Secrets of the City

The nonprofit I work for is having a fundraiser this Sunday at Como Park. Like many other nonprofits, we are feeling the sqeeze of the ression. If you can help us out, I would greatly appreciate it. We have been helping people in this state for more than 100 years now, and we still have much to do. We have discussed smoking and biofuels enough on this site, but that is only a small part of what we do. Got radon? We helped pass a law. Have asthma? We formed a coalition to help kids with the disease.  Want a home that won’t make you sick? We can help.

Your donation won’t put another nickle in my pocket, but it can help support some very important programs that help a lot of Minnesotans live healthier and better lives. Thanks in advance.

You probably heard about the Burnsville apartment fire that left 200 people homeless just a few days before Christmas. An anonymous donor has contributed $1 million to help them get back on their feet — that’s $17,500 per displaced family.

According to a friend of mine, nearly 40% of all non-profits may go out of business in the next 18 months. This time of year in particular is where many charitable organizations “make it or break it.” I blogged my frustrations in my Strib blog this morning. So, let us know: which organizations are a) the most effective and b) in the most need of help.

When there’s a Ponzi Scheme that scammed $50 billion dollars, as Bernard Madoff’s is supposed to, the fallout is bound to be felt far and wide, especially when the victims of the scam (like Carl Shapiro, who lost $500 million) are sizable philanthropists. KARE11 looks at local organizations that will feel the sting (the Strib also offers a list of local victims, and calls it a “bloodbath” for local investors), such as the locally based National Alliance on Mental Illness, which was notified that one of their largest donors will be cutting its funding. (”The e-mail just said we’re really sorry, but the funds were invested with Madoff.”) This makes the $10 million Ponzi scheme reportedly perpetuated by local businesmen back in 2004 look pale by comparison. Of course, Tom Petters’ scheme might have been for as much as $2 billion, which is no small potatoes.

Everyone I know in the nonprofit world (and for-profit, for that matter) is bracing for the worst.  Large or small, just about every nonprofit is seeing greater needs and fewer dollars as the economic crisis grows. There have been some interesting campains to help local nonprofits. The United Way’s $5 campaign, for example. We at the American Lung Association of Minnesota are also felling the pinch.

Our answer? Stair climb!