Organization Nine: The Salvation Army Analysis

Organization Nine: The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (The Army) is a christian nonprofit organization that services and helps individuals - across the nation - by providing them with food, clothing, care, and other physical, emotional, or spiritual services - as demonstrated by the love and ministry of Jesus Christ (The Salvation Army, 2017). The Salvation Army has a rich history, in 1867 William Booth and his wife Catherine began the ‘The Christian Mission’ - a service and evangelist group in the East End of London, England - which would later become the Salvation Army (The Salvation Army, 2017). By the mid 1880s the Salvation Army was a vibrant part of American society with “operations in California, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland,

2). The Army is strongly self-governing - the fourth characteristic - as it has an extensive board with over forty member and the board plays a active role in the organization’s governance (The Salvation Army, 2017; Give.org, 2014). The Salvation Army’s “board of directors…provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations…schedules appraisals of the CEO's performance, [examines] disbursement controls such as…budget[s], fund raising practices, establish…interest policies, and…accounting procedures..to safeguard [the] charity” (Give.org, 2014, para. 1). The fifth characteristic of a nonprofit is volunteerism (Worth, 2014). Both The Salvation Army’s history and present volunteer culture demonstrates the organization’s voluntary spirit and character (The Salvation Army, 2017). Data from fiscal year 2015 reveals that “almost 3.3 million people of all ages volunteered their time, talents, and resources to assist The Salvation Army's work…[Moreover,] volunteers are critical partners in helping us fulfill [The Salvation Army’s mission and vision]” (The Salvation Army, 2017, para. 1). Lastly, The Salvation Army’s services are critically beneficial to the public, as the organization provides short-term charity services and long-term spiritual philanthropy in nearly every postal cost across the United States (The

Tackett’s (n. d.) writing reveals that a biblical worldview is based on the foundation of the Scriptures and derives its meaning from personal actions within individual lives (Tackett, n. d.). In other words, believing “God’s worldview [leads to individuals making] the right decisions…actions that reveal what [Christians] really believe” (Tackett, n. d., para. 16). Both the history and the contemporary cultural impact of The Salvation Army reflect Tackett’s (n. d.) cause and effect connection between a biblical worldview and Christian service in action (Tackett, n. d.; The Salvation Army, 2017). William Booth founded The Salvation Army on Christian principles of God’s love, Christ-like service, and compassion as he and his organization worked with the poor in London’s East End. Booth’s practice of Christ-like service, love, and compassion continues within the organizational culture and service fabric of The Salvation Army DNA (The Salvation Army, 2017). For example, recent years have shown the Salvation Army “how the human needs…continue to fuel [the organization’s] passion for the impossible [love of God], giving the world hope and guidance by helping [all] truly understand the needs of [and providing for] God’s children” (The Salvation Army, 2016, p. 4). Based on an examination of The Salvation Army’s