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Charities cut back, hope for the best Mail Tribune / Jim Craven "Take a Scan Against Hunger" coupons at Costco and other area grocery stores will help ACCESS, Inc. feed the hungry this winter. On the eve of the traditional season for charitable giving, nonprofits such as ACCESS worry that donors already may be tapped out in the wake of the terrorist attacks and faltering economy. There are signs that the response to Sept. 11 has tapped out many donors By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Surrounded by carts of turkeys and pallets of pies, Costco shopper Julie Carte couldn't resist the plea - even on paper - to reach out to those less fortunate. Two days before Thanksgiving, the Central Point woman stretched past her own cart stocked with salted peanuts, dinner rolls and smoked ham to pluck a "Take a Scan Against Hunger" coupon that will donate $2 to the Rogue Valley's needy. "I'm looking around and looking at all this food," said Carte, settling a bill for $40.01. "We are just so blessed." Organizers at ACCESS Inc., which runs the annual program, hope that Carte's two bucks will be multiplied by fellow shoppers across Jackson County who last year contributed $30,000 to fight hunger in $1, $2 and $5 checkstand increments. But in a year marked by terrorism and economic uncertainty, ACCESS officials, like those at other area nonprofits, know better than to count on it. "I don't want to assume anything," said Philip Yates, an agency development director who said fund raising this fall is down slightly but still near target. A fall mail campaign troubled by anthrax scares raised $18,000, compared to $23,000 last year. "I've been so surprised by the generosity of the community in the past, that I'm not surprised any more. But we're just doing a wait-and-see." That kind of nervousness has rippled through the region's nonprofit community on the eve of the traditional season for charitable giving. Agencies large and small worry that donors may be tapped out in the wake of a worsening economy and a surge of contributions that sent hundreds of thousands of dollars east after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "I think everyone's hopeful that they're going to be able to come up with whatever they have normally done," said Sharon Schreiber, director of CERVS, a community assistance agency. "But I anticipate it's going to be tight for everyone." Indeed, cutbacks and shortfalls quickly have become the rule at many area agencies. At the Children's Advocacy Center in Medford, a center for sexually abused children, a fall mail campaign was down 30 percent in October, said intake coordinator Christina Hill. Southern Oregon Special Olympics, which provides sports opportunities for disabled people, recently announced a $500,000 deficit, including a local fund-raiser that netted only $7,500 on a $60,000 goal. A fall newsletter and fund-raiser mailed by Community Works, a Medford social service agency, has netted only $2,000 so far, less than the cost to produce it, said Ed Roussell, the agency's development director. Even more telling, at the United Way of Jackson County, officials recently announced a 10 percent across-the-board cut, leaving many of its 34 member agencies anxious. A large agency such as Community Works, for instance, expects a hit of more than $11,000. But even small cuts can be devastating, directors said. "It's a real challenge in combination with the larger picture," said Hilary Best, executive director of Mediation Works of Medford, which specializes in dispute resolution. "Because it's not just the individual donations, it's across the economy." In addition to United Way cuts of $1,700, Best expects to lose funds as county government and local school districts reduce or eliminate contracts to brace for an anticipated $500 million to $700 million shortfall in the state budget. "We're all feeling the real shift in the economy," said Best. "It becomes a particular challenge to nonprofits because we're all operating on a shoestring to begin with." The economic downturn had agency directors worried even before Sept. 11. But when terrorists attacked targets in New York and Washington, D.C., the effects were immediate. A stunned public responded to grief with contributions. Dee Anne Everson, local United Way executive director, estimated that from Jackson County alone, some $350,000 in donations went east. Local managers agree that such donations were necessary and appropriate, said Yates of ACCESS. "There's been a tremendous outpouring in the wake of Sept. 11, but I think people are recognizing that there's a tremendous need here," he said. "People know where the dollars are going and knowing that it's going to stay in this community for people here." That's the reasoning adopted by Heidi Grossman, owner of the Living Gallery in Ashland. After Sept. 11, Grossman considered sending money east - and then decided against it. "I was thinking, 'Should I do something toward New York?' and then I thought, 'No, the local things are still in need.' " So Grossman decided to donate a portion of the proceeds from her holiday gallery sales to ACCESS. "Food, as much as anything, seems so basic as a way to help," Grossman said. Individual contributors are welcome, but local agencies must adapt their fund-raising plans to account for new realities. "For some, it will be to add a few new people to the annual dinner," said Roussell, a former nonprofit fund-raising consultant. "Or they'll mail the same brochure to 10,000 people instead of 5,000 people." Candace Bartow, executive director of the Winema Girl Scout Council, said cuts in United Way funding and donations will mean more public solicitations. "We'll just have to go to the community for help," she said. "We don't want or expect cookie sales to fund our organization." Community Works, which took the biggest United Way hit of any area agency, faces an even more difficult fund-raising hurdle, Roussell acknowledged. Recent publicity about crimes at the agency's Youth Diagnostic Shelter has affected the agency's image. "Every agency has its challenges," Roussell said. "The ones that respond well are the ones that can keep their eye on the big picture." His views are echoed by Jolie Johnson, who serves on the Community Works board of directors, as well as other area boards. The combined effect of a faltering economy, terrorist attacks and negative publicity has been difficult, she acknowledged. But after more than a decade of board service, she believes the mission of Community Works and other nonprofits is vital to local residents. "You just have to keep going," Johnson said. "You just have to look at the goal and take care of the people who take care of the people." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.