The Salvation Army Reaches More Through Social Networking
This week, The Salvation Army rolled out its first virtual annual report. The
digital format allows The Salvation Army to broadly communicate with its donors
in a way it has never done before, through interactive financial charts and
emotional video testimonials that shed light on the Army's impact throughout
the year.
"I have never seen
an annual report from any organization that connects with people on an
emotional level like this one does, yet also has the ability to reach such a
wide group of Salvation Army supporters." said Major George Hood, National
Community Relations and Development Secretary for The Salvation Army. "The
annual report is a testimonial that the Army will provide services at the point
of need and will work with our supporters and help our clients through these
challenging times just as we have for nearly 130 years."
In addition to the new annual report, the Army also unveiled
its integrated marketing campaign, which actively engages
the American public through popular social media sites, including Facebook,
Twitter and a national blog.
The Army established its Facebook page - www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyUSA - and "SalvationArmyUS" Twitter handle as means to reach the burgeoning number of young professionals utilizing
the applications to connect with friends and share information on causes of
interest. Once a Facebook fan or Twitter
follower of SalvationArmyUS, friends of the Army
are privy to frequent updates on inspiring initiatives and ongoing emergency
responses and can take an active role in shaping the Army's work in communities
across the country.
Employing the user-friendly Flickr and YouTube sites, the Army is
able to share images and videos from disaster response efforts, community
fundraisers and everything in between.
On its Wordpress blog at blog.salvationarmyusa.org, the Army takes
time to tell the local stories of people who are impacted by the Army's work or
working with the Army to impact others.
The short narratives highlight the daily work of the Army to meet human
needs anywhere at any time. From
emotional and spiritual support, to educational enrichment, readers are given a
glimpse into the day-to-day operations of Salvation Army centers and corps
across the country.
"The digital annual
report captures the work of The Salvation Army - and the stories of those
we help - in a way that a paper report
can't," said Major Hood. "As more and
more donors move online to learn about charities, these efforts are more ways
to quickly and easily learn about how charitable contributions are being used
to help those in need."