a great friend for almost 15 years, and performed the non-legal part of our ceremony when hubby and I got married.

    The SA disavowed him and kicked him out of the organization when he came out, in spite of his years of service, his wife and four children. Even with this blatant discrimination and homophobia, he still claims to be a Christian of the SA variety. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t really understand it myself.

    I have no respect or tolerance for an organization that treats its members in such a way.

  • Michael W., et. al.

    Terminations are a lot like divorces. For one thing most of us seem to pick a side and then go our separate ways–most often with bitter feelings about the other side and all those who chose that dark and twisted path.

    Even more so, terminations are another area where the old divorce adage rings especially true: “The are three sides to every story–his side, her side, and the truth.” Of course the first two sides most often feel their sides is the only true side…that they are entirely right and the other entirely wrong. However, any objective observer sees the folly in such a blinding stance–even when it is hardest to see by those involved.

    As for your specific situation and friend, I have no idea what happened. However, I venture to guess that you don’t either. That is, you know only what you’ve been told by one side of the ‘divorce’–the proverbial “his side”. Maybe he ‘came out’ (a phrase I’ve never squared with, but…) because he was having an affair (man or woman–an offence that warrants termination regardless (or maybe especially because) of years of service). Maybe he was a sub-standard worker and his sexuality was merely the last straw. Maybe his termination had less to do with sexuality, and more to do with years of lying and the damage such lies would do to his family and congregation(s). It is also possible that the person who terminated him was, in fact, homophobic–it does exist in this world. Of course so does the fear of chickens (Alektorophobia), the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth (Arachibutyrophobia), and countless other fears that may seem irrational or illogical to you or me.

    The Salvation Army is not perfect, it is, after all, made up of men and women. The people who make up TSA are going to make mistakes–some are small and local, others are larger and have national or inter-national ramifications.

    I wish the best to you and your friend. Both families–yours and his–are in need of prayer and support. I hope and pray it is found–I have and will continue to lift you up in prayer. May God bless you and your futures!

  • …so, if faith-based organizations are so selfish and evil then please point out to me the relief efforts of secular humanist organizations, free-thinking societies, optimist clubs and enlightenment groups in New Orleans and all along the gulf coast. Where were those such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Penn & Teller, Warren Allen Smith, et al, to provide the comfort of atheism when hundreds of thousands where devastated by a tsunami? Maybe, just maybe, if some would turn their energies from hateful attacks in the name of a thinly veiled political agenda toward caring for people in need their cause would resound with more than just 5% of the world’s population.

    But, perhaps that’s the point. All that’s left for some is to attack faith-based organizations that have time and time again risen above petty political issues and reached out their hands to those who need comfort and tangible assistance. This often goes as far as for those that were once in desperate need to be able to one day turn around and help someone else. The Salvation Army has a long standing history of helping those in need regardless of race, political persuasion, sexual orientation and even religious background. Their calling is to serve those in need regardless of philosophy of life, but that same calling doesn’t mandate who they must work with in order to meet that calling. Unconditional love for all persons does not mean that one must work with (employ) those who practice a lifestyle with which they disagree; but it does mean that sacrificial giving of one’s self and social work for the advantage of society not be based on a particular lifestyle or meeting a certain standard of behavior. This is a distinction that is absent in much of the discussion here.

    The Salvation Army understands that their ability to continually give to those in need is through the provision of God because of their relationship with Him. Their unconditional love for those in need is based on their belief in God’s unconditional love for each and every individual. That is why The Salvation Army holds to the saying, “Heart to God and Hand to man.” The Salvation Army would lose much of their effectiveness in helping others if they were to abandon their commitment to following God’s standards for life as presented in the Bible. This standard is for those offering comfort, not for those receiving it.

    It is precisely because The Salvation Army is occasionally selective in whom they invite to join in their work, directly and indirectly, that their efficiency in helping those in need is unparalleled. It is shallow and self-serving to attack an organization for their commitment to the very ideal that makes their good works possible. I suggest that those who spend their time posting negative, divisive, thoughtless, pithy “one-liners” spend more time finding out how faith-based organizations accomplish their vast varieties of good works and join with them however they can rather than spend their precious resources destroying them.

    (In the interest of full disclosure: I am no longer directly involved with The Salvation Army however I was once employed by them in an administrative position at one of the four executive headquarters in the US.)

  • It’s so unfortunate that MORBO didn’t do his/her homework to get to the actual facts behind each of these situations. If MORBO did research these issues, this post would include several facts:

    1) No one was fired in NYC because they were gay (or suspected of being gay). This is incorrect rhetoric that is presented as truth because enough people are repeating it;
    2) The apartment building in NYC gave the residents TWO YEARS to vacate their rooms. Rather than take advantage of this time to find other arrangements, some chose to blame The Salvation Army for this “cruel eviction” – how unfortunate;
    3) The $1.5 billion gift from Joan Kroc is highly restricted toward the construction and operation of large community centers throughout the country. This gift cannot be used for any operating expenses of any existing programs or facilities;
    4) The Salvation Army “plays by every rule” that is imposed on any non-profit or faith-based organization and has always been a model example of integrity and sacrifice.

