Donating to the Salvation Army: A Step By Step Guide
The Salvation Army is a UK-based Christian charity. They have a presence across the UK and Ireland and there are various ways you can donate to help their mission. Or, if you feel passionately about The Salvation Army and want to donate to their causes, why not start a GoFundMe to benefit them?
About the charity
The Salvation Army was founded in London in 1865 and was originally known as the East London Christian Mission. The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian Church charity. When it was founded, a key value was to bring ‘salvation’ to those who needed it – the vulnerable, hungry or poor. The Salvation Army now has a presence in 133 countries across the globe, plus charity shops, shelters, providing humanitarian relief and disaster relief.
Salvation Army charity projects
The Salvation Army runs several charity projects helping those who need it, from housing and homelessness support to advice for those in debt. If you’re inspired to start some charity fundraising through reading about what The Salvation Army does, we’ve got some tips on how to do your own charity fundraising here.
Homelessness and housing support
The Salvation Army is dedicated to helping those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity They provide emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing, as well as case management services to address the underlying issues that lead to homelessness.
Through innovative projects such as NAPpad, the Salvation Army provides emergency shelter and privacy to vulnerable rough sleepers, and Housing First is designed to be a longer-term solution that provides access to permanent, affordable housing.
Budget and debt advice
The Salvation Army has 22 debt advice centres across the UK, regulated by the FCA. Debt advisors and volunteers work to provide debt repayment plans, money education and guidance on how to change habits so debt is less likely to reoccur in the future.
The debt advice services also expanded post-covid to help to accommodate more people needing advice as financial support schemes ended after the pandemic.
Cost of living
The charity also does work aiding those who are struggling most with the cost of living crisis. They have officers up and down the country helping those who can’t feed their families, heat their homes and pay their bills.
They are campaigning for several long term and shorter term changes to help people most in need. This includes asking for a pause on getting back welfare debt, increasing housing benefit to cover the cost of rent and expanding the free childcare provision so people can work and train.
How the charity uses donations
If you’ve read above, you’ll know The Salvation Army has a plethora of worthy causes to put your donations towards. In 2020/2021, this included:
- £49.1 million on programmes to meet the needs of local communities according to their annual reports
- £6.3 million on international programmes, such as those aiming to alleviate poverty worldwide
- Expanded their foodbanks to meet the needs of people during Covid-19 – including 22 regional food hubs
- Helped over 38,000 people in ten countries across the globe – including Zimbabwe, Mexico, Kenya, Bolivia and Peru
How to donate to the Salvation Army
There are several ways you can donate to The Salvation Army. On their website, you can donate as a one-off or on a monthly basis. If your wardrobes are in need of a detox, you can drop your clothes off in their charity shops. Or, if you want to start a GoFundMe you can do it directly to benefit The Salvation Army, too.