MILLBROOK – The COVID-19 economic shutdown is taking its toll on Mid-Hudson Valley nonprofit organizations.
For many, the crisis has driven up the need for services while simultaneously causing a dramatic drop in revenue due to plummeting donations, fees for services, and canceled fundraising activities. For others, it has meant a temporary halt to income-generating programs and activities.
A survey conducted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy found that more than half of the 215 organizations questioned expressed concern about the future.
Andrea Reynolds, president and CEO of the Millbrook-based Dyson Foundation, the crisis may change the face of nonprofits in the region.
“People are either not accessing services that are needed or they are accessing services, but the nonprofits don’t have the needed funds to support those services,” she said. “So, whether it is through canceled fundraising events or the fact that nonprofits aren’t receiving the fees for services that they normally receive, we are looking at a potential mid-term, long-term impact on nonprofits.”
The organizations surveyed – in Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan and Ulster counties – described their financial situations as so difficult they may have to make significant changes – from laying off staff to decreasing operations – within four months or less.
NEWS STORY PROVIDED BY: Mid Hudson News -www.midhudsonnews.com