Fundraising efforts for small- and medium-sized nonprofits were hit hardest by this year’s string of devastating hurricanes and natural disasters, according to a new national survey.
The survey, commissioned by an Aurora nonprofit consulting firm, found that fundraising efforts for 71 percent of nonprofits who responded were negatively affected by donation campaigns for large disaster-relief missions.
As a result, about 60 percent of nonprofits said they would eliminate programs or reduce budgets. Colorado had the largest number of nonprofit and donor respondents from any state.
More than 32 percent of donors said they had shifted all or a portion of their donations away from nonprofit groups they typically support and toward disaster-relief funds.
While large charities have the means and visibility to “survive this perfect storm,” many smaller groups do not, said Jim Moore, the report’s author.
“The record-breaking string of disasters over the last 12 months has exhausted donors,” Moore said. “More and more organizations are competing for donors’ attention and a finite pool of resources.”
The survey asked more than 500 donors, nonprofit employees and board members about fundraising during the past 12 months.
The survey culled responses over the Internet but did not use a random sample and is considered unscientific. Even so, Moore called the findings “significant.”
The giving declines could particularly hamper human-service organizations that typically see increased demand during the winter months, said Charley Shimanski, executive director of the Colorado Nonprofit Association, a trade group.
“There’s some rather troublesome news out there on the horizon for many nonprofits,” Shimanski said.
Staff writer Will Shanley can be reached at 303-820-1260 or wshanley@denverpost.com.
