Nonprofits are used to uncertainty. They rely mostly on donations and grants to support their efforts; never a predictable source of income. But now more than ever, there’s concern the future may be even more precarious for these organizations, whose mission is to serve the community. Robbie Harris has more.
According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, donations to nonprofit organizations could drop anywhere from 5-10% in this new political environment. And with proposed cuts in government support, they might find them selves having to do even ‘more with less’ than ever before.
“And yet we also know that there’s a tremendous need and regardless of the amazing work that all of these non profits do, none of them are fully meeting the need and I think they would all acknowledge that," says Jessica Wirgau, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley
“Another thing that is different about the environment right now is that there really is a need around greater collaboration amongst organizations.”
So this year, for the first time, the foundation is working to leverage the efforts of various organizations in the New River Valley working on the same thing, say, hunger relief, early childhood education. The idea is to help them communicate with each other, share ideas and resources.
The foundation also created a web portal where all the non-profits in the New River Valley get a page for donations. It goes up once a year, on what they call 'NRV Giving Day.'
"When people come to their particular page they can make a contribution and the money goes directly to that organization’s bank account, the foundation never touches it," Wirgau explains. "We just created the platform."
Last year, NRV Giving Day raised $218,000 for those organizations; $14,000 of that came in for the Floyd Food Bank and Farm called 'Plenty,' where Jonathan Vandergrift is Executive Director.
“In the world of profits and things of that sort that’s just a drop in the bucket, but for us that’s everything,” Vandergrift says. "We would not make it to the end of the year without something like what New River Valley Community Foundation does for Plenty. That $14,000 means the difference, whether we’re going to have enough Tuna on the shelves when someone comes in the food bank. That $14,000 means the difference whether we’re going to have enough fuel to put in the tractor so our farmer can go out and plant potatoes. That money is critical for us.”
People who donate at the Giving Day website can give any amount, small or large. Last year, Plenty got so many small donations, Vandergrift recalls, “At the end of the day I’m there watching the computer, 11:30, midnight watching the number because it’s an online portal and you can actually watch the donation come in.”
Plenty farm and food bank was neck and neck with another non-profit to win the foundation’s $1,500 prize for the group that gets the highest number of unique donors. Ultimately, the win went to the Floyd Center for the arts, which holds exhibits and events, offers free studio time, classes for kids and adults and promotes the arts all over town.
The Center's Executive Director Jeff Liverman says, “you know for a small organization like ours, in a small county, we had the greatest number of participants in the NRV and I think that’s a strong statement.”
And then the Floyd Center for the Arts did something that demonstrates the whole idea of NRV Giving Day. It decided to spilt the prize with Plenty.
After all, they were so close.
Close enough that the Arts Center’s board decided it should share the money with its neighbor just up the road. And that, right there, is the definition of generosity; sharing what you have, what you do, or teach or build with others who need it.
To donate directly to the nonprofit of your choice in Virginia's New River Valley, Click Here.
To support the fund for the NRV, which helps connect and leverage the efforts of various non profits working in the region,Click Here.