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Coping with an uncertain economy
Charities scramble to makeup for less donations, more need
Comment: Are you able to give as much to charities as you previously did?
» Read more from this ongoing series
Thursday, June 19, 2008
With more people out of work or struggling to pay the high prices of gas and food, charities are finding donations lacking.
"Our needs are greater than ever before," said Leigh Simpeles, executive director at St. Vincent de Paul in Dayton. "So our expenses are going up and we have seen a change in income (due to) the economic slump."
To help increase income, The St. Vincent De Paul Society will participate in its first national fundraiser, a walkathon. Walkathons will occur across the country on Sept. 27 with donations by local participants going to the Dayton council.
United Way of the Greater Dayton area has also seen donations decrease and officers are figuring out how to maintain services.
"We'll probably be half a million or more down if more people don't give or the people currently giving don't increase their giving," said Marc Levy, president and CEO of United Way.
T.L. Drake, executive director at Miami Valley Women's Center, said they are cutting driving expenses to save gas money and switching from U.S. mail to e-mail to reduce postage costs.
"(The economic situation) just makes us try to be smarter," said T.L. Drake, executive director at Miami Valley Women's Center.
Rudy Bahr, executive director at SICSA, said the numbers of donors is not decreasing, but the amount they give is.
"I get lots of notes from people who are apologizing that they wish they could do more, but they just can't," Bahr said.
This is happening at a time where more owners are dropping off pets they say they can no longer feed or pay for veterinarian care. Adoption fees were cut in half in June to get some animals out of the shelter, he said.
Burma Rae, CEO for The Foodbank, said the group is running out of donated money quickly. Board members have met to brainstorm on their next step.
"All we'll really be able to do is go to the community and ask them to please help," Rae said.
Levy agreed and said the only way charities will survive is through increased community support.
"If there's ever a time to step up, it's now," he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-0509 or josterday@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Comments
By alwaysup37
June 23, 2008 12:41 PM | Link to this
During the 60’s Standard Oil said they needed to drill on the North Slope in Alaska and advertised ‘we’ll keep you on full’ with low gas prices. They drilled, hit oil, built their pipelines down the west coast and sold the oil to Japan. Gas prices continued to rise.The Valdez spill destroyed the environment. Only fools think drilling in Alaska or in the Gulf will lower their gas price. American oil is sold to the highest bidder.We buy foreign because it’s cheaper.
By Barry
June 23, 2008 10:34 AM | Link to this
pretty much the idiots who decided to start turning food into gas, rather then drill for gas are to blame.
By Barry
June 23, 2008 10:31 AM | Link to this
to stick to the question at hand, due to the ever increasing cost of energy and the ever increasing tax burden I carry, I can not give as much to charity as I once did or that I would like to.
By bearjr1
June 23, 2008 9:38 AM | Link to this
my charitable giving is about the same as before. i drive a small car with very good mileage, so gas prices have not effected my spending habits very much. some of you folks should just answer the question and leave partisan politics out of it.
By Lollipop10
June 23, 2008 9:11 AM | Link to this
I definitely do not think McCain is the best man the party has, but if Obama is elected President, with a Democrat Congress, his $1.7 Trillion proposed tax increases, and his Senate Bill 2433 to eliminate GLOBAL poverty, will surely sink our boat. Why is anyone surprised that charities are receiving less. (Google S 2433) if you want to get sick. To painfultruth, you are so right. The gov’t wants us to be reliant on them…To eliminate poverty they must redistribute the wealth.
By dumbbarry
June 23, 2008 8:52 AM | Link to this
Ok, wow Bush said and i quote “mass stockpiles of wmd,” first off there were no MASSIVE stockpiles of WMD, a few very limited stocks of 30 yr old shells that were not even considered by todays standard as WMD. Oh by the way Barry since the “Mission is accomplished,” why are we still there. Bush himself said with a huge banner “Mission Accomplished.” This president is a liar and his whole administration will go down in history as worse than Nixon and worse the his daddy. LOL!
By Barry
June 23, 2008 8:43 AM | Link to this
sorry dude, the U.N. found wmd/chemical weapons. Just it hasn’t made the Bush lied, people died all hail Obamamania news. I know some people hate Bush with every fiber of their being and are irrational about it, but the fact is he will go down in history ten or twenty years from now as a middle of the road president, and not some freakin monster that eats babies and causes huricanes
By Barry
June 23, 2008 8:29 AM | Link to this
“530 billion for a war based on lies and counting.” the fed budget is over 3.5 trillion dollars. you could cut 1 trillion off the top, maintain defense spending at current levels including the war, and still be spending way to much on social garbage. if the tax man didn’t take so much people could afford to give to private charities that do so much better then the govt I won’t/can’t go into it here
By dumbkaren
June 23, 2008 8:25 AM | Link to this
Karen are you really that dumb, what lies? How about we went to war based on WMD in Iraq. Oh and by the way Iraq and Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11. But wait now this administration wants you to believe it’s because the terrorists are in Iraq and we are fighting them on their soil not ours, wrong! The terrorists are in Afghanistan, Iraq is a mess and this administration has the blood on their hands. Wake up get an education!
By Karen
June 23, 2008 7:47 AM | Link to this
As for the oil, I’d much rather be using ours then Saudi’s or Venezuala’s. That way we can control the price and get the market back to where it needs to be. Lower prices = being able to give more to charities.
By Karen
June 23, 2008 7:44 AM | Link to this
mtm…….. what lies? and personally would rather be fighting the war over there than here.
By Becca
June 22, 2008 7:49 PM | Link to this
Be VERY careful who you choose to donate your clothing, shoes, household items and furniture to. There are a few charities out there that ARE NOT what they seem. There are even for profit businesses in the Dayton area that have paid money to non-profits and are using their names. Also, if you ask a charity “how much of my donation goes to the program” and it’s any less then 75 or 80%; don’t give. Remember, non-profit is only a tax code, it does not determine how much money goes to participants!
By mtm
June 22, 2008 7:30 PM | Link to this
Drilling for oil in this country is only a short term solution with no immediate benefits. 530+ billion on an immoral war, wholly based upon lies, when our own population suffers is wrong. You grow up! Or, continue to live with some fantasy illusion that a quick oil well will fix problems.
By Karen
June 22, 2008 6:30 PM | Link to this
First mtm …. grow up. Secondly I don’t think anyone is giving as much to charity now that we are paying 3x as much for gas as we did a year and a half ago. Unless we start drilling in this country that isn’t going to change.
By mjm
June 22, 2008 4:34 PM | Link to this
We have contributed to charities this year although not as much as in years past. I do plan on donating kitchen/household items to the Salvation Army as we have for the past several years.
By mtm
June 22, 2008 2:54 PM | Link to this
Giving material goods; food, clothing, household items. Lower cash donations. Perhaps ending the immoral and unethical war in iraq would free up some cash for the people that need it in our own country. So far, 530 billion for a war based on lies and counting.
By painfultruth
June 22, 2008 2:38 PM | Link to this
Wait and see what happens if Obama gets elected. He wants the government to support everything. If he’s in, I cut off all charities. If the US is going to become a welfare state, let welfare pay, not me…
By Chuck
June 22, 2008 2:34 PM | Link to this
Nope, I have started a charity for my family