Comparisons!

Salvation Army vs. United Way
The Salvation Army and United Way are just two of many well known charities in the United States. Have you ever wondered which one was the better place to volunteer? Maybe you wondered where you would make the most impact? We are about to take compare each charity apples to apples, let's see what the numbers say to you!
Volunteers make a significant impact on many people and communities around the world on a daily basis, so no matter where you volunteer it is going to make a difference. There are many charities who visibly ask for donations and support, but there are also many charities that aren’t as noticeable but need assistance just as much.
Both Salvation Army and United Way have been active for over 100 years. The Salvation Army was founded by a preacher named William Booth in 1865 (Salvation Army p 2). Currently the Salvation Army is active in 107 countries and assists 33 million people annually (Salvation Army p 2). United Way was founded by a priest, two ministers, and a rabbi in 1887 (Live United p 1). United Way’s network is available in 45 countries and territories (Live United p 1). Both Salvation Army and United Way touch millions of lives every year, as you can see their numbers are astronomical.

The Salvation Army has a wide variety of services available with the assistance of 1.6 million volunteers with over 9,000 service units across the country (Salvation Army p 6). Obviously Salvation Army would not be able to touch that many lives without the help of the volunteers. They operate domestic violence shelters, AIDS hospice centers, and missing persons services. The Salvation Army’s League of Mercy assists people who have special needs in nursing homes, hospitals, and even correctional facilities. The Salvation Army even provided front-line war support during both World War I and World War II. The Salvation Army appears to be one of the lesser noticed charities throughout the year, with it being most visible during the holidays. Even if Salvation Army seems to be quiet through the year they are very active year round. Their holiday season campaign seems to be the most noticed. I’m sure that everyone has seen the bell ringer that stands outside of stores for donations. The Salvation Army assists an astounding 6 million people during the holiday season, so it is important to give those bell ringers a donation whenever possible (Salvation Army p 3). Their slogan is “Need Knows No Season”. The goal of the Salvation Army is to meet the physical and spiritual needs of people. Obviously the work of Salvation Army is very important.
The United Way’s mission statement is to “Improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good.” They seem to have focus on three main areas but seem to have a wide variety of services available to the public. The United Way focuses on education, income, and health. The United Way helps parents with education by giving them access to quality childcare to give the kids a solid head start to their school-age years. Through their Born Learning campaign they are helping students stay in school and hope to cut the dropout rate by 2018. The United Way has a Financial Stability Partnership program that helps lower income individuals and families get the financial independence they have always dreamed of but thought was never possible. They also work to ensure that people who don't have access to healthcare, with their help will be able to obtain it. As everyone knows healthcare has been a hot topic for many years. Making sure that families have healthcare available helps everyone involved.
Obviously these charities are very important on many different levels but as you can see they have different focuses. The decision that you as a volunteer or donator has to make is where you want to make your impact. What area do you feel needs the most help? Everyone is going to have their own thoughts on this topic. The best thing to do before you donate money is research the charity. Every charity is important because they those who need assistance. Our world would not be the same if charities weren’t around. Donate your time or money, whatever you are able to do and touch the life of someone who needs it. No matter what charity you choose you will be making a difference.







Works Cited:

“About” United Way. United Way Corporation n.d. Web.
http://www.liveunited.org/about/
“History” United Way. United Way Corporation n.d. Web.
http://www.liveunited.org/about/history.cfm
“Quick Facts” Salvation Army. Salvation Army Corporation n.d. Web.
http://www.salvationarmynw.org/contact/quickfacts.asp