The news of
layoffs at Focus on the Family includes this:
Donations are down, and Focus relies almost entirely on the
charity of others.
That problem is reverberating throughout the nonprofit sector,
said Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp. president Mike
Kazmierski.
"It's probably going to get worse," he said. "When people have to
cut back, the only place they have to go is their discretionary
income."
Glenn Williams, Focus' chief operating officer, said that more
than 95 percent of the organization's income comes from
donations, with book sales accounting for the remainder.
Donations to Focus set a record high in fiscal 2008, he said. But
donations began to decline in October, which
starts Focus' new fiscal year, and after polling major donors,
Focus expects this holiday season - normally the most lucrative
time of the year for nonprofits - to be even more painful to the
bottom line.
"Looking at October trends and talking to donors who are not in a
position where they can give, we thought we'd be facing a more
severe decision in January or February if we waited," Williams
said.
Obviously, the current recession is likely to have more
widespread impact.
