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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us January 6, 2005 Holiday season gets people giving to nonprofit groups By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings Without the spend-happy summer crowds that descend on Ashland in the summer, restaurants, hotels and other tourist-based businesses couldn't sustain themselves. For some local nonprofit organizations, donations during the holiday months makes their year-round work possible. Items are displayed for the silent auction during Jefferson Public Radio's annual fundraising event. Submitted Photo Charities such as Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army bell-ringers and area food banks rely heavily on end-of-the-year donations to keep their programs functioning, but other local organizations capitalize on the giving spirit of the holiday season. The Lights for Life celebration, which benefits the Ashland Community Hospital Foundation, surpassed its fundraising goal of $45,000, although a final total has not been released yet. One of several events the ACHF works on over the course of the year, Lights for Life has become "a very important part of our annual fundraising and it's really become a tradition," said Pamela Garrett, the administrative assistant for ACHF. Another local organization, the Mount Ashland Racing Association, holds its marquee fundraiser at the onset of the holiday season. The association hosts an auction in mid-November to generate the majority of the funds it will need to operate throughout the winter. "[The auction is] our fundraising effort to really make a difference in what the organization can put back into the community," said Diane McKelvay, the co-chair of the association's auction. "Also, it covers much of operating expenses." The sixth annual auction, which raised more than $50,000 this year and netted approximately $40,000, generates almost half of the association's $96,000 annual budget. The association supports a racing program that runs three weekends in the winter, including the purchase of equipment for the event and the rental of a portion of the mountain for the races. It also provides coaching for kids ages 6 through 18 who participate in the program and gives 18 scholarships to kids who otherwise couldn't afford the program. A year-round approach At the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, generating the $5 million in donations the organization needs to sustain itself each year isn't a seasonal affair. "It's a totally different situation than many of the other organizations," said Paul Nicholson, executive director of OSF. "If we just waited until the winter or Christmas, that would never work. Very little of it is actually raised during the winter period." OSF solicits funds through a mail-based membership drive that begins in July. Varying levels of membership offer different rewards for theater supporters. Specific groups, such as the Tudor Guild and the Soroptimists, also contribute to OSF. In addition to the membership drive, the festival asks for support of the Bowmer Society, a special giving club focused on education. "Our membership is widely spread," Nicholson said. "The reality that I've seen is that most performing arts organizations are fundraising all year. They're not basing their work on a single giving drive." By the end of the calendar year, OSF has secured approximately 75 percent, or $3.75 million of its funds for the next season. Other money comes from the cultural trust, a state organization that has been doling out money to nonprofit organizations for the past two years. OSF has received funding both years. For Jefferson Public Radio, only about 6 percent of its annual donation total comes during the month of December. "JPR might be a little different than a lot of organizations because our service is provided throughout the year," said Duane Whitcomb, the JPR membership coordinator. "You don't want to rely upon one month. You're better off if you can diversify your fundraising." Although Whitcomb reports JPR sees a "bump" in fundraising during December, something he attributes to the holiday spirit and people's desires to send in something before the end of the year, most money comes in at a steady rate all year long. The JPR Wine Tasting, an annual December fundraiser, is an important event in terms of bringing JPR supporters together, but not a big money maker for the organization. "Our peaks occur during the fall and the spring when we go on the air and we're directly appealing to people," said Duane Whitcomb, the JPR membership coordinator, adding that the organization raised more than 10 percent of its annual goal last year during the month of October through on-air membership drives and mail campaigns that remind people to renew their commitment to JPR. "We're very fortunate that we have a base of almost 9,500 members - people who are contributing at least once a year," Whitcomb said. 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