    Shame on those who are using this group as a scapegoat to blame for society’s problems. It’s so unfortunate that The Carpetbagger Report has chosen to state bigoted and incorrect allegations as fact without taking the time to see if the guest blogger’s statements can be backed up.

  • The 1.5 billion from McDonald’s heir was not accepted by the Salvation Army. Why…? Because the Salvation Army said if they accepted it, no one would donate any more, thinking that the SA had enough money now with the 1.5 Billion donation. Salvation Army was scared. 1.5 Billion was not enough to take.

  • If you do not like what TSA believes, then do not attend our corp meetings, holiness meetings and praise meetings. But please look at the great things God has done thru TSA in disaster relief and human services. Homosexual activity disgusts me, homosexuals do not. God has declared homosexual activity to be an abomination. The 20 year gay Captain lied to my church, so he deserves to be removed. As a soldier in TSA, I wish that the Army would refuse to hire homosexuals and people who refuse to speak English. It is akin to condoning this type of behavior. Be glad I am not in leadership in TSA. I would batten down the hatches and severely restrict services to people who repeatively come to our Area Command, obviously gay, or drunk, or homeless by their own choice, then DEMAND we help them. Victim mentality, entitlement thinking, ‘I was born gay’, ‘you owe me’…all these lines of thinking are destroying our country.
    God abhors these behaviors and thought patterns. How do I know? Look at the problems that such people have brought upon themselves by their own personal CHOICES. Choose today who you will serve…God, satan, or yourself. You reap what you sow…

    As for me and my family, we will serve YHWH.

  • Chthon, what are you doing in the SA? You must be miserable there. Don’t you know of their work with the addicted and homeless? They do a good job helping with disaster relief, the homeless and addictions
    .
    Christ didn’t discriminate against anyone. He was love. Prostitutes, tax collectors lepers, etc. He didn’t think anyone was beneath Him. I am sure He would welcome any LGBT person who wanted to be with him. You are living in the old covenant. Too much hate and anger in your heart, Cthon.

  • The Salvation Army has truly gotten too big for its red britches. I called them to donate a house full of very nice furniture in very good condition (my mother’s, who died in January). They kept me waiting five hours (in a cold, almost empty house — should have brought my laptop for amusement, at least) and then took five minutes to practically spit on my mother’s belongings and pronounce NONE of them fit for the Salvation Army! WTF?? Not fit for their greedy employees to seize and sell privately, I guess — because if the stuff is supposed to go to their shelters or needy folks who have lost their homes in a fire, flood, or whatever, then who cares if there is a tiny burn mark on the bottom of the recliner??? I was so outraged yesterday I nearly had a stroke. Suffice it to say I will never, ever, EVER give a penny to those annoying bell-ringing jerks again in my life and I will tell everyone I know this season to do the same.

  • Thank you, Morbo, for exposing the Salvation Army for what it really is. To MJ Mandrano, I’m sorry you had this experience, but did you really think your belongings were going to shelters or needy people? They sell all furniture, clothes, and any other donations they can make a profit on in their stores. Ever been in there to buy furniture? Their prices are higher than some furniture stores. Ever wondered what happened to your Hurricane Katrina donations? Some of the donations went to needy people; the rest were loaded up on truck trailers and sold for an UNBELIEVABLE profit. I got this information from a credible source within the organization. It is really pathetic.

    And employees selling the stuff privately? Most of their “employees” are “beneficiaries,” the term the SA uses for residents of the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Centers. And if one of these “beneficiaries” gets hurt moving your furniture? The SA refuses to pay medical expenses and, if the resident is unable to work, he is promptly thrown out on the street. Real “Christian” values, right? Their “rehabilitation” program consists of 40 hours per week of “work therapy” plus church, Bible classes, etc. AA, NA, etc. are the most effective method of sustained recovery from addiction; the SA discourages these because of the “objectionable language” of some of the members. Addiction is a 3-fold disease: physical, mental and spiritual; if all 3 of these are not addressed, the addict does not recover. But all the constantly relapsing ex-beneficiaries ensures a sustained, free source of labor for the Salvation Army, doesn’t it?

