Communications Blog

First, we're so excited we are seeing such a positive response to our new website features. At this point, about 550 people have signed up for our email updates! More and more sign up every day! Wow! Welcome! We had no way of really knowing if this would resonate with the community, and we are most gratified that it is!

And it's positively thrilling to see you posting comments on our blog. Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to us... please keep those virtual cards and letters coming.

Today I was at a meeting of local grantmakers and someone asked if nonprofits in our area are experiencing any effects from so much recent attention and fundraising efforts directed at disaster relief in other areas. Lucky me, I thought. I'll just ask them...

So that's what I'm doing.Please let us know if and how your own organization is being affected by the need for disaster relief fundraising and activities in other parts of our country and world. What do you want Meyer Memorial Trust (and one another) to know about your experiences in this context?

We really want to know,
Marie

P. S. In addition, I heard about an event I wonder if you know about: McKenzie River Gathering Foundation is inviting folks to a forum Seeking Justice in the Wake of Katrina in Portland on October 25 and Eugene on October 26.  

Comments

Posted by: Sue Pullen | October 20, 2005 06:56 PM

I noticed the USDA food we normally receive for the low-income and homeless in our community is about one-third of what we received before the disasters. We pay for more food than before which is taxing our budget.

Posted by: Clarence Petty | October 20, 2005 07:31 PM

Our fund raising is being affected by all of the natural happenings from Indonesia to Kristina and now Pakistan.

Posted by: Betty Tamm | October 20, 2005 09:42 PM

Since our corporate focus is on affordable housing development we are concerned that much of the national funding for affordable housing will be redirected to the gulf region. It is difficult to counter the need in the wake of the hurricanes however there are still desperate needs within our communities. It is too soon to tell whether the resources of our national funding partners will be fully redirected. In recognition of the immediate need we sent a staff member to the gulf to assist for one month, and we have posted our unit vacancies on national web sites in case people wish to relocate to Oregon. However, in the long term we will re-focus on our local needs and hope that we will be able to continue to secure funding to meet housing needs.

Thanks for asking, however we don't yet know how much of an impact there will be.

Posted by: Virginia Silvey | October 21, 2005 09:06 AM

Friends of the Children-Portland chapter lost over $30,000 expected funding from two large corporations over that past couple months, both made the decision to put all their money into the disaster relief. We have another funder (company) that quarterly sends us a certain percent of their profits. They recently informed us they will be putting us on hold, for awhile, because they have given a very large percentage of their profits to disaster relief. The good news they have indicated that they do hope to return to regular funding in the spring.

Posted by: Carol Ronan | October 21, 2005 10:33 AM

Our community is receiving less funding and fewer donations for necessities like blankets and sleeping bags due to the Katrina disaster.

Posted by: Pat Stryker | October 21, 2005 11:20 AM

We have been significantly and very negatively impacted by the combination of natural disasters (starting with the tsunami, through hurricanes, and earthquakes). Ticket sales to our annual benefit gala are off 25%, even with a bigger and better event. Our annual appeal response was down 20%. We are also being affected by high fuel prices.
Pat Stryker,
Columbia River Mental Health Services

Posted by: Mike Houck | October 21, 2005 01:10 PM

Yes it has. The timing of your question is very timely from my perspective, in that just two days ago I was contacted by someone who has funded my work for many years to tell me they were cutting their upcoming donation by 50%, stating very explicitly that they hated to do so but that their concern over foreign and domestic disaster relief left them no choice.

Posted by: Cynthia Thompson | October 21, 2005 01:51 PM

This is the season for a great deal of our workplace fundraising. It is still too premature to know the exact results, but we know that many employees have given donations to the hurricane relief effort, or they wish to earmark their traditional local gifts to this effort. This may mean that local charitable efforts will be less, but again it is too soon to know.

Cynthia Thompson
Children's Trust Fund of Oregon Foundation

Posted by: Drew Bernard | November 1, 2005 03:27 PM

Post-Katrina Fundraising for Nonprofits

ONE/Northwest ally Ellis Robinson, fundraising consultant extraordinaire, offered some reflections on how small organizations should factor Hurricane Katrina into their fall fundraising efforts. It's a bit long, so I offer it up as a link.

http://blogs.onenw.org/kb/2005/09/13/post-katrina-fundraising-for-nonprofits/

Posted by: Carol Meyers | November 2, 2005 05:19 PM

So far, community donations to our programs and capital campaign have not been reduced due to the natural disasters. However, because of cuts in Federal and State budgets due to disaster relief and other budget shortfalls, we need to increase community fundraising, which may not be possible in this environment.

Posted by: Heidi E. Henry | November 15, 2005 05:01 PM

The family and women's shelter's where I have helped facilitate planning are gearing up for some lost dollars in their fundraising budgets. I suggest that they step up their fundraising campaigns with pictures and text that say "While giving to out-of-state disaster relief, don't forget the need here at home..."