Going Green and Offering Donor Retreats: How Charities Thrive in Hard Times

The nation’s most successful charities are trying an array of new approaches as they seek to keep fund raising vibrant in tough economic times. Among their tactics and techniques:

Going global. Junior Achievement Worldwide (No. 179), which educates children about finance and entrepreneurship, merged its American and international operations into a single organization, a move that helped increase donations by 18 percent last year, to $118.4-million.

The charity now has a “global footprint” that attracts international supporters, says Thomas G. Dewar, senior vice president of development.

Mr. Dewar says that Junior Achievement received the two largest grants in its history last year and one of them, a $4.3-million grant from HSBC London, was motivated by the charity’s new global presence. The company, says Mr. Dewar, gave the money to lend its name to one of Junior Achievement’s educational programs and was reassured that its employees would be able to participate as tutors in the United States and other countries where the company has operations.

The charity is now working to standardize the technology used by managers of its programs in 123 countries, and has raised $13-million of the $17.5-million it needs for the project, says Mr. Dewar. “That way, when a Junior Achievement anywhere on earth gets a new company to support it or whatever, all will be able to see what’s happening.”

Offering education and entertainment to donors. In Washington, the public television station WETA (No. 262) this year started offering donors the opportunity to attend several special events, including a cooking demonstration, a discussion about news-media coverage of the presidential election, a concert with a famous cellist, and other gatherings. Depending on how much they give, donors are offered free access to some or all of the events.

“Our point was to try to get value added to donors in what we anticipated would be a tough economic climate,” says Ellen Morgenstern, vice president of development. Despite record fund-raising returns last year, when WETA raised nearly $80-million, a 31-percent increase from 2006, Ms. Morgenstern says the economy has made it very difficult this year to recruit people to its “Leadership Circle” for donors who give $1,000 or more.

To help recruit more donors, WETA asked people who already give that much to invite friends to be guests at the special gatherings.

Ms. Morgenstern says she hopes the new events will help WETA not only recruit new donors but hold onto the ones it has. “People who feel like they can’t support us every 12 months may go to every 18 months in a recession,” she says. “It’s very important to keep the relationship strong and vital.”

Inviting donors to high-end retreats. The Navigators (No. 249), a Christian ministry, saw contributions rise by 9 percent last year, to $84.9-million. One reason for its success is a three-day conference called “NAVenture” for individuals and couples held each year at Glen Eyrie, the religious organization’s Colorado Springs retreat and conference center.

David Gresham, executive director of development, says the charity invites 25 to 30 donors who give $10,000 to $20,000 annually to the conference. They pay nothing but their travel costs to attend because an anonymous donor has underwritten all the other expenses. The conference offers donors an overview of the organization’s 75-year history, updates on its evangelical work worldwide, and provides time for rest and relaxation. After the event, participants are each asked to consider making a gift of up to $500,000 in five years.

While not all of the participants give that much, a majority do increase their giving over the next five years, Mr. Gresham says, and they tend to keep giving more than they did before the retreat.

Seeking corporate support. Easter Seals (No. 109) says that a significant portion of its 17-percent rise in donations last year, to $176.9-million, is due to growth in marketing deals with companies such as Food Lion, CVS Caremark Corporation, and Century 21.

James E. Williams Jr., the charity’s president, says the most successful marketing arrangement is between Easter Seals and Safeway, the supermarket chain. Safeway stores raised $5.5-million this year by asking customers checking out at the register to make a donation, and company officials also work with Easter Seals to hold fund-raising events such as golf tournaments. The charity also gets to advance its mission: The company has pledged to hire 10,000 employees with disabilities nationwide.

Appealing to environmental concerns. KQED, one of three public television stations operated by Northern California Public Broadcasting (No. 383), last year held a one-day “green” pledge drive that raised $140,000, enough to pay for $48,000 worth of carbon credits — the money is used to pay for renewable energy sources like wind power, which help offset the effects of KQED’s carbon emissions. Some of the money will also be used to install solar panels so the station will use less energy from oil and other sources.

The effort generated donations from 647 individuals who gave in response to the pledge drive, 141 of whom are new members who contributed $66,651. KQED also received gifts from some like-minded companies that promote conservation and renewable energy, says Scott Walton, the broadcaster’s communications director.

“In these challenging times,” says Mr. Walton, “the more a company can do to create a message of stability and caring about their community, the better and stronger they will be.”

Sue Hoye, Cassie J. Moore, and Paula Wasley contributed to this article.