A drop in the bucket

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Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007 | midnight

Charities are having a tough year. Fewer than half of the nation's charities are bringing in more money this holiday season than last, according to a survey by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

The last three months of the year are crucial to many charities. Roughly 70 percent of the charities surveyed reported that at least 40 percent of their annual budget comes in during the holiday season.

Al Pulaski, who runs a toy drive in Utica, N.Y., told USA Today that his group will probably miss its goal for the first time in its 17 years. He thinks the softening economy is to blame.

“Gas is $3 a gallon,” Pulaski said. “Winter has set in, and people are concerned about their heating bills.”

Michael Nilsen of the Association of Fundraising Professionals said the “housing crisis and problems in the economy couldn't have hit at a worse time.”

The economic downturn is a double dose of bad news for charities. Donations go down but the needs go up.

For example, Inter-Faith Ministries in Wichita, Kan., ran out of food last week. Donations to the group are 25 percent below what it expected. “There's just so much need,” said Karen Dobbin, a charity official.

Charity drives, from the ubiquitous Salvation Army kettles to the direct-mail letters noting tax write-offs, start to taper off as the Christmas trees come down, but the needs don't.

It is easy to dismiss giving by fretting about the economy or possible scammers trying to make a quick buck, but the reality is there are plenty of legitimate charities trying to make life better for the less fortunate.

It doesn't take much to help. Anything donated, from a blanket to a homeless shelter to spare change to a food bank, will pay dividends for someone.

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