Bell Ringing

[naomikritzer]

A week or two back, I was at a strip mall with Molly and Kiera (going to their dentist) and we passed a woman ringing a bell by a red kettle.

I suppose I could explain this for anyone reading this from another country -- in the U.S., the Salvation Army raises money each December by having volunteers stand next to red kettles, ringing a bell. It's their big fundraising campaign. The Salvation Army does various useful things, including disaster relief, but the reason I give them money each year -- despite their semi-controversial status -- is that they provide assistance to certain homeless populations that are very difficult to serve, including hard-core alcoholics and people who are seriously mentally ill. They are an imperfect organization, and we donate a lot more money to other groups, but my donations to the Salvation Army don't come out of the money that I consciously set aside to give to charity -- they come out of the "random whim" budget, money that I'd otherwise spend on something like a mocha or a magazine.

Anyway, I gave Molly and Kiera each some change to put in the bucket, and the bell-ringer offered Molly the bell and let her ring it for a minute. She was totally fascinated, and after we got into the car, asked how this woman got to be a bell-ringer.

I told her that she was a volunteer. (There are paid bell-ringers, but most are volunteers. Some of the paid bell-ringers are homeless people who were given the job as a form of assistance, but I think lilisonna did it as a straight-up job, years ago.) I noted that if Molly wanted to, we could volunteer to ring bells for a couple of hours and collect money for them. Molly wanted to, so I called up and volunteered.

They want you to sign up for at least two hours, so we signed up for a two-hour slot outside the Rainbow Foods at Hiawatha and Lake Street. I arranged sitting for Kiera, and took Molly up to the grocery store after I picked her up from the school bus. We dressed warmly.

Molly was really into it for the first 45 minutes or so. She found it tolerable for another half hour. The remaining 45 minutes......she was DONE. I worry more than I probably should about what people think of me, and I worried about all the people who were looking at Molly and thinking, "that poor little girl, her bad, bad mother dragged her along to ring a bell for the Salvation Army, probably to build character."

She managed to suck it up for most of that last 45 minutes, though she did demand to know what time it was approximately every three minutes.

I actually found it reasonably entertaining. I've always kind of wondered how much money these kettles bring in. It mostly arrives in very small amounts -- the most common thing I saw dropped in was a dollar bill. But some of those dollars looked thick enough that I was pretty sure it was $2 or $3 going in, and one lady put in a twenty. (I was pretty sure it was Molly's cuteness that brought in the twenty.) I tried to keep a rough mental tally, and I think by the end of the two hours we'd brought in about $150.

This grocery store is not in a particularly wealthy area. There were a couple of people who donated change who I think were donating out of their grocery budget. One man who dropped in money looked like he might be a client of the Salvation Army, or have been one in the recent past.

It was interesting to watch people come and go. I could generally tell who was going to donate because they'd generally stop while still in the heated entryway to dig out some money, although a few people walked past, thought about it, and then stepped back and pulled something out. Some non-donators made eye contact and smiled, some didn't look at me because they were hurrying to their car, and some really studiously didn't look at me. At one point a group of rowdy teenagers were standing right behind me smoking cigarettes, and the donations dropped off significantly until they moved on. A few people stopped to chat, especially with Molly.

The kettle is locked to a stand, but the stand can be moved without all that much difficulty. When we were done, we scooted the stand into a corner, stashed the red aprons and the bells with the stand, and left -- yes, leaving the money unattended. It's what they tell you to do. Some locations have a steady stream of volunteers, but this one doesn't -- the next volunteer wasn't coming until 6:30. It is very disconcerting to leave a bucket full of money just sitting there (even locked to a heavy stand), but they don't get stolen very often -- they're usually placed in a high-traffic spot, and nearly everyone knows what they are and many would interfere with someone trying to steal one. On occasion, they do get stolen, and this gets lots of indignant news coverage and they get a bunch of additional sympathy donations, so they probably figure it's a risk worth running unless it becomes a much bigger problem.

