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ASHLAND The saying goes, “Things are tough all over,” but some nonprofits are finding things especially tough.
In Louisa, the Lawrence County Humane Society has lost county funding when Lawrence County decided to direct its efforts to the county animal shelter.
Leonika Allen, a humane society volunteer, said the organization is scrambling to make up the difference through fundraising.
“We’ve contacted some community leaders who are going to help us,” Allen said. “Our goal is to contact all the businesses. We’re trying to get people to donate some dollars every month.”
She said she already knows it’s difficult to get donations from anywhere on a recurring basis, but the organization is “trying to make it as easy as possible to do so we don’t disrupt people’s everyday lives.”
The group’s situation isn’t uncommon, she said, noting many counties and shelters with such arrangements have found the local governments severing ties with the shelter and using their money for the city or county shelter.
“We’ve partnered with Ashland Animal Rescue Fund (AARF) before … and they’ve helped us, but everybody seems to be in the same boat,” Allen said. “Animals are always at the bottom, and they’re the ones who suffer. Always.”
Cathy Queen, executive director of AARF, agrees.
“Animals come last in Kentucky,” she said, who said donations are down by 50% or 60%.
“With the struggling economy, people are having to cut back on everything and, therefore, donations, and this applies to all nonprofits,” Queen said.
She said most shelters are at capacity and the number of animals needing help has doubled or tripled, while the out-of-area rescues that local shelters transport animals to for rehoming are also full.
In addition, adoptions are down, too.
“It’s just terrible,” Queen said.
“We have been trying to do a lot of fundraising, but your target audience is the same people and they can only do what they can afford and we get that,” she said, adding AARF also applies for grants, but they are extremely competitive and some are for specific items, not general operation costs.
There is a need, though, for funds for paying bills and providing food, shelter and health care for the kennel’s residents.
“Our top priority is the animals’ care and safety,” Queen said. “But on the back burner, we have daily operational expenses, like utilities, which have doubled or tripled, mortgage.”
They do the best to conserve: Queen said when possible, the air conditioner is off and windows are open.
“We also have to wash and dry blankets and towels and the water bill is big,” she said. “And there’s vetting, and our vet is very generous with us, but it still has gone up significantly because their prices have gone up.”
Despite the struggle and the concerns for the future, Queen said she appreciates the support AARF gets from the area.
“We just keep plugging along … but we get lots of support from the community. We couldn’t do it without the community and we are grateful,” Queen said.
Fundraising difficulties aren’t restricted to animal charities.
Christopher Fraley, executive director of Shelter of Hope, said the nonprofit is in a struggle for survival, as donations have been very low, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Donations have been down from what we’re used to,” Fraley said.
Typically, in a month, the organization took in as much as $50,000 or more; last week, it received on $250.
“It’s a big, big drop and accounts for 10 or 15% of our budget,” he said, noting he believes many are unaware of Shelter of Hope and the important services it provides, which is promoting equal opportunity for permanent, stable housing and other services that support stable residence.
As the organization applies for grants and strives to be more visible in the community, Fraley said there are upcoming fundraisers:
• A Kona Ice fundraiser will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. June 30 at the shelter on Winchester Avenue.
• The first Appalachian Affordable Housing Summit will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 10 and 11 at Double Tree by Hilton in Huntington.
Fraley said corporation sponsorships have been “our saving grace,” and he hopes the summit will help with fundraising and name recognition.
“People don’t really know we’re here,” he said. “We’ve reached a plateau and we have to figure out how to get over it.”
While donations to Hope’s Place are down, the organization isn’t hurting as much as some nonprofits.
“All our donations, private and corporate, are down a little, but we have been able to access a lot of grant funding and our fundraisers — we only have two a year — have been on par or better,” Executive Director of Hope’s Place Lisa Phelps said. “We have a really good state coalition for child advocacy and our grant money has increased, even if private donations haven’t.”
Hope’s Place gets some funding from Ohio, because it services clients in southern Ohio as well as the Ashland area. The organization has had no layoffs or cutbacks, she said. The organization’s main challenge, for now, is hiring a mental health counselor, which Phelps said are in demand.
She said funding is challenging for smaller nonprofits at any time, because the Ashland area has an abundance of nonprofits.
“There were a couple of really, really lean years. There is a lot of competition for funding because in Ashland, there are so many great nonprofits, and that’s good. Ashland is a great place to live,” she said. “But if you’re one of those people who’s providing those resources, it can get tight.
“We’re thankful for people all over and in Ashland.”
She said one secret to their success during difficult times has been having foresight about the landscape for nonprofits.
“We were preparing for cuts across the board, even before COVID,” Phelps said. “We knew federal funding would go down, so we’ve been strategically diversifying on funs and not relying on one source. We are blessed we are holding our own.”
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