And this $1M check goes to ...

Representatives of Idaho nonprofit organizations are out of the office a lot these days, seeking donations in one of the most competitive markets in years.
The people who direct these organizations or serve on their boards of directors know the mixed bag that is the current Idaho fund-raising environment.

More nonprofits
J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation Executive Director Lori Fisher said the number of foundations in the U.S. has increased in recent years, partly because the last technology boom created new wealth.

The nonprofit sector continues to grow in the U.S., said Mike McMillen. He is a partner in McMillen & Co., a Boise investment consulting firm that has nonprofit organizations among clients.

A culture of giving can be found in America, but not all countries, he said.
Nonprofits around Idaho are busy raising money, said Cathy Silak, president and CEO of the Idaho Community Foundation.
“It’s not just nonprofits that are newly created, but existing nonprofits and educational institutions that have increasing needs and therefore are asking their supporters to contribute to various building activities,” she said.
The Idaho Community Foundation manages and invests the funds of other nonprofits, primarily in an endowment. The foundation now has 372 individual funds, after adding 37 in the past year, Silak said.
Dick Rush, CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Idaho, said that the national Red Cross organization sees a trend toward donors giving to more organizations.
Traditionally, many donors would give to a church, an educational institution, and the Red Cross, he said. “Now those donors are doing the same thing but giving to five, six, seven or up to 20 charitable organizations,” he said. “There is such a proliferation of nonprofits with good programs, people are trying to support a larger group.”

Corporate landscape
Jim Everett, who has headed Treasure Valley Family YMCA for 20 years and worked for the organization for 33 years, remembers a heyday for corporate giving in the Boise area.
“The corporate community is still generous, but not what it was 10 years ago,” he said. “We had all of these headquarters here.”
Albertsons donated $20,000 to the Caldwell YMCA that opened in fall 2005. Everett said that a decade earlier, the Y opened its west Boise facility with help from $1 million in combined contributions from Albertsons, the company’s executive team, and Kathryn Albertson.
“Everybody is still generous, but the amount of money these corporations have to give has shrunk,” he said. This is offset, in large part, by a growing number of generous individuals who have prospered, he said.
Donors remain generous but field more requests, Everett said.
“I don’t know anyone who’s got unlimited, deep pockets,” he said.

Working smarter
Dick Growitz, owner of the DG Associates consulting firm in Eagle, has done some work, on a volunteer basis, to help a nonprofit to become financially stronger.
Many nonprofits aren’t heavily endowed, so they need people who excel at raising funds, he said.
Competition is keen for funds, which may be in shorter supply due to corporate restructuring and other factors, Growitz said. Maintaining relationships with existing benefactors is vital, he said.
United Way of Treasure Valley President Sally Zive said that with an increasing number of nonprofits seeking donations, “it requires us all to really get sharp and communicate the message well.
“We are trying to work a little differently.”
For example, the Idaho Meth Project is hosted at the Boise office of United Way, which also has a substance-abuse initiative. The idea is for United Way to lend additional expertise and for the Project to reduce administrative expenses.
Organizations also are trying to make the most out of the grants they receive, Zive said.
After Albertsons parent Supvervalu donated $150,000 to United Way of Treasure Valley for an early-childhood education program, United Way was able to more than triple the grant’s total value by partnering with media organizations, she said. Fund-raising for the Born Learning program continues.

Donor perspective
Norco Inc. CEO Jim Kissler, president of the Kissler Family Foundation in Boise, said the foundation’s contributions are getting more publicity from recipients lately.
“I see more requests for funds, but it may be because of our exposure,” he said. When one organization receives a grant and publicizes it, others may follow with requests, he said.
“And we are making more and larger donations,” Kissler said. “We’ve grown.”
The Kissler Family Foundation owns a percentage of Norco stock. Norco has grown in the strong economy of recent years, and so have foundation assets, Kissler said.
Other Boise-area companies are performing well in the current economic cycle, deepening the pool of money available to charity, he said.
At the privately held J.R. Simplot Co., based in Boise, spokesman Fred Zerza said the company hasn’t seen a noticeable increase in requests for support in recent years. Requests have remained consistent, as have Simplot’s donations to nonprofits in the Treasure Valley.
“Our approach is that we try to help all worthy organizations,” he said. “Maybe not every year, but there are only so many dollars in our contributions budget. There never has been a shortage of organizations and individuals seeking financial support. By the same token, we haven’t seen a particular increase, either.”

Issues getting more complex
Southwest Idaho’s population growth brings with it an increase in demand for charitable contributions as well as increasingly complex issues, Kissler said.
“The need has gotten larger,” he said. “In any population there is going to be a certain percentage of people who have fallen off life’s ladder and need help.”
Multiple, sizable, nonprofit projects are under way at any given time in a growing metro area, Kissler said.
For example, he said, the Nampa Boys & Girls Club broke ground on an expansion last week, the Boise Rescue Mission is leaving Front Street for a larger location on River Street, the Salvation Army is in the midst of program transitions, Habitat for Humanity sees a growing need for affordable housing, and Ada County aims to develop a detoxification center.
Silak, as an Idaho Supreme Court justice from 1993 to 2000, saw the court take on increasingly complex issues. Nonprofits also see more complex, more expensive, issues as the population grows, she said.
“They have many challenges including increasing demand for their services, and a need to provide for the ongoing operational needs of their staffs and the constituencies they serve,” Silak said.
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To contact the author, e-mail brad.carlson@idahobusiness.net