SUBSCRIBE NOW
GIVE A GIFT

DINING GUIDE

Select Cuisine --- American Asian Barbecue Breakfast Cajun/Southern Caribbean Contemporary Deli Ethiopian French Fusion Health Indian International Italian Latin American Mediterranean Mexican Middle Eastern Pizza Pub Seafood Southwestern Steak House Select Neighborhood --- Downtown Cherry Creek Central Denver Boulder Southeast Metro Southwest Metro Northwest Metro Northeast Metro

Advanced Search

TOP DOCTORS

Click here for our 2009 list, with 283 Denver doctors in 83 medical specialties. It's our biggest, most comprehensive Top Docs feature yet.

NEWSLETTERS

Sign up for 5280's weekly e-newsletters. Want the latest restaurant scoop? The latest happenings around town? Access to exclusive events and deals just for 5280 readers? Sign up today for our great 5280 email newsletters and you'll be in the know all week long.

TALK TO 5280

Tell us about it. Give us your restaurant feedback or submit your event for our online and printed calendar.

JOBS

Find out more.

No Money, Mo' Problems
The recession is hurting nonprofits—and the people that depend on them.
By AJ Vicens
April 2009

The global economic meltdown has given new meaning to the phrase "trickle down," leaving local nonprofits scrambling. Individual donations and grants are drying up, and as the state Legislature grapples with a $600 million budget shortfall, line-item cuts dealing with public safety, health, and education may mean trouble for the organizations that help those needing it most. Nonprofits have been left reeling: The Philanthropic Giving Index, which measures nonprofit fund-raisers' confidence, is at a 10-year low, having dropped 27 percent between June and December 2008.

"In the next two years, there will be a tremendous shakeout of nonprofits," says Janine Vanderburg, president of nonprofit consulting firm JVA Consulting. Vanderburg predicts that some nonprofits will merge in an effort to become more efficient and survive, while others will have to close. Arts-focused organizations will likely take the biggest hit. "Donors refocus on immediate needs," says Brianna Doby, owner of nonprofit consulting firm BD Consulting. "People think, 'Could my dollar do more preventing child abuse or by supporting a local concert or arts initiative?' "

Even the big guys are hurting—the Denver Art Museum slashed about $2.5 million from its 2009 budget in early January to prevent further cuts down the line, and it expects some softening in 2009 fund-raising efforts. Meanwhile, attendance and individual donations for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra are down about 12 percent from last year. The CSO has some cash reserves, but is on the hunt for more funding, says Cliff Gardiner, the interim president. "We hope the longtime donors step up and bridge the gap," Gardiner says. "We're well into the downturn, but I don't think we're looking at the end of it yet."

 Save to del.ico.us

ADVERTISING