By Lauren Wanko
NJ Today
Summer camp is in full swing at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County as ping pong balls dart over nets and swimmers fill the pool. It’s a care-free day for campers, but since Superstorm Sandy ravaged the coast it’s been anything but care-free for Executive Director Douglas Eagles. He says Sandy’s taking a toll on charitable donations.
“When Sandy hit, we immediately knew there was gonna be a Sandy effect when it came to raising money to support what we do and sure enough we felt that. We’ve seen individual donors, we’ve seen corporate partners, we’ve seen volunteers groups all redirect their energy and time and resources to everything related to Sandy,” Eagles said.
The Asbury Park based non-profit now faces a $150,000 budget shortfall.
“We get and we understand and we respect that the community is responding to Sandy and really helping out, but at the same time the kids that we’re serving, they still need us,” Eagles said.
Since the Superstorm, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County were forced to cut back on some programs, like shorten the number of hours on their daily summer camp, but so far they haven’t had to turn any kids away.
Eagles says that’s due in large part to a new fundraiser launched in May. Other local non-profits like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth and Middlesex Counties are also feeling the financial pinch. Their $750,000 yearly operating budget is covered entirely by donations. Now the non-profit’s looking at a $50,000 revenue gap.
“I just feel that our donors are feeling the donor fatigue, they’ve been giving so much to Sandy relief efforts that organizations such as the Big Brothers Big Sisters is on the back burner. There’s only so much disposable income out there. We’re just trying to make ends meet,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters Executive Director William Salcedo.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth and Middlesex Counties hasn’t cut back on any programs just yet.
“My board has been phenomenal, they’ve been going into their own pockets helping us fill in that budget shortfall we’ve had. We’ll keep turning over every stone and try to find funding to help provide mentoring to the children looking and wanting a mentor in their life,” Salcedo said.
Still Eagles says competition continues to grow for donor dollars.
“There’s a lot of great organizations out there now in post-Sandy New Jersey. There were a lot of great organizations before the storm. There’s a plethora of new organizations doing really good work but they’re also seeking people’s support like we are,” Eagles said.
That’s why these non-profit directors hope it’s only a matter of time until that support trickles back.