Comments

[maevele.livejournal.com]

you know there's some queer weirdness with the salvation army, right? Like, they do some actively anti-gay stuff, including paying lobbyists? I had no real idea until yesterday.

[maevele.livejournal.com]

and I don't mean that like "OMG, how dare you let your kids to charity work for teh evul oppressurz!" but it totally came off that way.

[naomikritzer]

The controversy in the past was that they didn't offer domestic partner benefits to the partners of employees.

I am surprised to hear that they pay lobbyists to do much of anything. The first Google hit was a page that turned up missing (clearly it was the MAN!) and everything else was mostly a reiteration of the above scandal. The only lobbyist info I found was about them lobbying for the faith-based initiatives law.

Many of the organizations I support do some things I disagree with. If I demanded a perfect organization that did no stupid or assheaded things, I'm not sure I'd find anyone I could donate to.

[jiawen]

They also reportedly refuse shelter service to GLBT people on occasion.

Personally, I think it's a lot more than semi-controversial. Still, it's very good that Molly was interested.

[naomikritzer]

Also, this is why I mentioned that they were semi-controversial, and one of the reasons why I donate small amounts in December rather than writing a large check.

Part of why I signed us up to ring bells is that it's rare for Molly to express a desire to engage in community service, so I encouraged the impulse. (Also, you don't find many service opportunities open to seven-year-olds.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/aseop_/]

Yeah it's pretty cool that your 7 year old would express such an interest, and be entertained for so long. 7 year old me would have gotten bored with it pretty fast. But it sounds like a great experience. so go you! (and Molly)

[lilisonna.livejournal.com]

I'm going to try and take my two year old to donate some toys for Toys for Tots this year. Assuming I can pry her hands off of the toys...

[lilisonna.livejournal.com]

I was a paid bell-ringer for a season, yes. I recall it as pretty miserable and obnoxious work when stretched out for four or eight hours a day which I survived mostly by singing songs. Did you know it takes roughly 20 minutes to get through the entirety of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall? And about an hourish to go through all of the parts of Evita that I knew.

I have some pretty strong objections to the way the Salvation Army treats its people, but I don't honestly know how good they are as a charity. However, as a learning/giving experience for a 7 year old, it seems like a great way to start.

[lilisonna.livejournal.com]

Oh, and it's worth noting that (depending on your area) there are a number of fives, tens and twenties wrapped inside a dollar bill. This always puzzled me.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_contingent_/]

My background suggests to me two reasons that might happen.

Growing up in a small town Methodist church, I was definitely raised with the idea that charitable donations were meant to be secret. The point was to get the donation where it was going, not to draw attention to yourself. There was a sort of moral disdain for named donations, and even putting a check in the offering plate without folding it up to hide the amount was considered crass. Your reward shall come in the hereafter...

Years of working in security suggests a different motivation -- if someone is watching, they're less likely to steal the bucket if all they see go in is ones.

Personally, I think the first is more likely relevant here than the second. The line of reasoning involved is much more common among lower and middle class givers, and that's who will mostly be giving in this context. Actually, a lovely statistic is that, in general, people give a higher percentage of their income to charity the less income they have. The curve looks kinda messy if you just look at straight income. If you express it in terms of disposable income, the curve is pretty much monotonic right down to the poverty line. Lower-income givers are also give a greater percentage of their donations to economic causes, as opposed to cultural causes. You'll note that the Food Bank Ball is not the social event of the season.

[naomikritzer]

Huh, interesting. I didn't get to see the contents of the kettle, so I have no clue how much that might have happened.

I think Dave's theories are good. I'd add as an addendum to #2, if someone's watching, they're less likely to then conclude that you would be a good target for theft (where there was one $20 bill, there will probably be more, right?) Minnesota has a funny attitude towards conspicuous consumption (it's still done, but you need some plausible excuse that goes beyond showing off your money -- for example, instead of a Mercedes, people here will buy a thoroughly tricked-out Volvo. Just as much money spent, but you can pretend it's for the safety features. Fur coats are rarely spotted, but you'll see lots of brand-name winter gear. Etc.) Anyway, this might spill over into a reluctance to engage in conspicuous donation, but you were collecting in Atlanta, anyway, IIRC.

