Focus On: Immediate-Response Fundraising: Hope to Carry On

Many groups with upcoming fundraisers are wondering how to proceed when the need after Hurricane Katrina is so great. Many wonder if they can ask for money for a theater or for children overseas when tens of thousands of people in this country have lost their homes and livelihood.

The answer is yes, they can.

Loyal donors don’t slip away in a crisis. They seem to have a special extra pocket out of which they give for disasters in addition to their regular giving. In its latest report on the state of philanthropy, Illinois-based Giving USA found that the 2004 tsunami had a negligible impact on fundraising in this country. As Jon Guy, the major-gifts officer for American Refugee International in Minneapolis told me, when kids came to them with a wad of cash for tsunami victims, it was new money raised, not money diverted from another cause.

There’s not a limited pool of money in the world, but rather a large untapped supply. For the last 40 years, Americans have spent an average of 2.2 percent of their net income on philanthropy, according to Giving USA, but there’s no reason that number couldn’t be doubled.

Even in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it’s important for all nonprofits to stay focused on their upcoming fundraising plans. If the nonprofit is doing relief work related to the hurricane, it’s especially important not to cancel the event, because this is a perfect time to explain to donors what the organization is doing. For other nonprofits, it’s important to acknowledge the disaster and, when possible, naturally link their mission to it in some way.

There is a massive outpouring of compassion right now, and the general awareness of philanthropy is heightened. People want to be reminded of work that matters, whether it’s hurricane-related or not.

Ironically, it’s the American Red Cross chapters in this country that struggle the most with raising money after a major disaster, since donations are usually earmarked for a specific relief effort. These local chapters receive no federal funding, and just a portion of their budgets (often 20 percent) from the United Way, so they need individuals to help make up the shortfall.

Getting the message out
On Sept. 15, just 10 days after Hurricane Katrina decimated the Gulf Coast, the American Red Cross chapter in Hampton Roads, Va., went ahead with its scheduled fundraising breakfast.

“If we had canceled it, then we would have lost the opportunity to tell our story to the 650 people who needed to hear it most. We had people camping on our doorstep because they needed help from the storm,” Chief Executive Officer Heather Livingston says.

In one week, her chapter had helped 153 families or individuals from the storm, including many who had driven to visit friends or relatives to get away but now found themselves needing a long-term solution.

The message Livingston wanted to get out is that not only is her chapter working with evacuees and sending teams to the crisis, but that it deals with emergencies every day — whether it’s a house fire, heart attack, accident, the need for blood or staying in touch with loved ones serving in Iraq.

“My commitment is that we’re here for you, for your children and for your grandchildren for generations to come,” she said in her speech.

Livingston’s chapter raised more than $200,000 in gifts and pledges (not including money earmarked for Katrina) — the most successful fundraising event in the chapter’s history.

Most of our clients who hold fundraising events after a crisis tell us that people appreciate being able to help a local cause. United Cerebral Palsy of South Florida, for example, held a fundraising event the day after the fourth hurricane last year.

“Although the entire community was hurting, people very much wanted to reach out and help us. Individuals who couldn’t be in their own homes or businesses during this time still came out and supported our events,” Development Director Joan Rizzo says.

For those groups working with hurricane victims and facing a greater need for donations to cover the cost of services, it’s a good idea to stay connected with donors by sending them updates on what’s happening.

Volunteers of America in north Louisiana, for example, is sending out daily e-mails on its 25 evacuees, many from the flooded Veterans Administration hospital in New Orleans. One of these updates included news on the counselor who spoke to a mother and child who lost everything; the person who found a dentist for an adult in pain; and a team from St. Mark’s Episcopal church who committed to serving dinner three nights a week as long they are needed.

Making the connection
Groups not involved with hurricane relief work can link the crisis back to what they’re doing in the world. After the 2001 terrorist attacks, for example, YouthCare in Seattle, which works with abused and runaway youths, wrote to donors about how the attacks can affect the kids they’re working with because it further upsets their own sense of security and their ability to find hope.

They wrote donors, “At this time we will provide ongoing activities and support groups for our youth to talk about their grief and their fears.”

Arts groups, rather than downplay their mission, should focus on how, in times of crisis, the arts are critical in bringing people together and expressing the beauty and courage of the human spirit. Art not only focuses our attention on people creating beauty but also provides a means for people to feel and express their emotions — performers and audiences alike.

People who work for a food bank or help the homeless can talk about how their group is working every day to help people get back on their feet.

Domestic violence shelters can talk about how health professionals say the stress and strain caused by displacement likely will create a rise in domestic violence. One shelter we work with likens domestic violence to “a storm that chases women and children from their homes every day.”

For upcoming fundraising events or solicitations, it’s important to at least acknowledge the crisis. After Sept. 11, Chartwell School in Seaside, Calif., sent this message to donors: “In the wake of last week’s tragedy, we are pulling together as a nation to mourn the dead, to comfort those remaining, and to unite to protect our freedom. With respect to all these things, Chartwell School is continuing with its mission to work with dyslexic children, as they represent the future of our nation. We hope that you will find the enclosed letter composed in this spirit.”

Some groups with no natural link to the hurricane effort are even holding special fundraising events solely for hurricane relief. The Cerebral Palsy K.I.D.S. Center in Louisville, Ky., for example, held a Cajun lunch Sept. 7, with all funds earmarked for hurricane relief.

Jim Littlefield-Dalmares, the director of marketing and development, said the lunch was a way to not only help in the relief effort but to build community among staff, board, volunteers, donors and society members.

“It just helps us remain part of their lives,” he said. “I hope it inspires others and keeps them focused on abundance. There is plenty to go around.”

Terry Axelrod is the founder and CEO of Raising More Money, a Seattle-based organization that trains nonprofits in a mission-based system for building sustainable funding from individual donors.