Every Christmas for the last several years I’ve thrown a few coins into the Salvation Army bucket at the neighborhood Piggly Wiggly. But not this year. Nope. You see they’ve changed their bell ringer. The guy standing outside the store ringing the bell was different this season, so I decided not to give.

Ludicrous, isn’t it? Obviously, no one would stop donating to the Salvation Army because Bert replaced Ernie ringing the bell.

Then why do we hear these kinds of complaints?

Why are you playing Burl Ives and Nat King Cole and Gene Autry?

You’ve changed the disc jockeys!

You cancelled Adventures in Odyssey!

You did this ONE thing that I don’t like… So I’m not going to donate to your station anymore… ever… ever!

What they are basically saying is… you’ve changed the bell ringer.

And that bell ringer has become a very narrow filter through which they evaluate your station.

But that’s not you, is it?

I know what the Salvation Army stands for. I believe in their cause of helping those who can’t help themselves. My understanding of the vision and purpose of their ministry is far more important to me than who stands outside Winn-Dixie ringing a bell.

TOMS shoes is an example of a company that succeeded more because of their story than their product. “For every pair I sell, I’m going to give a pair of new shoes to a child in need… The giving component of TOMS makes our shoes more than a product. They’re a part of a story, a mission, and a movement anyone can join.”

Blake Mycoskie, “Start Something that Matters”

Needless to say, no one has ever stopped buying TOMS simply because they discontinued the cute little plaid shoes.

This Christmas season you may have heard complaints about your station’s bell ringer. Maybe that’s because your bigger story wasn’t being told.