Venture Capitalists of the Streets

How is the Army's ministry to the poor similar to and different from other social services for the poor?

What makes the Salvation Army unique is that we have both a national and international mission that has remained consistent for 139 years, which gives the Army credibility. We work very hard to preserve our integrity. The Army's whole ethos rests on a faith-based belief in the worth of the individual in the sight of God.

Why have religion and social services been so closely linked in America's charitable tradition?

There's no question that America was founded on religious principles and a Judeo-Christian ethic. A fundamental part of this biblical standard is the duty to care for the poor. This moral and spiritual base has made us the kind of country that we are, with people who believe we must personally respond to the poor.

Some would argue that the religious vision stresses personal responsibility, whereas for roughly the last century a secular vision of helping the poor has downplayed personal responsibility and instead stressed the need for social change.

There's no question America did go through a period when we believed society was going to make all the necessary changes, and the government alone could handle it. But one reason both Democrats and Republicans in the mid-1990s were advocating "charitable choice" legislation to increase the involvement of faith-based organizations in social services is that you can't divorce individual responsibility from the societal ills that create poverty. Low-income persons begin to see their own self-worth as they take responsibility for themselves, and that's a long process. But it is intrinsic to Judeo-Christian belief.

The Army was born in England and works in many countries. Does the Army's experience in America differ from that of other countries?

At the heart of the Salvation Army, the mission remains the same, regardless of where you are across the world: to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human need in His name, without discrimination. The Salvation Army serves millions of people around the world and does so without discrimination, and yet we have just over a million church members throughout the world.

That's what makes the Salvation Army the same across the world. What makes the Salvation Army in the United States different is related to the wealth of America. Here, we have much finer buildings; we have access to governmental money and also to foundation support. The social service work we do here is far greater than in many other parts of the world, mainly because of the financial resources that are available.

In 1998, Mrs. Joan Kroc announced an $80 million pledge to build a community center in San Diego. Pleased with the results, she left most of her estate to the Salvation Army to build and partially endow dozens more such centers. The total gift is expected to exceed $1.5 billion.

Sometimes the Army has had trouble in this country working with government. Your predecessor National Commander Robert A. Watson spoke in his book of a 1970s incident in New York City where officials demanded you stop saying grace before meals and singing hymns. In the 1990s the Department of Labor threatened to require that you pay minimum wage to persons undergoing treatment in your rehabilitation centers whenever they did chores. More recently, you ended government contracts in San Francisco rather than compromise on providing fringe benefits to "domestic partners."

Working with the government is never easy. I think that it's to our advantage that the government calls for a degree of regulation and accountability, but there are times when those regulations directly impinge upon the ability to run an effective organization. In any public-private partnership you run into people who want to micromanage your operation and overlook your accomplishments. You've got to live with the good and the bad.

Do you see any threats, existing or potential, to the mission and independence of the Army?

I think they always exist. The federal government often impinges upon your rights less than states and counties do. Maintaining your identity and fulfilling your mission requires a constant balancing act.

How can foundations be as effective as possible in helping grantees like the Army?

One of the greatest ways foundations can assist an organization like ours is to improve the balance of operating support versus project support. Often we can access resources for the short-term or for a building project or other very specific project. But funders should understand that some efforts take more than two or three years in order to reach fruition and solidify their funding base.  Having said that, my own relationships with foundations have mostly been positive, because the foundations have usually had very clear mission statements and well-defined funding streams, so you know what can be expected.