Free Money Finance Matching Your Salvation Army Donations Up to $5000!

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We here at Wise Bread love hearing about bloggers giving back, so when we heard about Free Money Finance's $5k Red Kettle Challenge fundraiser for The Salvation Army, we had to share it with our amazing readers.

The Mission: FMF $5k Red Kettle Challenge

FMF has always been big about giving to charity. This holiday season, FMF has decided to target one charity, The Salvation Army, and has set up a fundraiser for FMF readers and others to donate directly to that charity. The best part? FMF will match every dollar up to $5,000 donated to the FMF red kettle! 

The Details

All donations given between now and December 26, 2011 to the FMF Red Kettle will be matched up to $5,000. This means $10,000 (or more if donations exceed $5,000) could potentially be donated to The Salvation Army! All donations are welcome, from $1 to whatever you can afford.

FMF Charitable Background

FMF has always been big on giving back. In fact, all the profits from FMF are donated to charity! Some of FMF's favorite charities to donate to include:

• Mel Trotter Ministries - A charity that feeds the hungry and homeless in West Michigan, where FMF is from!
• Samaritan's Purse - An organization that provides emergency supplies during natural disasters.
• Habitat for Humanity - The well-known charity that builds homes for those who would not otherwise be able to afford them.

Why The Salvation Army?

This holiday season, FMF chose to give to The Salvation Army based on his history with the charity. As a kid, he remembers dropping change in red kettles during the holidays and later continued to donate to The Salvation Army when he decided he wanted to give more money to help those in need. He has since developed a relationship with The Salvation Army through charitable promotion work for his employer.

As FMF put it, "Because I've seen their work first-hand, the Salvation Army is an organization I know I can fully support." (See also: The Best Questions to Ask a Charity)

How is the Fundraiser Going So Far?

Currently, $3,600 has been donated to the FMF red kettle. The challenge started on Monday which means just a couple days into it, FMF is already more than halfway to his goal! At the beginning of the challenge, FMF says he "didn't really know what to expect" but is now "quite pleased and very thankful" for the support the challenge has gotten thus far.

FMF's kettle is currently the fourth biggest donation group. Way to go bloggers and readers!

What Can You Do if You Can't Afford to Donate? 

FMF has some tips for those who may not be able to give to charity this year. They include:

1. Start putting giving into your budget. You may not be able to give now, but if you plan for it you should be able to give sometime down the road.
2. If you simply have a cash flow issue this year but can afford to pay it off as soon as the bill is due, you can pay with a credit card. A few of my readers have noted that the Chase Freedom card is offering 5% cash back on gifts to charity this month, so it's the card that allows you to give AND get.
3. If you can't afford to give now or ever, here's a list of ways you can help a charity without spending money.

 A Special Thanks from FMF

When asked what he would like to say to those who have donated or will donate, FMF said:

I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart! As I said in my post announcing the effort, the economy has a lot of people hurting these days. They are short on food, cllothing, shelter, and money to pay for basics like utilities. The Salvation Army helps people in these situations in so many different ways. So when someone gives to this effort they are helping those who are truly needy. These are my heroes -- people who give so that others may be cared for.

No matter what, remember to give back in some way this holiday season. And if you are looking for a great cause to contribute to, consider participating in the FMF $5k Red Kettle Challenge!