People should be aware of the value of non-profit agencies. At one time in my checkered career, I was director of an agency that handled problems of the rural homeless and a few other housing issues. Without my agency, many individuals and families would have been left to fend for themselves without benefit of advocacy. One of the important things my agency did was to direct clients, who might otherwise be unaware, as to where to go for assistance and what their rights were. Although the county which hosted the agency was small, around 27,000 people, during one year the agency served something like 370 families and countless individuals in housing distress. We operated a homeless shelter, a job program, a transitional living center, and we networked with other agencies whose service orientation was different than our own. Usually grant funding has an 80/20 split: 80% of monies going to client services and 20% to administrative costs. Agencies affiliated directly with churches usually have an easier time of it financially because church members and church administration are more comfortable providing financial support. Grant funded agencies are constantly on the lookout for possible funding for proposed projects and have a harder time finding financial support. If you're considering donating to a non-profit agency, you should investigate the group and their service orientation along with length of time of operation, clientele, etc. When you're comfortable with a group, don't hesitate to lend them a hand. If financial donation is difficult, most are looking for volunteers and happy to have them. Depending on focus, some accept food donations, clothing donations, and sometimes furniture, etc. On one occasion, a local furniture store donated 12 mattresses to our group. We were extremely grateful and the ones we couldn't use in our shelter went to our clients who were happily moving into their own quarters. My best advice? Give. You'll never regret it.
