Charity Should Be a Given

Does the unprecedented outpouring of generosity in response to one of America’s worst tragedies also spell disaster for the thousands of nonprofits that aren’t on the front lines of the Sept. 11 relief efforts? It shouldn’t--and probably won’t. The limits of Americans’ generosity haven’t even begun to be tested yet.

But the extent of needs isn’t yet known either. The amount of money contributed to the Sept. 11 disaster relief funds has topped $1 billion. How much money is a billion dollars? It’s roughly the amount of contributions reported by all Orange County nonprofit organizations in 1997.

According to research by the Gianneschi Center for Nonprofit Research at Cal State Fullerton, contributions represented about 23.5% of the $4.7 billion in gross receipts reported by 1,626 Orange County nonprofits in 1997--about $1 billion. (The center’s reports are available online at www.fullerton.edu/gcnr). We are just a few months into this disaster, not a few months after it. We have suffered the first shock wave, but every community in the country will respond to the rippling effects of the tragedies for months to come.

The immediate effects were obvious in New York and in Washington, and--appropriately--that is where the first wave of support has been directed. What’s best about Americans is that we pull together in times of need. What’s needed now, though, is to understand that every community in our country has been affected by these events and needs healing.

In Orange County, the already precarious conditions of our working poor are worsening, as employers in vulnerable industries are having to cut back hours or eliminate jobs altogether.

Will the affected families find the resources they need to recover from their personal tragedies in the midst of our national disaster? The answer likely is yes--if we continue to support local relief agencies.

But relief agencies are only a part of the picture. There are now more than 2,000 nonprofits operating in Orange County. They run the gamut, from disaster relief to Little Leagues, from animal shelters to symphonies, from health clinics to PTAs.

Each is part of the fabric of our society that we can’t afford to lose if we are to rise to the challenge of these very trying times. As we are in the traditional season of giving that began with our national day of Thanksgiving, we should reflect on what constitutes the kind of community we want to live in.

What the countless acts of philanthropy since Sept. 11 have demonstrated so powerfully is our interdependence--as individuals, as companies, as communities, as relief agencies, as a nation, as global villagers. Each of us can help the recovery efforts by strengthening our families, neighborhoods and communities.

To do this we will need all of our nonprofits. And they will need each of us.

They especially need us this year, as the drooping economy already had slowed the pace of giving to its lowest rate in five years. Now, as always, nonprofits will be doing their part while donors are considering how and where to direct their charitable investments. Nonprofits must continue to be scrupulously above-board, efficient and effective. They must continue to be responsive to their constituents and accountable to the entire community.

They must continue to be relevant to the health, safety and well-being of the communities they serve.

Donors need to do their part too. We need to assess what needs to be done now, what can wait and what needs to be done over the long term.

We must give now and support efforts to deliver immediate aid where it is needed most.

We must give thoughtfully. Charity requires our due diligence just as other forms of investments do. Responsible nonprofits are eager to provide evidence of their needs and an accounting of how they use the resources entrusted to them. Visit www.GuideStar.org to learn more about nonprofits in your area.

We must give generously. Nonprofits pump donated dollars back into the local economy in the form of contracts, salaries and purchases as they provide services our communities need. The challenge is to sustain the nonprofits that are counting on us for continuing support and to find new ways to give to the additional efforts we want to be part of now.

We must give later. We shouldn’t allow the immediacy of today’s needs to blind us from those that will emerge over the coming months.

Now more than ever we must give thoughtful consideration to the power of our charitable investments to strengthen all of our communities. The only disaster for charity is what happens when we aren’t charitable enough to allow them to do their work.