By David Jeffrey, National Commander of The Salvation Army
Poverty is one of the trickiest social issues to define, understand, and alleviate because of its complexity: it affects many aspects of life in a uniquely vicious cycle. But only when it is properly defined and understood can effective action be considered. Nonprofits need to deeply understand the issues they are working to solve; just as important, their funders need reliable tools for smart decision-making and accountability.
The Human Needs Index (HNI) is such a tool. Created by The Salvation Army in partnership with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the HNI uses a wealth of service data to provide a new, in-depth look at need in the United States.
Active in every zip code, The Salvation Army is the largest nonprofit provider of social services, meeting basic human needs across the United States. Each year, approximately 30 million people are assisted through myriad local programs in more than 7,600 facilities nationwide.
As part of our donor stewardship, we have closely tracked and measured our services from the start, producing a treasure trove of data that the HNI now leverages.
