The evening was steamy and the air heavy with a blast of summer heat as several nonprofits gathered at the Seligmann Homestead in Sugar Loaf. Also weighing heavy was the recession”™s impact on their respective organizations.
Many wondered how much more creative they can be in bringing the social programming, art programs for adults and children, and needed repairs to infrastructure during the economic downturn.
Nancy Proyect, executive director of the Orange County Citizens Foundation, didn”™t hesitate to tell the guests who had gathered for the nonprofit”™s annual report and dinner that the organization has been “running in the red for the past two years.”
She said “these are very tough times for everyone, particularly for those of us who rely on donors and corporate sponsors.”
Surrealist artist Kurt Seligmann”™s wife, Arlette, bequeathed the couple”™s homestead and its 55-acre property to the Citizens”™ Foundation prior to her death in 1992. Her dream was to see the foundation continue to work for the betterment of Orange County. Proyect and her assistant, Bonnie Neucall, are its only employees. They share an office with the Orange County Arts Council.
“Right now, we are trying to raise the money to update our report to the community, which we prepared in 2007 with SUNY New Paltz,” Proyect said. “We”™re going to try to get it done because it”™s important that we know where we stand as a county ”“ the difficult part is raising the funding to do it.”
The crowd at this year”™s event was a bit smaller; the bidding on its popular silent auction not as brisk as in years past. But many found a way to contribute, despite a harrowing economy that fellow nonprofit leaders see faltering rather than recovering. Roz Magidson, executive director of the Dispute Resolution Center, is one of them.
With five locations and a new center in Newburgh”™s Community Resource Center, “the requests and need for services is up,” Magidson said, “but we struggled with the delay in the state budget. Many of the programs we had already provided didn”™t receive expected reimbursement from the state because of the budget delay. You can”™t tell people they have to wait for their paychecks because the budget is late. It makes life more than difficult ”“ it”™s a juggling act.”
Dispute Resolution Center has programs for those re-entering the workforce and save for its divorce mediation services, all of the programs are free. “It goes without saying that when the economy is bad, problems increase,” Magidson said.
“We have 23 people on staff, and everyone”™s carrying a much bigger caseload and doing a lot of multitasking … fundraising is a luxury we can”™t afford ”“ we are having an event at Bethel Woods on October 2nd which we hope will help. But it”™s very difficult to keep going to the same well of donors and asking for help and we are in no position to hire someone dedicated to the task. We”™re doing the best we can, but as the economy woes deepen, the need for services rises … and the financial pool is shrinking.”
The Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands was honored at the Citizen”™s Foundation event for its stewardship of the Crawford House, one of that city”™s oldest buildings which houses thousands of documents on Newburgh”™s history.
It too faces problems, such as having a $135,000 matching fund grant in place since 2007, said Lisa Silverstone, executive director.
“But first, we have to raise the funds to receive those matching funds,” said Silverstone. “Difficult? Extremely. I”™m the only employee.
“Our volunteers help to make a difference and keep our doors open, but without anyone to go out and fundraise for us, it”™s extremely difficult for us to get the funding to get the matching grant money to make needed repairs to the building. It”™s a Catch-22. A new roof is not a luxury,” Silverstone said.
“Like everyone else, we”™re doing the best we can with a dwindling number of donors. Everyone is more cautious and we do understand everyone is under financial stress. We”™re making do with smaller donations and a dwindling pool of donors… but luckily, most have been loyal and tried to contribute as best they can.”