Actually, a lovely statistic is that, in general, people give a higher percentage of their income to charity the less income they have.

From what I've observed, they're also markedly more likely to give money to people standing on a corner with a sign saying "Homeless and hungry, please help."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_contingent_/]

Also interesting in this regard, some simple experimental confirmation of the experiential point you make, namely that people with more social power have a harder time experiencing empathy for those in need:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/25/AR2007112501236.html

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

My USY chapter did endless food-bank drives when I was in high school. We learned to steer clear of the fancier neighbourhoods because, in the aggregate, we got significantly fewer and crappier donations (think expired jars of baby food and attempts to give us opened and half-empty boxes of crackers) ...

[dtm]

You do know that there are solid New Testament biblical reasons for this behavior, yes? I mean, granted, most biblical justification is used as an after-the-fact thing rather than explicitly driving behavior, but here's the beginning of the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew:

"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

[naomikritzer]

I think doing it for eight hours would have been really miserable. Even doing it one day, let alone for an entire season.

[imponderabilias.livejournal.com]

My dad always like to tell me about the gold coins (worth $100? maybe more?) that occasionally get dropped in the kettles in the Chicago area. I have no idea if this is an urban myth or if it really happens. It actually sounds like something my father himself might do. :-/

I am amazed at your daughter wanting to do this, and kudos to you for making it happen.

[naomikritzer]

I've read about that in reputable news sources, so I'm pretty sure that does really happen.

[pennski.livejournal.com]

We saw Sally Army bell-ringers for the first time in New York last month and were wondering why the bell?

Here they tend to have a small brass band playing carols. Or people selling "War Cry" in pubs.

2 hours is a very long time for a 7 year-old. Well done all of you!

[naomikritzer]

I expect it's because you can give a seven-year-old or a 34-year-old who studied the piano as a kid a bell and they can ring it quite competently, but if you gave them a trumpet and a French horn they'd be utterly at a loss. *g*

You're allowed to make non-amplified music if you'd prefer that to ringing a bell, but you'd better plan to bring your own instruments.

[yankee-in-texas.livejournal.com]

Well, good for Molly for wanting to give it a try, and good for you for making it happen.

But I hate those freaking bell-ringers. The bells hurt my ears. They are too loud. They hurt my brain. They make me want to scream. I have gotten close to stores I was intending to shop at and gone somewhere else because I didn't want to have to walk past the damn noisy bell. If they would stop ringing the freaking bell when I put money in, I would drive all over town to give money to every kettle.

I know most people don't feel this way, because otherwise stores would disallow the bell-ringers from standing outside their doors, driving away customers. I even give my kids money to put in the kettles sometimes. But I hate hate hate the bells. I hate them from across the parking lot.

Have I mentioned that I dislike the bells? Cos I do.

I have no idea why the noise? the volume? of the bells drives me up a tree, but it does. I have no idea how you stood it for two hours. I would have flipped out and started screaming.

[naomikritzer]

If I had that reaction to those bells, I never would've agreed to let Molly do it. I find the bells cheerful and inoffensive.

Clearly you should do all your December shopping at Target. They don't allow bell-ringers.

[yankee-in-texas.livejournal.com]

I think most people aren't bothered by the bells, and find them cheerful. There's something about loud noises that makes me nutso and I suspect this is related. As neuroses go, this is okay, as it only keeps me from shopping at certain stores in December.

I do my December shopping online or at Target. Yep. 'Cause everywhere else has the bells. This is a little embarassing to admit. Thank goodness they don't have bells outside the supermarket, or we'd starve in December.

I still think it's cool that you totally jumped on Molly's desire to ring the bell. Do you think her lessening of enthusiasm over the 2 hours of ringing will affect her enthusiasms in the future? If it did, is that good, or bad? (No need to answer; I'm just thinking about it.)