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Local Charity Donations Drop

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By SHERRI ACKERMAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 30, 2007

TAMPA - Although the national trend in holiday giving appears on the rise, many Tampa charities are falling short of end-of-year goals, even as they're serving more clients than ever.

For some, the new year promises to hold more of the same.

"The money is never more than what the need is," said Steve Vick, general manager of The Salvation Army. "This month was extremely difficult."

Although final tallies won't be complete for another few days, Vick estimates the Army's mail appeal for donations is down at least 25 percent. Even food collections were off this year.

"We completely used every bit of nonperishables we had," he said. "We'll struggle to give food this year. Our warehouse is completely empty."

Just north of The Salvation Army's headquarters on Florida Avenue, one of Tampa's largest charities faces a similar predicament.

"We're down from last year and considerably down from what we needed for this month," said Cathy Capo-Stone of Metropolitan Ministries. "We definitely saw God's hand. We were day-to-day this year."

December contributions were off 23 percent from the year before, said Phil Signore, the ministries' chief financial officer. The agency expects a $300,000 budget shortfall, in part because there were more clients.

"We served 15 percent more families this year," he said. "We didn't turn anyone away."

Both agencies, which have annual operating budgets of $8 million to $9 million, form a contrast to national trends that show charitable giving increasing, especially for large organizations, with many anticipating end-of-year donations to exceed those of 2006.

According to a recent survey of more than 4,000 organizations conducted by GuideStar, a national agency that monitors nonprofit agencies and charities, 52 percent of the participants saw an increase in giving during the first nine months of 2007. Twenty-five percent said contribution levels remained the same, 19 percent reported a decrease and 4 percent did not know.

A majority, 60 percent, expected 2007 contributions during the traditional holiday giving season that begins in October and ends in December to exceed the last quarter of 2006, the survey showed.

Meanwhile, 67 percent said the need for their organization's services was greater in 2007 than the previous year.

Larger Charities Faring Better

The national Association of Fundraising Professionals conducted an online survey this month with findings based on 354 responses.

Nearly half of those charities, or 48.3 percent, reported raising more money this year than last, the survey found. About 25.4 percent raised the same amount and 26.3 percent said they raised less.

In general, the larger charities are faring better than the smaller ones, said Michael Nilsen, the association's director of public affairs. But in some parts of the country such as Tampa, where the housing market is dragging down the rest of the economy, many organizations - especially the smaller ones - are suffering.

"I'm not totally convinced there's a crisis yet," Nilsen said. "Certainly giving would be down in those areas. It's not a great time for a housing crisis and economy, but it's not the end of the world."

Tell that to Bonnie Christiano, executive director of the Alpha House of Tampa, which houses and assists pregnant women and their children.

"This caught me by surprise," she said of her small agency's 41 percent drop in holiday contributions. The $30,000 loss will come from the agency's projected $1.5 million annual operating budget.

Alpha House officials mailed emergency appeals to residents last week to help offset the shortfall.

"That's cash that pays the light bill and salaries," Christiano said, but there are no plans for layoffs.

The Need Continues To Grow

The Child Abuse Council, which helps abused children and their families, also saw a downturn in giving, though final numbers weren't yet available.

"We do have a sense that it does seem like holiday giving is a little bit lighter this year," said development director Debbie Gavalas. "People are giving, but the value is not as high."

Yet the need continues to grow, she said. The council served 11 percent more families this year for a total of 328, but toy contributions were down by 1,500.

"I think that it shows that people are tightening up," said Gavalas, who also serves as president of the Suncoast Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in the Tampa Bay area. "People are definitely more cautious in how they're spending."

Reporter Sherri Ackerman can be reached at (813) 259-7144 or sackerman@tampatrib.com.

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