Many Charities Are ‘Somewhat Confident’ About Fund-Raising Goals

According to a new survey, fund raisers say they are confident, but not wildly so, about meeting year-end fund-raising goals.

Of 741 charities, the majority of respondents — 43 percent — said they were “somewhat confident” they would meet their donation goals, says Charity Navigator, a watchdog group, in Mahwah, N.J., which conducted the informal survey.

Nineteen percent of respondents said they more confident, while 40 percent expressed less confidence.

Religious organizations showed the most optimism, with 10 percent saying they were “completely confident” about 2008 tallies. While International charities appeared to have the greatest concerns, with 15 percent saying they were “not confident at all.”

In terms of geography, Charity Navigator said that groups in the Southwest and Mountain region of America appeared to be the most confident, while fund raisers in the South seemed the most pessimistic.

Read The Chronicle’s recent coverage of how the economy is hurting fund raising.