    And the comment by Chthon: “Be glad I am not in leadership in TSA. I would batten down the hatches and severely restrict services to people who repeatively come to our Area Command, obviously gay, or drunk, or homeless by their own choice, then DEMAND we help them. Victim mentality, entitlement thinking, ‘I was born gay’, ‘you owe me’…all these lines of thinking are destroying our country.” This is extremely alarm-inducing (and you need to turn on spellcheck – “repeatively” is not a word), and very typical of the attitudes expressed by Salvation Army “soldiers.” I agree with Diane’s comments above – you have too much hatred and anger in your heart to be of any help to anyone. Do you not think your “beneficiaries” can sense this and your sense of superiority? Are you modeling “Christian” behavior? Christ did NOT discriminate, and MY Bible does not include any incidents in which He turned away anyone because they were different from Him. Intolerance is NOT a part of His character. Each and every addict, whether LGBT, heterosexual, African-American, Caucasian, Asian, or Hispanic, is a chid of God.

    I am a recovering drug addict with 26 years clean and sober who works in the drug treatment field, and intolerant attitudes such as those expressed by you and other Salvation Army people are what has kept me away from organized religion for so long. I have made NO donations to the SA ever since I found out where these donations go, and I tell anyone who is thinking of doing so what I know about this corrupt organization. There are many other organizations who are not all about $$$. The Bible which I read and live by says we cannot worship God and money; the SA has made its choice, we have to make ours.

  • Oops, should have checked my own reply for typos before I throw stones. Should have been “child” of God. Interestingly enough, the link in Morbo’s blog (“see the women’s blog here’) is now closed.

  • When working for the Salvation Army for many years, I observed a great many disparities in the organization. First, they perpetuate the myth of helping people, when primarily, the organization is a church and helps those that operate the church. The services provided are often done utilizing government funding which has strict guidelines and limitations in use, thus the organization cannot profit from those funds. The Salvation Army claims these government funding-suppplied services as part of their mission to “help the needy”. The private donations are used for administrative staff and minister salaries, as well as to purchase housing and pay for all expenses for not only the ministers, but their families as well. Much of their touting about “services provided” do not hold water once you realize that they include their church services and other activities as “social services” and “ministering” to the poor. In the area I had worked, I personally observed the Army place 5 sets (couples) of ministers in the community (of less than 800,000 people), where each had a large, modern house purchased for them to use (each house was at least $500,000 each). They do not pay utilities, nor food costs, nor medical/dental (100% covered), they have petty cash accounts for “incidentals” and drive at least two company owned (and insured) vehicles, none of which are marked as “Salvation Army” vehicles (they don’t want to “stand out” as being different). They do not pay for gasoline, nor anything- their children are also covered under the company. They have full cable, internet, cell phones- everything and more than you or I have- ALL FREE. They often work less than 40 hours weekly except on rare occasions requiring a presence. Do some simple math: One city, where houses ares owned, all costs paid, times all the cities the Army is in across the country- the expenses are staggering!
    In contrast, the employees (not the church employees) are often paid minimum wage or barely above it, with many on public health and food stamp assistance. The employees’ spouses and kids are not covered under the insurance there unless one pays the normal medical insurance costs- usually $350/month or more. The company controls their own retirement account, paying out little and hoarding a great deal for other business investments.
    The organization is not a church, nor a social services provider, but a corporation, plain and simple.
    This is the biggest scam in America, and it appears to be working beautifully with everyone’s help, as they continue to raise private funds; if you search the internet, you rarely find any negative commentary about the organization. A hungry news reporter would have a field day investigating and writing a book about this organization! In fairness, they are not the only charity like this, but they are the richest and most successful in the country. Keep on giving your money to them, America, their expenses and appetites are growing…

  • I don’t think you understand the regulations that came with the gift from Joan Kroc. The money was given to the Salvation Army in order to build several Joan Kroc Centers across the western United States. Half of the money was directed towards the building of the centers, and the other half for maintenance and staff. But with the building of the centers and the staffing support, the money will not be able to support the centers for more than ten years. The Salvation Army will, in fact, lose money building these centers.
    Yes the army does make mistakes, as many have pointed out, they are only human. But to point out all of the wrong without stating any of the good is a clear sign of bias. One should show both sides of an issue in order to allow others to derive their own opinion.

  • http://www.philanthropy.com/free/articles/v19/i23/23003401.htm#benefits

    and this doesn’t mention the red cross 3/4 of a million dollar salary.

    The Salvation Army’s top guy receives 14,000 a yr.
    Local leaders a whopping 1,000 dollars a month.
    Who cares if they get a house and a car. The life style is unstable at best. Move your kids around every 2-4 yrs. Not home very often, especially during Christmas.

    I had a freakin 6 paragraph spew on the in accuracy of most in this blog but this submitting process screwed it all up.

    All you have to do is type in “The Salvation Army”+financial in google and you will find out everything you want to know.

