NonProfits Challenged by Financial Crisis

Oct. 28, 2008— -- As Americans tighten their purse strings because of the financial crisis, nonprofit organizations are facing new woes.

The economic downturn has certainly created challenges for Josh Ruxin, who directs several projects in Rwanda that rely on donations.

A benefactor for a health center that's being built in Rwanda by one of Ruxin's organizations pulled out of the project because of money problems.

"It's a very challenging time," said Ruxin, founder and director of the Access Project in Rwanda. "I am fearful that there has been a fundamental loss of wealth that is not going to come back anytime soon."

Nonprofit organizations across the United States, whether their focus is domestic or international, are eyeing budget cuts. While it is still too early to assess the overall impact, a combination of factors is adding pressure to the already competitive nonprofit landscape.

With the volatility in the financial sector endowments have taken a hit. Government funding is also declining in many sectors and cost of capital continues to increase.

One of the biggest challenges that nonprofit organizations anticipate they will face is securing donations.

"There's a psychology that sets in in circumstances like this that people tend to spend less even when they can afford to spend more," said John Readey, a partner in the Kansas City office of law firm Bryan Cave LLP. "Some high-end clients are holding back this year. ... It's part of the general psychology of keeping your powder dry."

Small nonprofit organizations that specifically rely on small donor contributions face the toughest prospects in the current economic climate, said Edith Faulk, vice chairwoman of the Giving USA Foundation and chief executive of Chicago-based Campbell & Company, a fundraising consulting firm.

"Many donors are now having to make a choice between making a donation or putting food on the table," she said.

That means more organizations will be contending for large donors in a market that is already saturated and highly competitive. And even then, organizations will likely be competing for fewer dollars.