I used to feel a slight bit of guilt as I bypassed the red kettles, even knowing my wife and I donate generously to other charities. After researching the Salvation Army, I no longer feel that guilt. The Salvation Army is a heavily right leaning political organization who uses much of their donations for political lobbying. That is not the kind of organization that I want my donations going to.

They don't like the gays and so I don't like them.

I'm going bell ringing as usual this year... then I'm going to drink at my Christmas party right afterwords. I'm here to help people, but I'm still ready to party.

I hope they've read up on what the Salvation believes in, how it considers people, and how its money is used. That feel-good feeling dissipates quickly when you look at their beliefs and policies.

The salvation army is a christian organization as the the name implies. It was formed in England by William and Katherine Booth for the purpose of preaching to, and supplying aid to the poor in London. That same philosophy continues today. If that offends you , you should not give them, or food pantries, soup kitchens or other organizations that are similar in their beliefs. The Red Cross might be a good option for you.

I volunteer at a Food Shelf/Resource Center and along with the churches in that area the Salvaltion Army is ALWAYS dependable to help when more help is needed. That "far right" political leaning I think is abit far fetched and even so, GET OVER IT and help people.

No matter how one feels about the Salvation Army's political leanings, one cannot deny that there is growing public awareness about them - particularly in regards to gay issues. But the article doesn't even touch on that. It was an odd article - it felt as though it was side stepping a giant elephant in the room. I would much rather have seen an article that addressed that elephant straight on.

The main point I take from this article is that young folks are volunteering in large numbers like never before. I would have liked to see the story focus on their efforts in general and not just for this one organization with which many (rightfully) take issue. Despite what some may think about "kids these days" — they are an impressive bunch.

Young people, especially college students, are inundated by organizations seeking our money and time. With all these options, in making decisions of which organizations to pair with, everyone (young and old alike) choose organizations that match their values and beliefs. It is no surprise that the Salvation Army is hurting for volunteers, and are utilizing technology to attract young people, because of their beliefs concerning homosexuality. Data shows that young people, especially, are more open to creating equality in the LGBT community; values NOT shared by the Salvation Army. The same reasoning can be used to explain why young people don't financially support the AARP; it has nothing to do with us. But when we're old, we will likely support that organization. Organizations holding values outside the mainstream (here, Salvations Army's view on the LGBT community), will surely cease to exist, as donors and volunteers shift their interests to similar organizations who do not discriminate.

Sadly, I have seen many of the younger bell ringers, who are more interested in their phones, texting and talking with each other than ringing the bell. It makes me really wonder how much this is actually helping to revamp the Salvation Army's image.