    Don’t take peoples blogs as gospel. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

    visit my webpage

    http://give.salvationarmyusa.org/site/TRC/RedKettleCampaigns/RedKettle?pg=center&fr_id=1110

  • Why don’t they allow any organization to see or audit their financial books so we can see where all this money goes? I think it should be required since they take tax payer’s money. Why should putting a stamp of religion on any charity organization exclude them from accountability?
    I also hate the bells everywhere around the holidays. I would never contribute to any organization who doesn’t have their books open and are accountable to no one. There are plenty of celebrity charities out there that use 90+% of the take for operating expenses and only a fraction goes to the actual group they are suppose to be helping. Anotherwords it’s only a way to avoid taxes, laudering their income, provide income and jobs for family and friends.
    We should all start our own religious charities. No IRS filings, no property taxes, no accountablity with how we spend the money, free tax payers money without anyone watching to see where that money goes.

  • Throwing your money away on large, incompetent and inefficient charities that spend more on public relations in one year than you’ll earn in 20 years, is ridiculous. Anyone supporting those kinds of blind causes is oblivious to reason, like any good religious fanatic supporting their faith. The Salvation Army will sell or drop the Kroc centers once the gravy train ends. They have billions stored in accounts from donated properties sold and banked, as well as other trusts and retirement funds that are left unclaimed. The so-called salary of $14,000 year is only for one of the two, the wife gets equal pay, plus their salaries are largely deferred into retirement and tax-free funds for later use- thus the freebies they enjoy day-to-day are allow them to not require any cash, other than their petty cash accounts. Wake up- give your money to causes that actually do something, get off your butts and go see the charities and what they do, not just listen to the PR reps telling you what you would like to hear. So many people throw money willingly to charities that have “good reputations” but never actually see where their money goes, what it does and whether it went to fill up the local Major’s gas tank, or went for food to give to needy people. AND, they don’t want anyone to point out that their money was probably wasted….better to live in denial and feel good.

  • I have to say this entire posting disturbed me. Not from being on one side or the other, but the use of bad information. I googled the financials of charities and The Salvation Army seems to have more of each dollar actually going to those in need than any other charity. It actually made me sick to see that leaders of other charities, like United Way, are receiving a salary in the mid 6 digits. I do commend the Salvation Army for living lean. The people who devote their life are making around $35,000.00 per couple and are not allowed to have any outside employment. Granted they receive some great benefits as well, but they are by no means living high on the hog…lol

    I think the next time I see a red kettle I will at least know that the money is going to the people who really need it for the most part. In todays world of corruption that is more than I can say for other charities.

    Maybe we should do a little more research before we tear someone or something a part. I challenge any of you to find a “perfect” charity and I commend the Salvation Army for reaching into those who are in need with the majority of every dollar they receive.

  • Well, it is disturbing that other charities’ leaders are receiving “high salaries”, but perhaps they are just being more open in reporting their expenses. Few CEO’s receive the total packages offered to Salvation Army “leaders”. The difference is that the statistics showing the Salvation Army is helping more people are somewhat misleading, as the expenses incurred by ministers for cable, cell phones, laptops, etc are considered crucial to their job and thus considered a part of the service statistics, when itemizing their expenditures, EVEN THOUGH they are the real recipients of the expenditures, not the needy. And those fringe benefits are total and extreme, when you look at the total costs of their living expenses being paid for completely, with donated funds (how much do you spend on everything you do in your personal life? This is what each officer receives, plus a very nice, upscale home, all free). This also includes the frequent airfares to/from religious retreats, or seminars, or symposiums, or even to visit relatives in far away locations. Officers also occasionally get to travel around the world on “business”, such as visiting the Holy Land/Jerusalem. On your dime, of course.
    Little of the kettle money ever actually goes to help someone with housing, shelter or food, as their signs profess at Christmas. It does primarily go into the “general fund”, which covers administrative costs, including the ministers’ salaries, perks and living expenses.
    If anyone cares, simply do the math: One set of ministers, husband and wife, spending the monthly amounts of $2,000 or so on electric, food, gasoline, cable, cell, etc (this is a very conservative estimate). Additionally, the mortgage (if they had one) would be $1200 monthly (again, conservative estimate), so as a minimum, $3200/month, or $38,400. That doesn’t count the salary of $28,000 or more per spouse, so we’re already about 94,000 or so yearly. Throw in at least 2 or more vacations (also paid) per year and we’re at 100,000 easily. Now continue your math: 100k yearly x 5-10 sets of ministers per city (more or less, depending on size), times how many cities in the USA? 1000? 10,000? There’s your kettle money…
    Anyone believing that the Salvation Army ministers live sparingly on minimal salaries is deluded, perhaps because they wish to know their money was “spent wisely”. On paper, or the internet, everything is appropriate, frugal and proper, but if you see it firsthand, you will certainly know the where their money really goes!
    It is important to note that the government funds the Salvation Army receives are very strictly administered by federal, state and local governments, thus are generally used for their intended purposes, not because the Salvation Army wouldn’t mind using the money for their own personal use, but because the government actually cares how our tax money is used. What is more troublesome is the Sal Army’s usage of private donations. Are they being used to directly help people, or more for administrative and/or fringe benefits to ministers in charge?
    I suggest visiting the charity you intend to give to. What kind of offices and staff do they have? What kind of service delivery can they show you? How open are they to provding you with a follow up on exactly how your donation was spent, how, when, where, what was purchased, etc? Always write on a check what you want the money to be used for, as well as what not it should be used for!! Trusting a charity due to their religious beliefs (ANY religion), or the number of years they have operated is not necessarily the best way to determine if your donation is being used the way YOU would want it to be. Look closer and make your own decisions unless you are comfortable handing off money in a “feel good” way and don’t wish or don’t care where it goes.

