Albany Charities Find It Hard to Tap Influx of Wealth

Upper-income earners have been growing as a share of this region’s population, according to the Pew Research Center. Tracy Pitcher, executive director of the St. Paul’s Center for homeless mothers and their children, says you can see this shift in increasing ticket prices and sponsorship costs for charity events. “They’re definitely going after the higher-end person,” she says.

Several technology companies have moved to the region, bringing new wealth, but many of these businesses aren’t locally owned and hire nationally or from abroad. Says Justin Reuter, executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany: “How can we get those people into the club and get them involved? That’s the tough part.”

Kelly Mathews, chief operating officer of the New York Council of Nonprofits, says more established philanthropic families in Albany are also hard to reach. “Old money is tied up already; it’s obligated,” she says.

Many small organizations are investing heavily in marketing and social media to reach small donors. Their messages — often broadcast via tweets or Facebook posts — are focused on the impact of their work, Ms. Mathews says.

Millennials now make up a lot of the middle class, she adds. “We’re trying to find them and engage them.”

The United Way in Albany is rolling out issue-focused social campaigns that President Brian Hassett says have done well. Its “Code Blue” effort this winter to help shelters stay open in cold weather raised nearly $40,000. “We’re trying appeal to people’s sense of urgency about issues that they care about,” Mr. Hassett says.