After taking a semester off of work, senior Connor McGinn did not expect many people to remember him. But when he entered the Blind Children’s Learning Center, a 4-year-old boy knew who entered the building just at the sound of his voice.

Since 2007, McGinn has provided tutoring services at the non-profit, which is currently suffering from the poor economy.

Chapman students like McGinn have shown an interest in volunteering and working at non-profits for internship credit or to simply lend a hand. But while interest is up, funding is not.

Organizations like the Blind Children’s Learning Center in Santa Ana, and Casa Teresa in Orange lost funding in 2008. Individual donations dropped because of the economic downturn, forcing the non-profits to rely on more support from foundations and government agencies. To counteract the economic situation, non-profits are increasing fundraising efforts and applying to more foundations for grants.

According to Natalie Bishop, program officer for Orange County Community Foundation and a 2006 alumna, the need for services like food, shelter and housing assistance is much greater because of the lack of funds.

“[Non-profits] really have to re-think fundraising. A lot of the time they’ll just do one gala, but no one is going,” said Bishop. “They just have to be more creative.”

Non-profits are generally comprised of charities or service organizations which use funds to assist others and pursue the goals of their mission statement. Funding typically comes from three different areas: government agencies, foundations and primarily individual donations, Bishop said.

Bishop has noticed a trend in non-profit organizations cutting or creating different plans for staff to save money. For example, some programs are using part-time staff or are sharing staffers among themselves, she said.

“Two non-profits will use one person and split the cost,” said Bishop. “There’s a lot more collaboration, which is a good thing anyways.”

The Orange County Community Foundation provides several grant programs for struggling non-profits. The program typically gives $20-$25 million a year to non-profits, with only $1 million of the total from its own endowment and the rest from donors.

The organization was directly affected by the economic downturn, Bishop said. Compared to the usual $800,000 raised, the program only gave $250,000 this year. But by increasing its effort to attract donors from the community they serve, the organization was able to raise $830,000 in April 2009, Bishop said.

“We’re a little bit like a bank,” Bishop said. “People give us money whenever they want and get a tax deduction.”

Non-profits like the Blind Children’s Learning Center have also noticed a decline in funding. The organization focuses on aiding blind and visually impaired pre-school children from 6 months to 6 years old. However, the organization also provides services to students up to 21 years old.

Kim Neuhauser, president and executive director of the Blind Children’s Learning Center, noticed individual donors and corporations decreasing financial support in October 2008. Two of the Center’s events, a golf tournament run by Johnson & Johnson and a 5K walk, did not raise as much money as in previous years, she said.

The two events raised a total of $107,000 in the 2007-08 fiscal year, while only $78,000 was raised in the 2008-09 fiscal year, Neuhauser said.

She received the first clue that something was going on when Johnson & Johnson cancelled the golf tournament for the 2009-10 fiscal year due to a lack of funds.

“When we budgeted for this coming year, we budgeted very conservatively,” Neuhauser said. “We expect this trend of fewer donations to continue next year.”

During the 2007-08 fiscal year, the Blind Children’s Learning Center raised $1,030,000 from individual donations, the government and corporations. But for the 2008-09 fiscal year the program raised only $954,000, Neuhauser said.

About $334 million of the state budget was cut from the Department of Developmental Services, Neuhauser said. As a result, students with special needs now receive two hours of service, instead of four, she said.

“When children don’t get access to education, particularly those who are visually impaired, they get so far behind and it’s very hard for them to catch up,” Neuhauser said. “Budget cuts are really devastating to the children.”

McGinn decided to work at the Blind Children’s Learning Center as a part of Chapman’s work-study program.

“Rather than pushing papers behind a desk I actually get to work with kids and make a difference,” McGinn said. “It’s so much more interesting to work with people.”

McGinn often works as a math and English tutor in a classroom of about six to 10 children. He also plays with them, which usually involves working with textures like mud, water or Velcro, he said.

“[The job] has nothing to do with my major. It’s just the fact that I get to play with little kids all day,” McGinn said. “People get back from work and [complain] that they had to do this and that, but I get to finger paint and play with blocks.”

Like the Blind Children’s Learning Center, Casa Teresa provides services to the less fortunate, specifically pregnant and homeless women. The program currently houses about 25 women who live in the homes for a few months or up to two years, said Terri Anderson, finance manager for Casa Teresa.

Although Anderson noticed a downturn in individual donations beginning in summer 2008, she also saw foundations providing more funding, she said.

“The foundations upped the ante a little bit, knowing that most non-profits were going to see a downturn in individuals,” said Anderson. “They kind of filled in the gap.”

In the 2007-08 fiscal year, Casa Teresa received $559,916 from individual donations, which decreased to $369,443 in the 2008-09 fiscal year, according to Anderson. When the program noticed the decline in contributions, they decided to increase fundraising efforts and applications to foundations for grants.

Last year, Casa Teresa submitted about four grant proposals each month, while this year about six are proposed each month. The process of requesting a grant can take up to nine months to be evaluated and accepted, Anderson said.

“Even though we know there’s going to be a pull back, we’re going to apply for more [grants],” Anderson said.

Senior Marisa Conner, service program assistant in the Department of Student and Campus Life, started volunteering for Casa Teresa in fall 2007. Conner was drawn to the organization’s purpose and proximity to campus, she said. As a volunteer, Conner primarily worked as a baby sitter while the mothers attended educational classes through Casa Teresa and went grocery or clothing shopping.

This year, she applied as an intern for Casa Teresa through Chapman’s internship program to receive credit. Her duties as an intern include sitting in on meetings and shadowing the house moms, which is the equivalent to a supervisor in the homes.

“The house moms are basically in charge of everything that’s going on during the time they’re on duty, like overseeing volunteers,” said Conner. “They kind of run the place.”

The economic situation has not been entirely negative for non-profit organizations, however.

Anderson said the program has seen an increase in students applying for internships, mainly ones from Chapman, Cal State Fullerton and the University of Notre Dame. In addition to interns, Casa Teresa has a strong base of support and people who have volunteered for more than 30 years, she said.

“Even though funding dipped a little, it’s not like [the volunteers] are gone,” said Anderson.

The Blind Children’s Learning Center has also seen a rise in students applying for internships. Currently, the program has 14 Cal State Fullerton interns and a couple of work-study students from Chapman, Neuhauser said. The organization has also seen a rise in volunteers, specifically people who are unemployed and want to do something constructive, she said.

Both non-profit organizations have learned to cope with the current economic situation and have found ways to make up for the loss of funds.

“We think we’re coming out of the recession but still think we won’t see the full benefits for nine months to a year,” Anderson said. “But we’re hanging in there.”


Contact this reporter: caroline.stegner@thepantheronline.com