  • Googling and tax reports don’t do it for me. I make my own decisions with my money: I earned it, I decide when and where it goes and I’d better see something that makes me satisfied. When I give money, I give it only to a 100% local charity that I believe does something tangible, in my area of interest, such as food banks, or homeless shelters, or housing for the poor. I’m not interested in 10% of my donation going to support out-of-state corporate bigwigs for a charity, or going to help pay a salary somewhere in New York or London, like the Salvation Army does. That doesn’t show up on Google either, but it’s a fact.
    When I tried to give money to Salvation Army here, I asked for some assurance of where my money would be going- I was misled about the 10% that a friend (in the Salvation Army, no less) told me about, and the officer told me all donations go to help the needy, as he put it. I asked how I’d know if the money was used for food to be purchased to give to people in need, and he stated that I wouldn’t, that I’d have to trust him. I found out later the donation was simply put in the general fund and not used to purchase food. Obviously, in the big picture, my measly donation probably didn’t mean much in relation to the money Salvation Army gets, but to me, it was a valuable lesson in blind trust. Now I’m much more informed locally with charities and the good they do and my money goes to a real, tangible purpose.

  • The Salvation Army forces most of their “officers”, what they call their clergy, to attend officer training school. The school is the equivalent of an associates degree; a two year school that teaches accounting, church philosophy, management, and other necessary attributes to run a church/charity. However, despite the fact the Salvation Army sometimes denies they allow this, some people are allowed to become “auxiliary captains”. These are parishioners who are lazy, enthusiastic, and usually poor. The Salvation Army allows them to run churches and charities, ordains them as ministers, without attending the school. These people are usually very corrupt and have “friends” in the Salvation Army hierarchy. They constantly go against Salvation Army policy. Look into the sex scandals with SA child molesters. The SA gives the Catholic Church a run for it’s money in regards to clergy & employees abusing young parishoners. The former employee is right. Giving people a low salary is tax evasion & most (not all there are some good people in the SA clergy & there are many good mislead people in the organization) SA clergy are abusing the system. Think about it, most other christian churches require a Masters at minimum to run a church, most SA clergy has the equivalent of an Associates & the auxillary captains don’t even have that.

  • I am a salvationist and i have been for most my life . You should seriously recheck your facts on what the SA does with the money it recieves.hundreds of thousands of families are being fedclothed,and bein helped pay bills when they cant afford it.I ask you sir what do you do to help who have you fed , clothed,or helped out with a bill? probably noone I am guessing because you are selfish and you need to do more reseach and get the facts straight. The sad paret is sir if you were ever down on your luck the S A would be there to help if you ever needed food Im sure there would be a S A soup kitchen to feed you and not just you but anyone who comes for help including anyone else on here that is agreeing with your lies. And as far as the Gay issue is concerned the S A is a church 1st we accept everyone God tells us to hate the sin but love the sinner. being gay is a sin and I will tell it to the world because it is my belief it says it in my bible and I will not be moved on that Im tired of hearing people say its not a choice they were born gay…….that is the dumbest lie ever told God made us perfect and we were born without sin .So if a gay man or women came to my church I would accept them but also tell them that thier choice in lifestyle is a sin

  • For an organization that does not do much we sure do, do a lot.
    This is a list of services rendered by The Salvation Army
    Social Programme
    Residential Hostels for homeless and transient…647…Capacity…34,945
    Emergency lodges…373…Capacity…21,047
    Children’s homes…209…Capacity…8,500
    Homes for the elderly…121…Capacity…6,744
    Homes for the disabled…54…Capacity…2,583
    Homes for the blind…10…Capacity…986
    Remand and probation homes…36…Capacity…988
    Homes for street children…31…Capacity…669
    Mother and baby homes…40…Capacity…1,016
    Training centers for families…27…Capacity…590
    Care homes for vulnerable people…60…Capacity…808
    Women’s and men’s refuge centres…68…Capacity…1,691
    Other residential care homes/hostels…113…Capacity…5,555
    Day Care Community centres…492
    Early childhood education centres…186…Capacity…26,195
    Day centres for the elderly…78…Capacity…22,744
    Play groups…102…Capacity…1,422
    Day centres for the hearing impaired…2…Capacity…60
    Day centres for street children….10…Capacity…924
    Day nurseries…174…Capacity…15,127
    Drop-in centres for youth…183
    Other day care centres…368…Capacity…48,137

