With signature fundraising events canceled, Centre County nonprofits face uncertainty
Signature fundraisers for nonprofits are among the hundreds of canceled events in Centre County, leaving organization leaders concerned about financial support amid the new coronavirus outbreak.
Many organizations heavily rely on fundraisers and contributions — something residents may be less likely to give as the stock market descends and unemployment claims rise.
“Fundraising and finances are a very real concern right now. It’s not a great climate for asking people for financial support because there is so much uncertainty in peoples’ everyday lives,” Centre County PAWS Executive Director Lisa Bahr said. “Fundraisers and individual donations are absolutely critical to organizations like PAWS. It can’t be understated how important that is to us and how much we need the community to continue to support our work.”
Most businesses and organizations in Centre County are operating virtually with either limited or no face-to-face contact because of the ongoing pandemic.
But annual events like the American Association of University Women State College’s Used Book Sale and Happy Valley’s Got Talent, a fundraiser for the Tides program, are predicated on large gatherings of people.
Books for AAUW’s sale are typically accepted from June until March, sorted throughout April and then sold in May. The COVID-19 outbreak changed that timeline, with the planned May 9-12 sale postponed.
The organization can’t start collecting books for 2021 until this year’s books are sold — about 4,000 boxes and $100,000 worth, AAUW Marketing and Communications co-Vice President Connie Schroeder said.
Proceeds from the sale — which has not yet been rescheduled — fund local scholarships and community grants that advance equity for women and girls.
“It could potentially affect our ability to fund the scholarships and grants that we’re pretty well known for,” Schroeder said. “There is also a loss of visibility in general for our organization and what we do. ... There (are) a lot of impacts.”
On April 25, Tides was set to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its “signature fundraiser,” Happy Valley’s Got Talent, which raises about $20,000 to $25,000 annually, Tides Executive Director Holly Oxendale wrote in an email.
“Tides relies solely on the generosity of the community to be able to provide support to those in our area who need it,” Oxendale wrote. “... Not being able to host this event has posed a huge challenge for Tides as we move forward this year.”
The Centre County United Way also canceled its annual Trash to Treasure event. Proceeds from the sale of items donated by Penn State students benefit the organization’s 28 partner agencies.
The fundraiser usually brings in about $35,000 to $45,000, CCUW Executive Director Wendy Vinhage said.
“Nonprofits — especially our local nonprofits — are smart. They don’t put all eggs in one basket, but this is such a different situation,” Vinhage said. “I don’t think anybody expected that, worldwide, we’d be facing a situation where you cannot have events. This is very new. I don’t think anyone could have prepared for something like this.”
Some organizations have started to take a creative approach to mitigate potential losses.
The Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run, an annual fundraiser for Special Olympics Pennsylvania held during Penn State football’s now-canceled Blue-White weekend, will now be a virtual race.
The race is set to kickoff via a Facebook livestream featuring runners and guests, including Sue Paterno and Hall of Fame Steelers running back Franco Harris.
PAWS also turned to Facebook livestreams. The animal shelter has scheduled twice-daily livestreams that feature story time with dogs and cats, shelter tours and a dog spa day.
“PAWS is in a bit of a wait-and-see mode as far as fundraising goes. What we’re doing instead is focusing on our community presence,” Bahr said. “We want to stay in front of the community and remind everybody that we’re here to help them.”