Red Kettle Rebound

The Salvation Army raised $154M during 2025 holiday season

The Salvation Army raised more than $103 million through its on-the-street red kettle program, and another $51 million through digital donations, during the 2025 holiday season. Contributions to the iconic red kettles were nearly 4% greater than the previous year, and digital donations jumped by almost 8%, despite a shorter holiday season. The holiday season traditionally starts on Thanksgiving Day, which in 2025 fell on November 27.

Photo by Dwight Burdette / Wikimedia Commons

During the 2024 holiday season, the red kettles pulled in just less than $99.5 million. That year, digital donations increased 4.3% from the previous year’s total, but the specific total was not disclosed in Salvation Army press statements.

Each year, volunteers stand next to the kettles and ring bells at the storefronts of corporate partners. In 2025, national partners included Bass Pro Shops, Boscov’s, Cabela’s, Dillard’s Food Lion, Hobby Lobby, JCPenney, Kroger, Macerich Shopping Centers, Mardel, Redner’s Markets, Sam’s Club, Walgreens and Walmart, in addition to local businesses and organizations. Funds raised support year-round programs for those facing hunger, housing instability, and other emergencies.

“Our retail partners that open their storefronts to Red Kettles each holiday season, as well as the thousands of volunteers who take part, help bring hope to communities across the country,” Commissioner Merle Heatwole, national commander of The Salvation Army, said via a statement. “Their partnership is invaluable. Even as giving increased compared to the previous year, the reality is that the cost of providing services continues to climb.”

While the total raised through combined physical and digital donations might be a record high, the amount raised during the 2025 holiday season through the in-person kettles is far short of the 2015 record of $149.6 million.

In addition to financial donations to the kettles and the online channels, the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program (not to be confused with Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program), which provides Christmas gifts to hundreds of thousands of children every year, has seen in-kind donations double during the past three years, according to a Salvation Army press statement. The organization attributes the boost to viral promotion on various social platforms.

The Salvation Army has low ratings in the MinistryWatch database. It automatically earns zero stars for financial efficiency because it does not file a Form 990 with the IRS. It earns a D Transparency Grade, also because it does not file a Form 990 and because it does not post audited financials on its website. For this and other reasons, its Donor Confidence Score is a failing score of 40 (out of 100).

This article was originally published by The NonProfit Times.

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