Local people, agencies step up despite recession

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle offered the following article on nonprofit trends and the use of social media during this year:

Beverly Colon is used to getting a grab bag of sweaters, cookbooks and kitchenware from her siblings every Christmas.

This year, that won't be happening.
Instead, Colon, 40, will be pulling up her sleeves and assembling food bags for the community at her church, The Father's House in Chili.

At the tail end of one of the worst economic years in recent history, Colon, her siblings, in-laws and other relatives have decided to forgo giving presents to one another and instead give their time to charities across Rochester.

"We'd rather give than receive right now," said Colon, of Stafford, Genesee County. "We see such a need out there for volunteering, whether it be at church, or the Open Door Mission or even ringing bells for the Salvation Army."

Despite suffering myriad financial woes, people and agencies across the Rochester community have stepped up this year, reaching out to help the less fortunate in record numbers at a time when the need is greater than ever.

While the recession is affecting everyone, and fundraising is down for some nonprofits, individual donors are still finding ways to give back, and charities are finding ways to reach them.

"It seems our history is that when the economy is poor, then the middle class and upper class say, 'The poor must really be hurting,' and they tend to give more," said Maj. John Hodgson, area coordinator of The Salvation Army, which has seen fundraising lag slightly this year.

Volunteerism has increased significantly for many agencies, including the United Way of Greater Rochester, which met its goal of 280,000 volunteer hours for its annual campaign four months ahead of schedule.

The Jewish Community Federation also had a record number of volunteers — about 200 — at its annual phonathon earlier this month.

Local charities also have expanded their efforts to reach people, using social networking sites and other new approaches.

The result has been that many agencies have been able to maintain their level of help to the community, and some have even seen increased success this year.

Colon is used to getting a grab bag of sweaters, cookbooks and kitchenware from her siblings every Christmas.

This year, that won't be happening.

Instead, Colon, 40, will be pulling up her sleeves and assembling food bags for the community at her church, The Father's House in Chili.

At the tail end of one of the worst economic years in recent history, Colon, her siblings, in-laws and other relatives have decided to forgo giving presents to one another and instead give their time to charities across Rochester.
"We'd rather give than receive right now," said Colon, of Stafford, Genesee County. "We see such a need out there for volunteering, whether it be at church, or the Open Door Mission or even ringing bells for the Salvation Army."
Despite suffering myriad financial woes, people and agencies across the Rochester community have stepped up this year, reaching out to help the less fortunate in record numbers at a time when the need is greater than ever.
While the recession is affecting everyone, and fundraising is down for some nonprofits, individual donors are still finding ways to give back, and charities are finding ways to reach them.
"It seems our history is that when the economy is poor, then the middle class and upper class say, 'The poor must really be hurting,' and they tend to give more," said Maj. John Hodgson, area coordinator of The Salvation Army, which has seen fundraising lag slightly this year.
Volunteerism has increased significantly for many agencies, including the United Way of Greater Rochester, which met its goal of 280,000 volunteer hours for its annual campaign four months ahead of schedule.
The Jewish Community Federation also had a record number of volunteers — about 200 — at its annual phonathon earlier this month.

Local charities also have expanded their efforts to reach people, using social networking sites and other new approaches.
The result has been that many agencies have been able to maintain their level of help to the community, and some have even seen increased success this year.

"I think all in all, we're very blessed," said Gary Smith, executive director of the Pirate Toy Fund, which has mostly been able to keep up with demands this year despite seeing an increased number of agencies asking for assistance.

For the past 15 years, Colon, a medical records technician, and the other adults in her family have exchanged presents after pulling each other's names out of a "gift bag."
Her sister, Daisy Rivera Algarin, a senior marketing specialist with the city of Rochester, said that volunteering this year will more than make up for the lack of presents.
"We're going to get a lot more out of it than just our time," said Rivera, of Rochester, "just people's appreciation and seeing what happens."

The need for help this year has been "through the roof," said Smith, the Pirate Toy Fund executive director.

The fund gave away about 24,000 toys to agencies last year and Smith said that number is likely to increase by about 25 percent in 2009.
Other nonprofits in the Rochester area have also seen an increased call for services this year. Agencies supplied by Foodlink served about 21 percent more meals during the first 10 months of 2009 compared to the first 10 months of 2008, said Maria Oberst, Foodlink's community relations manager.
While the need for help has gone up, the availability of funding has dwindled for charities across the country.


