Feeling the Pinch -- Nonprofits Reeling Since Sept. 11

The AIDS Walk in Washington, D.C., usually attracts close to 25,000 people and raises up to $1 million for local AIDS services. But this year, only 5,000 people showed up for the walk, which raised only about $400,000. With the public rattled by the Sept. 11 attacks and the ongoing anthrax scare, some people's interest in philanthropy has fallen -- just in time for the season when most charities implement their biggest fund-raising efforts. "We've never seen this kind of drop-off that we have since the terrorist attacks," said Bill Primosch, director of Shepherd's Table, a resource center for homeless people in Silver Spring, Md.

Because of the sluggish economy, donations to many charities were down even before the attacks. "Many nonprofits are having significant troubles raising money and shoring up support," said Michael Kink, legislative counsel for New York-based AIDS and homeless nonprofit Housing Works. "We have to be conservative in our planning right now," said Michael Cover, a spokesperson for Whitman-Walker Clinic, which runs the Washington walk and benefits from its profits. "We are cutting things like travel and nonessential costs, and we have implemented a hiring freeze. We have also cut some thing like vocational rehabilitation programs."

According to Housing Works, which is compiling a survey of Sept. 11's effects, New York-area HIV/AIDS groups -- already suffering from less funding than in previous years -- will be particularly hurt. "Unlike some other nonprofits, we depend on our private donor base and so it is a great concern," said Marty Algaze, director of communication for the New York-based Gay Men's Health Crisis. "We know that most people are being compassionate and giving to the World Trade Center funds, which is great. We are concerned that people don't forget we are here." It is estimated that Americans have donated more than $1 billion to Sept. 11 relief efforts.

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