    Addiction Dependency
    Non-residential programmes…57…Capacity…26,260
    Residential programmes…191…Capacity…15,245
    Harbour Light programmes…38…Capacity…70,361
    Other services for those with addictions…1,695…Capacity…17,252
    Service to the Armed Forces Clubs and canteens…27

    Emergency Disaster Response
    Disaster rehabilitation schemes…268…Participants…1,109,469
    Refugee programmes – host country…3…Participants…138
    Refugee rehabilitation programmes…58…Participants…13,886
    Other response programmes…1,962…Participants…111,768

    Services to the Community
    Prisoners visited…409,014
    Prisoners helped on discharge…151,405
    Police courts – people helped…272,920
    Missing persons – applications…10,143…Number traced…5,660
    Night patrol/anti-suicide…number helped…345,948
    Community youth programmes…2,780…Beneficiaries…189,837
    Employment bureaux – …applications…96,331…initial referrals…185,630
    Counselling – people helped…435,789
    General relief – people helped…13,534,571
    Emergency relief (fire, flood, etc) – people helped…1,632,409
    Emergency mobile units…2,562
    Feeding centres…1,066
    Restaurants and cafes…121
    Thrift stores/charity shops (social)…1,409
    Apartments for elderly…437…Capacity…6,700
    Hostels for students, workers, etc….86…Capacity…2,640
    Land settlements (SA villages, farms etc)…21…Capacity…1,656
    Social Services summer camps…205…Participants…17,991
    Other services to the community (unspecified)…79…Beneficiaries…1,625,094

    Health Programme
    General hospitals…22…Capacity…2,580
    Maternity hospitals…24…Capacity…319
    Other specialist hospitals…25…Capacity…1,956
    Specialist clinics…68…Capacity…1,784
    General clinics/health centres …133…Capacity…887
    Mobile clinics/community health posts…63
    Doctors/medics…3,459
    Invalid/convalescent homes…29…Capacity…1,083
    Health education programmes (HIV/Aids, etc)…365…Beneficiaries…355,786

  • I am a member of the Salvation amry in Australia! I am a youth worker that works with the poor and marginilised in surry hills. I work with Street kids who have found a home and a hope in what the Salvation army has to offer, I don’t know what the american Savlation army is like but i sure as hell know that the Salvation army in Australia is serving the community, often on a shoe string budget!
    Its all well and good 2 point out the faults but until your on the frontline serving and seeing brokeness every day then you dont really know.
    I see ppl shoot up every day, who walk the streets thinking that there is no hope, my heart breaks for this people, becasue they 2 are Children of God, their lives do have PURPOSE!
    Im not trying 2 sway you 2 like the salvation army, choose what u want to think but don’t dis on ppl that are trying 2 bring Justice into this hurting world!
    I am Jake Clanfield, Soldier of Christ 18 yrs old! and im taking up my cross and carrying it into the darkest places of society.
    Let my words not speak for me but my actions. I dont care wat you think of me or my army! but we are a army after the souls of the least the last and the lost!
    Our motto in Australia is SAVE SOULS, GROW SAINTS AND SERVE SUFFERING HUMANITY.
    Say wat you want Children of God, but remember you 2 are loved by the king, you are granted freedom of speech and take it, but dont take it for granted, no that the lives you live are blessed, there are far more broken out there, imagine how much could be done to bring hope if stoped focusing on the negative and started bringing Justic and love into this hurting world!
    Man im just a kid in Love with a Jesus that changed my life!!!!
    God bless you all

  • The Salvation Army is a very corrupt nonprofit faith based corporation. Not a true 501c3 as stated. If you look into Guide Star’s review of the SA the report only includes the financials from DC, the headquarters for all of North America. Unfortunately, it does not state how these finanicials are not including each and every corps in the SA. Individually, this is how they hide their expenses of their majors unbelieveable lifestlyes. All SA’s will put down “Programming” as a budgeted item in the audit reports (which are a joke because these audits are done internally by their buddies, employees and personal friends of the majors) all expenses are hidden in that programming. For example, it you have a youth program, expenses for dinners out, furniture, clothing, any kind of purchase is then reported under that programming. You will see no expenses reported from the Majors for personal expenses. The Majors and their families recieve free housing (ours had a home worth $300,000.00) in the Midwest and two new cars, brand new beautiful furniture, food, dinners out all the while their staff is nickel and dimed and worked to death. I have never seen such an autocratic organization. Major this, Colonel that, what BS! As I see these poor bell ringers working for the army I am so ashamed of how duped the American public has become. They have been made out to be suckers. This organization is extremely corrupt. It needs to be investigated and their lobbyist’s need to back off from the White House. They were successful in lobbying the government to not have to pay unemployement insurance to employees laid off or fired. This from a “faith based” organization? Their day is coming and I want to be there to open the door to the facts and expose this cult of lying Christian Right wingers who are laughing all the way to the bank. Wake up America!

