Speeches

How to Help: Support Nonprofits Close to Home

Susan V. Berresford, President, Ford Foundation and Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York

The unprecedented disasters in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania on September 11th called for unprecedented responses from individuals, government, business and the not-for-profit sector. And that's what we've seen: as professional emergency workers demonstrated extraordinary bravery and sacrificed their lives, others rushed to work in new roles, giving blood, volunteering their time, and making donations of money, supplies and equipment. This huge outpouring of generosity occurred swiftly and will provide significant and much-needed assistance to those who suffered both directly and indirectly from the recent horrendous acts of terrorism.

But as that effort proceeds, we have to be aware of another challenge—enabling the nonprofit community on which we rely so heavily to continue contributing to the daily life, work and health of our nation. Right now, their ability to play this vital role is in danger: many charities and nonprofit organizations, which were already seeing their donations decline in the economic slowdown prior to September 11th, report that contributions have plummeted after the terrorist attack. This is, we hope, a temporary setback, and that individuals, corporations and foundations will quickly resume their support before permanent damage is done to these organizations. After all, if cash-flow problems can throw airlines and other major industries to the brink of bankruptcy, imagine what a shortfall in revenue can do to nonprofit organizations, which typically operate on shoestring budgets.

Clearly, New York City represents the personification of this problem. The organizations that make up the not-for-profit sector in this city undertake a huge range of activities that we New Yorkers deeply value: museums and theaters provoke our thinking and reflection, libraries provide us with knowledge and resources to create new visions of a better world, shelters for battered women protect them from harm, advocacy groups secure the rights of the disadvantaged, after-school programs care for the children of working parents, eldercare centers giver older city residents days rich with friendship and compassion along with a decent meal, public television and radio stations offer unique insights into how our neighbors and our neighborhoods are coping with the new challenges that now seem to confront us every day. Now more than ever we need to protect and nourish these groups, to support their imaginative solutions to the city's problems and help them carry out the essential good work that makes New York such a remarkable, renewing place to live.

But we also recognize that the problems facing nonprofits are not confined to our city—they are being repeated in every rural and urban area in every state across the nation. As the country turns its attention to those wounded by terrorist attacks, others in need of a helping hand in hamlets and cities and regions from the Hudson River to the Rio Grande and beyond are going without the services and the care they need because the nonprofits they rely on are finding that their cupboards are bare.

The president has urged patriotic Americans to fly on airplanes, go shopping and otherwise sustain the nation's economy as it heads into the holiday season. The mayor has asked New Yorkers and tourists alike to go about their normal activities, supporting the city's great culture and commerce. Many are following these sensible suggestions but they also say they yearn to do something more—to struggle and sacrifice to create something of enduring value. They seem to be seeking a deeper moral response than simply resuming their regular routine.

While this is a time to reflect broadly and deeply about our country and the world, we can also do more about the communities and organizations close to us. In whatever way each of us across the nation is able, let's make a donation to the charities and nonprofit groups we know, admire and depend on. In doing so, it may help us all to remember that nonprofit organizations are a fountain of America's goodness and strength; they are a reflection of our diversity and our pluralism. Renewing and increasing our support for these unique and irreplaceable groups is a way for every one of us to transcend terrorism as we help our neighbors, our sisters and brothers, and our friends.