{"id":48626,"date":"2018-10-09T19:30:18","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T19:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/10\/09\/fewer-soldiers-are-donating-to-army-emergency-relief-heres-why-thats-a-problem\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:49:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:49:16","slug":"fewer-soldiers-are-donating-to-army-emergency-relief-heres-why-thats-a-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/10\/09\/fewer-soldiers-are-donating-to-army-emergency-relief-heres-why-thats-a-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Fewer soldiers are donating to Army Emergency Relief. Here\u2019s why that\u2019s a problem."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fewer than 10 percent of soldiers are contributing to Army Emergency Relief<\/a> \u2014 and the largest group of donors aren\u2019t even the ones who use it the most, the organization\u2019s director said Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of soldiers who take advantage of AER\u2019s financial assistance services are E-5s and E-6s, in large part because of the phase of life they\u2019re in, said retired Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Mason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the soldiers most likely to donate are often their subordinates \u2014 E-4s and below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re company-based,\u201d Mason said of the more junior soldiers. \u201cTheir friends, their buddies are probably using AER. Word of mouth spreads \u2014 \u2018Hey, AER took care of me, you all ought to donate.\u2019 So, they\u2019re a little closer to the action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mason said the more senior the soldier, the less connected to the company, which could be one reason for the growing lack of financial support for AER, whose mission is to help the Army take care of its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more coverage from the AUSA annual meeting, click <\/b>here<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each year, AER provides $70 million in grants and loan assistance, for things like car repairs, rent payments and more, with no interest charged to soldiers and their families. The organization, which works closely with Army Community Services, relies entirely on donations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the recent past, when Mason himself was on active duty, about 60 percent of soldiers invested in AER, he said. But nearly two decades of war \u2015 coupled with more families living off base and the growing number of military-focused nonprofits also competing for donations \u2015 could be contributing to the lower buy-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSoldiers have been deployed, they come back, they\u2019re just not focused on these types of things,\u201d Mason said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t