  • I have been both a “beneficiary” and an employee of the Salvation Army. They call you a “beneficiary” if you are one of the people working for them in a non-employee status in one of their programs doing warehouse work, etc.

    I could say SO much here about the corruption, abuse of civil rights, discrimination, etc., etc., ad nauseum but the details would take up a whole book.

    I will say that my long experience with them in several locations convinced me that they are basically leeches, crooks, liars, thieves and spineless parasites on the American Dream. Most of the money goes to their headquarters in England — yes, it leaves the USA…. at least that which the local “Officers” don’t put in their own pockets.

    They pose as a church, hiding behind the bible to get tax-free status and then rip off everyone for their own gain. What they give back is MINISCULE compared to what they collect. Thieves, liars, bigots and hypocrites. That’s exactly what they are. They take advantage of the poor, the socially and mentally disadvantaged to get free labor to process and sell your donations. You probably think they GIVE away that stuff. Ha! No way, it does in the stores or is baled and sold overseas to their great profit. Non-profit organization my ass!

    Give to the Volunteers of America, Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, ANYBODY but the Salvation Army. They’re just phonies and leeches.

  • See post #18 above. “A Former Employee” is stating exactly what I stated in my post. These are people who have seen this organization from the inside. Just the civil rights abuses and slave labor issues would take up a whole book. If you are invested in the idea that the Salvation Army is a fine, upstanding “Christian” organization, keep on giving. They are laughing all the way to the bank!!

  • I was employed from 1988-1992 as a youth pastor/kettle coordinator for The Salvation Army. Then my wife and I spent two years in training at The Salvation Army – College for Officer’s Training. Then we faithfully served The Salvation Army and others as Officer’s in Battle Creek, Michigan (1994-1995), Ludington, Michigan (1995-1998), Cedar Rapids, Iowa (1998-1999), Canton, Illinois (1999-2004), and finaly in Joplin, Missouri (2004-2006).

    Until we came to Missouri and worked under the leadership of the Midland Divisional Headquarters we totally believed that The Salvation Army was honorable and above reproach. However, arriving in Joplin, Missouri I audited the books here and found that the previous officer had misapproriated at least $120,000.00 (some of which to himself). He was never charged with any crime though it was obvious to everyone in the investigation that he committed one. Instead, The Salvation Army promoted him in 2006 to Central Territorial Headquarters in charge of its Audio Visual Department. The Midland Divisional Finance Officer told me to shred my audit and all supporting documents, some of which was quantifiable research with individuals and groups to which the Officer in question had sold large photos, and very expensive frames which were paid for out of official funds and never reimbursed by the officer. I refused to shred that evidence because I knew this was illegal and extremely unethical. In fact I shared the evidence with a member of the Joplin Police Department and The Salvation Army Central Territorial Headquarters. From that moment I suspected that the Finance Officer from Midland Divisional Headquarters was acting illegally and I confronted him. I began to be harrassed from that time on from his office. In 2005 the Midland Divisional Board made an illegal decision in regards to one of the employees of the Joplin Thrift Store. The HR department had sent me authorization to advertise for a “Thrift Store Assistant Manager at $9.50+ per hour D.O.E.” Then during the interview told me in writing and by phone to inform the person we hired that they would be receiving $9.50 per hour or more depending on the decision of the Divisional Board with regards to his past experience. Then the employee started working and three weeks later received his first check, which The Salvation Army had only paid him $7.00 per hour. The Divisional Board had decided after the fact that his having 5 years experience as a manager/supervisor of a lumber yard and several years of gas station cashier/manager experience did not give him enough experience in the narrow definition of Thrift Store Assistant Management. I informed the Finance Officer that this decision was illegal and had to be reversed immediately. He told me that in spite of the laws that I copied and faxed to him which applied to just this exact situation, “we are a church, we can get away with that.” I called him on this by informing the Divisional Commander and then the Territorial Commander. The Territorial Commander took the information to the Territorial Legal Department, which informed him that I was correct and the decision had to be overturned. Even with this The Salvation Army took almost 6 months to make a correction to his past pay and then they gave him a letter which gave him two weeks to decide to quit or take $7.50 per hour. He quit!

