The Giving Machine program of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which places customized vending machines that allow people to purchase needed supplies for a variety of local, national and global nonprofits in high-pedestrian traffic areas, is in full swing during the holiday season.
This year continues a trend of expansion for the program. The 61 cities in seven countries (Australia; Canada; Guatemala; Mexico; New Zealand; the Philippines; and the United States) mark a new high for the machines. The 2022 holiday season saw the machines placed in 28 cities across six countries.
The machines, which resemble those used to sell snacks, have made yearly appearances since 2017, with the exception of 2020 when the program was suspended due to concerns surround the coronavirus pandemic. By the start of this year’s campaign, 1.5 million people had donated more than $22 million for donated goods and services through the machines.
The machines feature six rows, each showcasing potential donated goods, which can include clothing, meals, livestock, sports equipment, education materials, medical supplies and other items or services. Items offered vary by machine, with global charities typically getting two rows, or 10 items, and local organizations being able to submit wish lists for the remaining 20. In previous years, locally-focused donations have included outings to local sports teams, mass transit cards, and rainwater storage tanks. More than 1,200 items are available across all the locations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covers all operational expenses, allowing 100% of the collected funds to reach the recipients. Nonprofits are allowed to use up to 10% of collected donations for overhead expenses and are required to provide reports on how donations were used. Participating recipient charities receive an itemized statement of what was purchased on their behalf, along with the amounts contributed, at the conclusion of each year’s campaign.
Participating global and national nonprofits include: African Girls Hope Foundation; American Red Cross; Care; Church World Service; iDE (International Development Enterprise); Lifting Hands International; Mentors International; UNICEF; and WaterAid.
“Vending” machines might be a bit of a misnomer. The machines do not actually distribute anything. When a donor uses a credit card to make a purchase, a small plastic block featuring the item or items donated (which can include bedding, groceries, healthcare, hygiene kits, job and career training, meals, shelter) spins from its rack and is falls to a transparent bin not accessible by the purchaser. Donors feeling flush with the holiday spirit can enter a code that allows them to buy one of everything in a machine.
The machines will be in place through early January, and results for this year are still being tabulated. More than 425,000 individuals made donations through the machines during 2022, which included more than 2.2 million meals, 31 million water purification tables (facilitating 3.9 million gallons of purifiable water), school supplies for 28,000 children, 3,000 academic scholarships, vaccinations against polio and measles for more than half a million children, and more than 41,000 chickens, 25,000 ducks and 3,800 beehives.
One thing the charities don’t get is the donor information. “The Church neither collects nor distributes any donor information,” Chris Moore, Media Relations Manager, Church Communication Department for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints told The NonProfit Times. “When people make purchases, only the third-party financial processor has access to credit card data. Even when those donors request a receipt via email or text, that information is not provided to the Church.”
To find the locations of Giving Machines, click here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/light-the-world/giving-machines
(Photo: A Giving Machine in midtown Manhattan – 38th and Park Avenue – where it was placed outside the Church of Our Saviour in conjunction with local NYC partner Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.)
