Origins of the Red Shield Appeal
Annually, in May, The Salvation Army in New Zealand mobilises officers, members, staff and friends to collect for the Red Shield Appeal. Funds raised from public donations directly support the mission of The Salvation Army across Aotearoa. Despite the current cost of living crisis, support for The Salvation Army by New Zealanders remains strong.
The Red Shield Appeal as we know it today had humble beginnings. Before it became The Salvation Army, William Booth’s ‘Christian Mission’ had begun working among the poor and marginalised in East London. Sympathetic supporters soon became donors, with Salvation Army history recording many references to people who gave sums of money voluntarily or on request. The earliest recorded reference is the generous donation by Mr Samuel Morley MP, Manufacturer and Philanthropist in 1865. Morley’s generosity continued and in 1885 he contributed $4500 (NZ) to Women’s Rescue work.
In 1886, General Booth proposed a week of personal self-denial, encouraging Salvationists and their friends to give up something they valued and donate the proceeds to support the Army’s mission. This was known as the Self-Denial Appeal in its earliest form.
When The Salvation Army ‘opened fire’ in Dunedin in 1883, Captain George Pollard had only 30 shillings, trusting that God would provide. Pollard had no problem with appealing to the affluent for assistance in his campaign against sin and misery. By the early 1900s, dedicated collectors were actively engaging with their communities to raise funds. Over time, a distinction emerged between the sacrificial giving of Salvationists through the Self-Denial Appeal and the broader public-focused Red Shield Appeal.
To reduce confusion, the Self-Denial Appeal was briefly renamed OWSOMS—One Week’s Salary on Missionary Service—but eventually returned to its original name of Self-Denial, as we know it today. In 1964, national household envelope distribution began, with collectors visiting homes on Saturdays and Monday nights to collect envelopes filled with donations added in 1976. Salvationists in caps and bonnets with collection boxes became an iconic image of the day.
Throughout the 1980s, ‘door knocking’ was an established part of the movement’s vernacular as Salvationists engaged in evangelism through selling War Cry magazines in their local neighbourhoods, as well as collecting donations annually during Red Shield Appeal week.
By the 1990s, local corps were trying innovative ideas like traffic light collecting, which proved lucrative, with many donors keeping loose change in their cars for parking meters. Health and safety requirements put a swift end to such risky endeavours. As the societal shift away from cash began to take hold and less people carried loose change, The Salvation Army successfully pivoted to a new style of collecting.
The Red Shield Appeal was relaunched in May 2002, shifting collections to malls, town centres and supermarkets, with donations also accepted by post. Today, collectors are a familiar sight with many equipped with portable EFTPOS machines and online giving is widespread.
Source: Heritage Centre and Archives
