I am on the board for a non-profit charity and, as you might expect, a good deal of our time is spent on fundraising (we raise the funds so the people running the charity can do their work.) Anyway, all the fear and uncertainty in the market and economy has me wondering: will giving drop off the last few months of this year and into 2009? After all, most people see giving as an "add-on" expense that only happens if they have anything left over. And with people taking big hits on their investments, worried about their jobs, and wondering what the economy in general has for them, I can see them cutting back on giving in a big way -- or maybe even cutting it completely.
And it's not just the "average" givers who are of concern. What about more wealthy donors who used to give 20% of their income and now decide to be a bit more conservative -- so they "only" give 17%? Those are HUGE dollars that are no longer going to charities -- which will be a major problem for them, of course.
So I'm asking you -- are you thinking about/planning to give less over the next few months? Or maybe the question never even occurred to you. If not, think about it now and let me know what your take is -- I'm very interested to know your thoughts.
</img>
</img> </img> </img> </img>
</img>