Salvation Army's Kettle Campaign kicks off using 'tap to give' feature for second year in a row
It's only the first week of the Salvation Army's Kettle Campaign in the Fredericton-Oromocto region and they're already behind on donations.
"We are trending down but that's compared to last year, but we are trending down by about $5,000 actually in the last four days," said Maj. Dan Dearing,of the Salvation Army in Fredericton.
The Salvation Army is hoping technology can make up the difference, in change.
"As you see right here, we have one of the smallest devices. It's called a tip-tap or a tap to give," said Dearing.
It’s the second year for the "tap to give" technology, after the legion introduced it to their poppy campaign last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Tap is replacing one-on-one interactions and it's not entirely the pandemic to blame, according to a business professor.
"People are facing what's called 'time poverty' so, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens in the face of being able to get volunteers in the future. It's been a little harder in the last few years for some of these charities and hopefully there will be a bit of a rejuvenation of people giving their time to some of these very worthwhile causes," said Ed McHugh, a professor of business.
While changing with the times to tap, McHugh says losing volunteers could still hurt the bottom line.
"Unfortunately, it'll hurt their chances. Face it. There are some people that will readily give regardless of what the situation is, but there are a lot of people for whom there is a guilt factor of walking by another human being and not giving to a very reputable charity. And so, not having that face there, I think will diminish the returns cause most of us are driven by seeing the faces of human beings asking for help,” McHugh said.
With 89 fewer volunteers this year in just the Fredericton region, there's no choice but to tap.
"It means for us that we have to, more and more go this way and I think that the traditional kettle will stay around but more and more we will have to rely on this kind of means because we find that we're not getting many of the younger generation because everyone who serves on a kettle volunteers their time, which also becomes a piece of giving,” Dearing said.
Last year the Salvation Army in the Fredericton region raised over their $150,000 goal, at $190,000.
This year, they've set their sights at $175,000.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.