HOW IS THE ECONOMY AFFECTING VOLUNTEERISM AND NONPROFITS?

By Jack Etzel

The sluggish economy has affected all of us, including nonprofit organizations like North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO). While charitable groups struggle even in good times to provide basic necessities to the less fortunate, as the economic downturn continues, it leads to an increasing number of new families in crisis.

Wendy Gordon has served as NHCO’s director of communications since 2003. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she has been a nonprofit communications professional for 15 years. Gordon grew up in O’Hara and now resides in McCandless.

North Hills Monthly Magazine: Before we get into numbers and how North Hills Community Outreach is coping these days, how would you define what the organization is for readers who may not be familiar with it?

Wendy Gordon: We’re an organization of people helping people. We rely on the generosity of the community to help us fulfill our mission, which is to provide the basic human needs of local families who are in poverty or in a hardship crisis.

NHMM: How do you measure the impact of the economy on nonprofits like your own?

Gordon: We’ve seen the number of new families coming to us for help increasing. And there are more families with multiple problems instead of just one problem. They might need help paying utility bills, and they need to use our food pantry, and they could also be among the thousands of people who have lost their jobs. Keep in mind that we still have our continuing families who come to us on a regular basis, but the more recent families we’ve seen often have multiple needs because of the economy.

NHMM: Can you give some specific examples of what they need and can’t provide for themselves?

Gordon: In addition to needing food and our help paying utility bills, these people often need help in finding new jobs. They need seasonal help like holiday help. We do a lot around the holidays with toys, groceries and gift cards. We help with Thanksgiving, we help with clothes—especially in the winter when we provide coats. In brief, they have needs that so many of us just tend to take for granted when times are going smoothly.

NHMM: How many people do you serve? And is that number going up?

Gordon: In the 2007-2008 fiscal year, that number was 4,400 families. Now, in just the first six months of the 2008-2009 fiscal year, we’ve helped almost 2,800 families. So we’re well on our way to serving many more this year than last year, and we’re seeing that growth rise every month. So far, we can still say that the community provides. We have never had to turn anyone away. If the food pantry shelves are getting low, we put out a call to our congregation list and alert the news media and people come through. It’s amazing.

NHMM: How do you decide who qualifies for your help?

Gordon: We have to be shown proof of income. We do have income guidelines that are set forth by the federal government. Our various programs differ by how much a person earns. For example, access to the food pantry is set at 150 percent of the poverty level. We don’t have a choice; we have to go by those guidelines. The utility programs have their own strict standards. However, some other programs that we have we can tweak a little and be a little more lenient. We also work with other organizations to make certain that there aren’t duplications of services, such as going to multiple places to get the same help.

NHMM: Are there any fees or costs to acquire your services?

Gordon: For people who come here for help? No. There is no cost at all. It’s absolutely zero for any or all of our programs.

NHMM: But somewhere, something has to cost money. Do you get help from the United Way?

Gordon: We are not a United Way Agency, but we do have a contributor’s choice code so that people can designate us. We are not a member agency; if we were, we would automatically get funds. On the other hand, we do have a broad spectrum of support across the entire community, made up of caring and generous individuals, congregations, civic groups, businesses and schools. We also have much-needed foundation support. In all, we have a very diverse funding chain because that’s the safest way to insure that your revenue will be in place.

NHMM: You must have a large staff.

Gordon: No, we have a very small staff. This organization is really run by volunteers. We have about 1,400 volunteers who do everything at all of our sites. We have no paid receptionists. The people who stock the shelves with food, who organize the donations, the attorneys who provide free consultations, the data entry personnel, the people who clear the snow, and so many more are all volunteers. But in these bad financial times, we need more volunteers as well as more financial contributions.