Katherina Rosqueta, executive director of The Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania, said nonprofits have had to make difficult decisions, including cutting programs and reducing staff.
They've also had to prioritize their services, she said, with basic necessities like food taking precedence.

"The pain is pretty widespread..." Rosqueta said. "It's kind of that perfect storm of a recession."
In order to contend with their loss of revenue, some nonprofits are trying new methods to reach contributors, including using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. The Salvation Army uses both in order to reach younger donors, said Hodgson.

In 2010, the United Way is planning on posting volunteer opportunities on Twitter so followers can see what jobs are available, said Carly Layton, the agency's director of marketing and communications.

Social networking is a necessity for nonprofits as they adjust to changing donor resources, said Kn Moy, senior vice president of Insight and Innovation for Masterworks, a Poulsbo, Washington-based marketing firm that assists Christian nonprofits, including the Rochester Salvation Army.

"It's really going where people are at," said Moy, "going where people who are passionate are at."

Volunteers of America of Western New York also is using Facebook to help boost donations to its Caring Gifts appeal, which is behind schedule this year. Only about $36,000 has been raised so far toward the goal of $85,000. The appeal ends on Dec. 31.

"We're hoping that as we get a little closer to the holidays, people will really dig deep and say, 'I'll make a sacrifice,'" said Shaunta Collier-Santos, the agency's communications and special events manager.
A few charities in Rochester have done well in the recession.

At ABVI-Goodwill, profits went up about 13 percent in fiscal year 2009, which ended on March 31, said Tim Gleason, director of marketing and communications for ABVI-Goodwill.

The agency benefits from the fact that more people shop at Goodwill stores during difficult economic times, Gleason said.

The Catholic Ministries Appeal has raised about $4.3 million so far in 2009, about $250,000 ahead of last year's pace, said Dave Kelly, coordinator of the program.
Kelly attributed the increase to the efforts of individual churches.

With money scarce, some have gotten creative in their attempts to help.
Susie Kopitzki, a senior buyer at the University of Rochester, decided to put her network of friends to good use when she raised money for Lollypop Farm at a fundraising race in September.

In 2008, Kopitzki, of Rochester, was able to raise more than $650 for the race from friends and neighbors.

This year, she posted constant updates on her Facebook wall, asking people to help her raise more.

She also got a friend who owns a clothing store in Rochester to offer a 20 percent discount on all purchases to anyone who donated $20.

With these methods, Kopitzki increased her fundraising to about $2,200 this year, finishing as the top individual fundraiser.
With Facebook, she said, "you can just reach a mass amount of people."

"I think I've got like 330 friends on my friends list. I can't reach them all by e-mail, so it definitely helps a lot."
Kopitzki, 33, was able to give back to her favorite nonprofit by collecting small amounts of money from many people.

In contrast, Earl Lenhard of Brockport planned on giving a lump sum of $100,000 to the United Way, his charity of choice.
Lenhard had money stored up from investments and savings, but, when the stock market took a tumble, he had to revise his plans.

"With the way the economy was going and the way the stock market was going, I didn't expect to have enough there to maintain myself, let alone maintain the United Way," said Lenhard, 60. "I just happened to think of the idea of possibly giving a life insurance policy to them."

Lenhard, an independent contractor, created a policy that will deliver $250,000 to the United Way when he dies, if he dies before he's 102. He pays about $242 into the policy every month.
Lenhard worked for the United Way for almost 13 years, directing a program that distributed products to different nonprofit agencies in Rochester.

"I believe in what they do," he said, "and I think it's the best way to affect the most people in need in the community."
He said he hopes his contribution sets a good example for other people to follow.

This year, younger people are setting their own example.

Hailey Button, 15, and her friends got together recently to ring the bell for The Salvation Army outside The Mall at Greece Ridge.

The ninth-grader and three of her classmates from Greece Athena High School dressed in Santa hats and sang Christmas carols as they watched shoppers drop money into their red kettle.

"It's good to be able to do something to help others," said Hailey, who hopes to turn the event into an annual tradition with her friends.

"There are people who aren't as fortunate as me."