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The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado’s annual fundraising gala was supposed to be just that, a chance for donors to gather and pony up fat, tax-deductible checks to the venerable charity.

It didn’t work out that way.

The Oct. 18 event came just days after the economy plunged into the basement. The expected goal of $250,000 in donations came to only $100,000. One month after the organization’s Sept. 1 fiscal year began, its $2.8 million annual budget was already $160,000 in the hole.

“I’m cutting my budget as we speak,” said Joan Mazak, the Greenwood Village-based chapter’s president and CEO. “The board is meeting (today), and we’re looking at layoffs. The timing is just terrible.”

When the screws tighten on the nation’s economy, households can try to make do by clipping coupons, delaying purchases and generally battening down the financial hatches.

For charities, it’s harder.

Organizations such as the Denver Rescue Mission, while pressed by increased demand for meals and clothes, are seen as frontline charities in tough economic times. Organizations that provide more specialized services or support people with a specific illness are sometimes viewed as a lower priority when belts tighten.

But their needs remain.

“I think we might see a decent December with donations, but I think the real hit is going to arrive in January,” Mazak said. “And I’m already getting calls from groups we get grant money from saying don’t bother to apply.

“But we still get the wish requests,” she said, referring to her group’s primary service of making dreams come true for the critically ill. “People’s needs don’t pay attention to the economy.”

That sentiment was echoed by Rebecca Russell, executive director of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Rocky Mountain chapter.

“One thing we’ve noticed and anticipated is increased requests for financial aid from our patients,” she said. “And we’ve also seen a decrease in sponsorship dollars from companies who work with us.”

Russell said the key will be for fundraisers to be more nimble in shaking the bushes for donors to underwrite her chapter’s $3.3 million annual budget. “We’ll have to look at expanding the width, not the depth,” she said.

There With Care, a Boulder charity that assists families with sick children, is coming up on its annual fundraising campaign. Since its creation three years ago, it has helped nearly 300 families. About half its $300,000 budget comes from donations by individuals and foundations.

“We hope people can donate, but we’re not sure what to expect,” said Paula DuPre Pesmen, the charity’s founder and executive director. “We’re really trying to stretch what we’re getting — $25 and $50 goes a long way with us.”

Mazak has spent 26 years with Make-A-Wish. She said she’s seen only one downturn in giving to match this, and it came after 9/11, when people rerouted their charitable donations to organizations dealing with the terrorist attacks.

“I think you’re going to find it easier for people to give $25 than $2,500,” Mazak said. “So now, we’ll have to find 100 people to give $25.”

Russell has faith that Colorado residents won’t forget the needs of others.

“Cancer strikes in good economic times and bad,” she said. “We’re not giving up, because our patients aren’t.”

William Porter’s column runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at 303-954-1877 or wporter@denverpost.com.