Salvation Army laments
drop in contributions.
Charities are off to a slow start this year. Contributions are not what they have been in recent years.
Major Robert Pfeiffer, state coordinator for the Salvation Army, said America’s favorite charity is not doing nearly as well as it has in recent years.
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“I’m $15,000 behind where I was a year ago at this time,” he said.
Jan Hall-Stinson, director of development for Travelers Aid, also reports a decrease in donations over the last year.
“They’re down as much as 15 percent in some areas,” she said, “in individual and corporate donations.”
William Lavin, resource development director for the Salvation Army said when there aren’t enough donations, each program suffers.
“It’s really kind of an across-the-board hit,” he said. “The money will be distributed, but unless there is a strong follow-up to our Christmas appeal, we really won’t be able to reach out to as many people as we could otherwise.”
The organization’s Christmas drive was down $20,000 in December, but a mail appeal thinned that number to $8,000 to date.
Peggy Byrnes, director of social services for the Salvation Army said all of the programs suffer with lower donations, but the food drive seems to be hit harder than any other area.
“Food assistance is funded almost entirely with donations, and without the ability to purchase food we don’t have the ability to distribute it to the community,” she said. “We are able to purchase food cheaply through the USDA, and Food Bank, and in bulk, but if we don’t have any money, even though it’s at a reasonable price, we can’t purchase it.”
The Providence office of the American Red Cross is experiencing trying times, but for an additional reason.
Sarah Bilofsky, director of public relations, said not only is the number of donations down, but the number of tragedies is up.
“We’re directly involved in emergency services, and the rash of fires across the state is double the number of fires we faced in that time frame last year,” she said. “And since we typically spend $1,000 for a family of four on emergency food, clothing, shelter and assistance for relocation, we expended a tremendous amount of money in a very short time.”
“We’re concerned because we’ve got a long winter ahead, and to face that kind of volume at the beginning of the season gives us reason for worry because we don’t know what January and February will bring weather-wise,” she said.
Red Cross Executive Director Barbara DeCesare agreed.
“We’ve had one of the worst seasons I can remember, and I’ve been with the Red Cross for nine and half years,” she said. “It’s been a rough season and we’ve seen the results in our contributions.”
The United Way, also affected by fewer donations than in recent years, launched a campaign of public service announcements last year that are still running. Marketing Director Janet Mariani said the campaign is more intensive than in years past, and while raising awareness is a priority, raising money is a bigger one.
“Obviously everything we do is to ensure we meet our numbers,” she said. “There’s some pressure to motivate people to feel comfortable to give.”
Mariani said one of the reasons she suspects donations are down is the lack of corporate giving. Mergers and acquisitions are very challenging, she said. When companies are acquired, and home base isn’t in Rhode Island any more, the close affiliation the organization had previously established with the company dissolves.
“Emphasis is on the individual now,” she said. “We’re counting on people being aware that it’s not just in the laps of the corporations.”
DeCesare said the Red Cross is planning a special event in March in an effort to raise funds. U.S. Senators Lincoln Chafee and Jack Reed say they will attend.
“The two senators have agreed to accept an award, and we’re hoping the proceeds from this event will help allay our deficit,” she said. “If we don’t make up the 15 percent that we’ve lost we’re very concerned about our ability to do all the work we’re supposed to be doing.”
Major Pfeiffer is hoping people respond to the emergency mail-gram the Salvation Army recently sent out. He said he thought a public relations program would cost more money than it would bring in.
He said even though there is concern, he is optimistic.
“I don’t want to sound like this is our death knell, because this isn’t the end of the Salvation Army,” he said. “It just means some adjustments are going to have to be made.”
DeCesare summed it up a little differently.
“One of the things I always realize is that there are a lot of great charities in the State of Rhode Island,” she said. “And it’s very sad when we’re in the same situation, because we’re battling for the same resources.”
