It’s a cool economic climate for charities

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By ZACH PLUHACEK / Lincoln Journal Star

The icy wind bit at Leta Powel Drake so hard Saturday the Salvation Army official abandoned her bell-ringing post.

With no volunteers to take over for her, the red kettle at the 27th and Superior streets Wal-Mart was left vacant. A kettle at the 87th Street and Old Cheney Road WalMart was never manned.

Bell ringers were at Wal-Marts around the country Saturday, a week before holiday red-kettle collections go into full swing.

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Ryon Hill, 2, drops change in a Salvation Army kettle at the Wal-Mart on North 27th Street. (Erin Duerr)

Ryon Hill, 2, drops change in a Salvation Army kettle at the Wal-Mart on North 27th Street. (Erin Duerr)

To Powel Drake, the Salvation Army’s director of development and community relations, the struggle ahead looks tough even before it starts.

Every year there’s bad holiday weather, but this time the economic climate looks especially stormy.

“We’ve got to work overtime,” Powel Drake said.

The Salvation Army benefits from its visibility around Christmas. Bell ringers bring in about 25 percent of annual donations.

Mail and online donations make up the remainder, and they might be the first to go if donors get conservative with their pocketbooks.

“That’s our fear,” Powel Drake said. “It’s too early to tell right now because we’ve just begun.”

If those other donations decline, there will be more weight on the shoulders of bell ringers. Not only must they raise more cash, but their visibility will be crucial to encouraging other donations.

They’ll have to counter the economy as well as this year’s 20 percent increase in demand for Salvation Army’s services. It’s the same two-headed dragon faced by all human services charities.

“We’re seeing more and more working poor,” said Susanne Blue, director of Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach. “It is a concern because the donations are going down and the need is going up.”

Matt Talbot saw a $40,000 deficit in September, leaving the charity in dire need of funds going into the final quarter of the year — its most profitable for fundraising.

If the funds don’t come before the end of December, a number of services Matt Talbot offers could be cut next year, Blue said.

Meanwhile, People’s City Mission hasn’t yet seen a decrease in donations. The situation is eased by having more donors giving small contributions, said director Pastor Tom Barber.

“And the economy hasn’t knocked them off as fast,”he said.

Still, the Mission lost about $150,000 last year and will likely do the same again.

“We’re planning for it,” Barber said. In the meantime, “What we have is a waiting list.”

The Mission increased its occupancy by about 400 percent over the last few years and is struggling to find funds for new programs.

Powel Drake of the Salvation Army said about one in every 20 people who passed her kettle Saturday dropped in some money.

She remains optimistic.

“I think as we get near the Christmas season it probably picks up.”

Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7234 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.