    After this The Salvation Army Divisional Command started ramping up its harrassment of me. This same officer came to Joplin trying to find anything he could find to get rid of me. They could not find anything that I was doing wrong in the area of church ministry or in the area of finance and business because I always worked well within the parameters of the ethical and legal standards of operation. They decided to make an issue of the fact that we were cleaning out and reparing the warehouse that was just purchased by a major gift donation that I had received for the Joplin Corps. He wrote me up and said repairing the building was outside of the parameters of my duties as a Salvation Army Corps Officer. This was in spite of the fact that I had been authorized on several occasions over my time as an officer to fix other Salvation Army buildings. In my last appontment in Canton, Illinois I repaired a roof on a Salvation Army building there saving The Salvation Army around a hundred thousand dollars. No one ever wrote me up for repairing Salvation Army buildings before this. In fact I was encouraged to use my skills in carpentry through the years.

    The truth was, because I was a whistleblower and I was being set-up by the Divisional leaders. A new Divisional Commander came in. It wasn’t a month after he arrived and he sat in my living room saying I was being moved to East Saint Louis. The conversation turned to why he felt we would be right for that appointment – and underneath the decision was again the Divisional Finance/Business Officer, the same man that I had confronted on both of those occasions and on others. The fact was I would have been moved within shouting distance of his house and a few miles from Divisional Headquarters. He wanted me totally under the thumb of his office.

    The Sarbanes-Oxley law applies to all persons of any organizations which intentionally prevent the legal employment of someone having whiste-blew on someone in authority within that organization. It carries a maximum of $250,000,000.00 and 20 years in prison for anyone in an organization committing that crime. The Salvation Army Officers of the Midland Divisional Headquarters worked in collusion with The Salvation Army Officers of the Territorial Headquarters to harrass me and to get me mad enough to resign from The Salvation Army, which I did on June 28, 2006. The Salvation Army Officers of the Midland Divisional Commanders and Central Territorial Headquarters illegally persued this action and other illegal actions which covered up the truth.

    I requested a copy of my employment file and they refused to give it to me. Instead they told me to hire a psychologist.

    They even illegally presented me with an illegal document in the State of Missouri. They gave me this document and said I had to sign it in order to receive my early retirement check. It was a document that said, I was signing my rights away to sue The Salvation Army or any of its officers. I don’t care to sue The Salvation Army, but I would like to see these officers brought to justice for their illegal actions.

    The Salvation Army as an organization should not be forced to be tainted by these kinds of illegal behaviors of some of its Officers – the good people that The Salvation Army serves should not have to lose services because of an offense costing the organization possibly hundreds of millions of dollars.

    I chose deliberately to leave out the names of Officers of The Salvation Army – Midland Divisional Headquarters and Central Territorial Headquarters who were involved in these illegal actions in this article on the chance that perhaps some of them acted innocently.

  • These people are as crooked as a dog’s hind leg! I have been employed by thrift stores in two states and the consistent level of graft and corruption I have seen is sickening. In Florida’s Suncoast ARC there is a general administrator who has placed his wife as manager at a store he controls–in direct violation of Salvation Army policy (USA Southern Territorial Employee Manual section 11, page 13, effective 1/2006) which prohibits relatives working together, reporting to the other, directing or controlling the work of the other. I have witnessed multiple instances of cash receipts going into the pockets of certain staff rather than the register. The Major in command of this ARC has already fired a multitude of employees, including some who are of advanced years, simply to maintain his bonuses pocketed. I am sure he has not taken any cut in pay. Meanwhile, the administrator below him has already impregnated two staff members in the recent past while his wife manages one of his stores.

    These are terrible people. Shopping at Salvation Army Stores only further enriches the corrupt. Little of the money made from selling donations actually goes to charitable use. BEWARE!

  • Here is yet another current employee being set up by the divisional headquarters in Ohio. The reason I am being targeted is because I have challenged these individuals with facts involving officers who had looted the corps I work at, they bled it dry for their own benefit. (New furniture, diamond rings, designer curtains, cruises, dinners out) The Salvation Army is corrupt and soon the piggy bank is going to be broken, possibly by a watchdog group or perhaps by the government itself. It is a sad day in hell when you have to report corruption at the salvation army. The people in charge have a code almost like a cult and they only employ family members who aren’t worth a damn to be in high paid positions, that they never show up for work. Any outsider that is hired does not last long for the army is threatened by anyone with any brains that can unlock the keys to their very sweet little kingdom. The officers live in very expensive homes, drive two even three brand new vehicles, have all free insurance, get their utilities paid for as well as their food, clothing, every expense imaginable. They want for nothing. They have no conception of what it is like to pay a house payment or to have to repair a car or purchase a vehicle or pay for their own food . They pay for no food, tv, internet, phone, nothing. They are paid for every child they have. This is a well guarded secret and if you challenge them they come after you with venom. The corruption is criminal and soon the army will be exposed for all that they have done. People are being threatened, lives are being affected by this corruption. Do not give to the army, if you do you are a damn fool.

    • Comments are closed.