Archive for March, 2010

Welcome, Marcia Larson, to Notes from the Field as our guest blogger! 

Marcia is a volunteer with The Salvation Army, passionate in her commitment to serving others, which she shares with her parents and siblings.  From an early age, Marcia and her siblings were encouraged by her parents to get involved . . . and do something for others.

The Salvation Army thanks Marcia and her family for giving of their time and talents to those in need and making it possible for the Army to fulfill its mission and ministries.

 Written by Marcia Larson

“You gotta serve somebody” – Bob Dylan

Serving my job. Serving my student loans. Serving my own ambitions.

Dylan’s words are a spiritual reminder that every day requires re-evaluating what I’m serving. And more importantly, who I’m serving.

I’m not a big wig. I don’t particularly enjoy long meetings and lots of discussion. I’m 30 so I don’t have extensive expertise or a huge paycheck.

But what we Millennials do bring is a desire to do something. Get our hands dirty. Take part.

Every Thanksgiving in our household has meant 2 things – a red Salvation Army apron and a Chuck Norris look-alike in Phoenix who instructs our team on how to most efficiently serve the thousands of people flocking in for a Thanksgiving meal.

And every Thanksgiving there’s always a family that comes into the convention center in Phoenix – missing teeth, tattered clothes, minimal English – who really tug at my heart. And reminds me who I’m serving and why I’m serving.

Living in Manhattan, shuttling between Times Square and the Financial District, I don’t often eat meals or meaningfully relate to people outside my social circle. But the Army helps bridge the gap. And lets me use my hands and feet to do something significant for the Kingdom.

“When you do this to the least of my brethren…you’ve done it unto me” (Matthew 25:31)

I was the newly elected Chairman of the San Francisco Salvation Army Advisory Board when I attended my first NAOC, in Pasadena. My mother has been a longtime active Advisory Board member in my hometown of Wichita, and she attended as well; and my father, as a lifelong devotee of organizational structures, came along to learn firsthand about the “Most effective organization in the United States.”

I’ll never forget sitting in the audience, watching Sally Harris screen the premiere of her stellar production on the history and ministry of the Salvation Army, Salvation Army 101, dedicated to her mother, Ruth Altshuler, Life Member of the National Advisory Board.  I vowed as I watched it that by the end of my term as Chair in San Francisco, everyone in our City would know the answer to the film’s opening question: “What is the Salvation Army?”

Later, I sat enthralled in the “Best Practices” General Session, as Marlene Klotz-Collins interviewed Advisory Board representatives and Salvation Army officers on innovative programs from around the country, and followed it up by attending a Best Practices workshop Marlene led.

That early introduction helped me realize that as a member of a Salvation Army Advisory Organization, I was one of a family of thousands of volunteers, united in our desire to help the Salvation Army Do the Most Good in each of our communities. As a result, when the San Francisco Advisory Board faced daunting challenges, I reached out to Advisory Board members in Dallas, who without hesitation invited me to attend one of their monthly meetings. The same Ruth Altshuler I had admired—literally—from afar in the top balcony seats in Pasadena, graciously spent much of the remainder of the day with me, showing me the inspiring work being done in Dallas. Returning home armed with this stellar example, and with many good ideas gleaned from the NAOC Best Practices book (become a registered user of MySABoard.org to access online) that we could quickly emulate, we soon found ourselves back on our feet.

I was subsequently honored to be invited to join the National Advisory Board starting with the Philadelphia NAOC meeting, and have the tremendous joy to now be working alongside the role models with whom I had been so impressed in Pasadena, as well as all the other equally incredible men and women who make up the National Advisory Board.

I’m afraid too many people in our communities still don’t know the answer to the question posed at the beginning of Salvation Army 101: “What is the Salvation Army?”, but NAOC is an amazingly effective way to arm ourselves with the tools to help overcome that challenge, and many more besides. I hope to see you in Orlando!

     The National Advisory Board (NAB) meets three times a year, in September, January, and April, rotating venues around the country, giving NAB members an opportunity to gain a national perspective of the Salvation Army services in large and small communities.  The rigorous meeting schedule consists of one and one-half days packed with committee meetings, the plenary session and special programs hosted by the local Salvation Army.

     The first day of a rigorous meeting schedule begins with the CEO breakfast, where NAB members, local advisory board members, along with civic and business leaders are invited to participate in the meaningful program and networking.  

     A typical program includes a welcome and remarks from NAB Chairman Rob Pace, a local advisory board member’s testimony about “Why I Serve,” comments given by a local business leader, and a presentation given by The Salvation Army’s National Commander and hosting divisional leader.

     The CEO Breakfast opens and closes with a prayer offered by either a local advisory board member or the hosting Salvation Army divisional leader.

     The following photos were taken from the CEO Breakfast held in Seattle, Washington, where the NAB held a recent meeting.

NAB Chairman Rob Pace welcomes local advisory board and business leaders to CEO Breakfast

The Salvation Army's National Commander Israel Gaither (right) having a lively conversation with Bill Gates, Sr. (left)

The Salvation Army

set a new fundraising record for it’s Red Kettle Campaign in 2009, raising more then $139 million to help people in need.  To read the fact she

et, please check out out Salvation Army USA Blog

The U.S. Senate approved legislation to extend through 2010 a tax break to encourage older people to donate money from their individual retirement accounts to charity. The measure allows people age 70-1/2 and older to give up to $100,000 a year from their IRAs without having to pay taxes on the distribution. The legislation would also ease rules governing employer contributions to defined-benefit pension plans, a move that would offer relief to charities whose plans suffered investment losses during the recession.

With the economic downturn, several U.S. companies sparked changes in giving priorities as some pared back philanthropy while others placed more importance on basic needs such as fighting hunger and homelessness and others focusing more in their local communities. 10 companies whose philanthropic arms are ranked by the Foundation Center among the top U.S. foundations, four (Coca-Cola Co, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, MetLife Inc and ExxonMobil) said the dollar value of their giving increased in 2009, two said it remained steady, and four said it dropped. Additionally, all 10 companies reported that their giving would likely remain steady or be a slightly higher in 2010.