L.A. Donors Play Role in N.Y. Giving

By DANNY KING

Staff Reporter

Over half of L.A. County residents donated money to help victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks amid mixed signals about how overall giving in 2001 compares with years past, according to a survey to be released this week.

The vast majority of those questioned 94 percent said they donated money or goods for some sort of charitable purpose over the past 12 months, according to the report by the California Community Foundation, a Los Angeles non-profit organization that provides grants to other non-profit groups. This compares with 86 percent a year ago.

But the level of giving varies widely among survey respondents. Of those who made any type of donation, 61 percent said it was for less than $500. The percentage of donors who gave over $500, 39 percent, was down from 45 percent a year ago.

The results will be closely assessed by local non-profit organizations, which have been concerned that a confluence of factors, including the massive amount of donations to the Sept. 11 victims, the economy’s decline and the anthrax scares, will reduce charitable giving on the local level.

It will be several weeks before the full impact of any fourth quarter dropoff in contributions can be determined, although already there are fears of significant budget cutbacks next year in a range of local non-profits.

“People in Los Angeles seem to favor giving that is highly personal, that draws up their empathy and compassion,” said Joe Lumarda, the foundation’s executive vice president.

That is reflected by charitable donations related to the Sept 11 attacks.

Most of the contributions were modest two-thirds gave $100 or less, the survey found. About one-in-four donated blood and one-in-five said they had collected or helped raise money for victims of the attacks.

“This was an event that struck an immediate chord with the people of L.A.,” Lumarda said. “When they see it in a close, graphic way, people respond to that. We’re all saying, ‘I’ve given to 9-11.”

That, of course, raises concerns that other charities will get short shrift. But a more important factor, say officials from local non-profits, could be the effects of the current recession.

“People will say individual and private giving will be dropping,” said Peter Manzo, executive director for Los Angeles-based Center for Nonprofit Management. “By far the biggest factor in this is not Sept. 11 but the economy.”

As a result, “non-profit organizations need to be run like businesses and prepare for economic downturns, much like other industries,” said John Gile, executive director of Project Angel Food, which raises money for food delivery to people disabled by AIDS. “It requires constant focus and management of your fundraising industries. “What used to take two phone calls now takes 20.”

“People seem to be really stretching,” said Torie Osborn, executive director of Santa Monica-based Liberty Hill Foundation, which expects to generate $3.5 million in donations this year, about the same level as last year.

Many of the cutbacks have come from wealthier donors. “The big, ‘drop-from-the-sky’ gifts that gave us a surplus, those are gone,” said Osborn. “One person who gave us $85,000 last year gave us $5,000 (this year).”

Manzo, too, warned that the downturn might hurt organizations that depend largely on wealthier Angelenos. “We’re hearing that people are losing (larger) pledges, we’re not hearing ‘we didn’t get the $100 check,'” he said.

L.A. is especially vulnerable to a shortfall because of its declining number of larger corporations, where the big money often comes from. While this year’s fundraising drive by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles raised $66 million, an increase of $3 million from a year earlier, contributions were spotty, with much of the grass roots support depleted.

Overall, foundation survey respondents were not especially glum about the economic outlook. While 71 percent said the economy was either bad or “in-between,” 41 percent expect conditions to get better in the next 12 months and 27 percent expect them to get worse.

And 90 percent said they expect their families to be better off financially or at the same level a year from now, an encouraging finding that matches other recent poll results.

“People’s optimism about the local economy, coupled with recent events, leads us to believe that we may see a boost in giving in the immediate future,” said Deborah Jay, of Field Research Corp., which conducted the California Community Foundation survey between Oct. 18 and Oct. 29. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.

So far, there’s little indication of an upswing in volunteerism as a result of the attacks. The number of people surveyed who fit the description of volunteers 78 percent was flat in 2001.

“People are reassessing their values, their life and their time,” said Lumarda. “Hopefully people will see volunteering as a way of giving themselves a little more self-fulfillment.”

Jerry Yoshitomi, who runs Arts for L.A., a coalition of local arts institutions ranging from the Museum of Contemporary Art to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, said he believes the Sept. 11 attacks will spur a jump in volunteer work.

Despite its recent closing for year-long renovations, the California African American Museum has received a jump in calls from people wanting to volunteer their time. “These are calls from previous attendees but not previous volunteers,” said Yoshitomi. “There really is a spirit of needing to participate and connect.”