Juggling and the Fine Art of Fundraising: Stop Hunger Now & Salvation Army

"The reason behind that is that the Red Kettle campaign is actually conducted in local communities, and the money that they raise in the local communities stays in their towns," Hood explains. "Every community will establish their own goal, but we never set a national goal."

The only real goal is to raise as much money as possible for the needy during the campaign. Of course, the Salvation Army hopes that the total keeps going up. That's why it has such a comprehensive media strategy that incorporates every fundraising channel. Beyond the channels already mentioned, the Salvation Army sends a lot of direct mail, as well. The direct mail it sends while the Red Kettle campaign is going on doesn't actually drive people to the Red Kettle campaign, but it does do donor acquisition for long-time operational support, which in turn leads to more donations for the Red Kettle.