Youth services from nonprofit organizations are paramount to keep children off the streets and from being homeless, a problem that plagues millions of underprivileged kids across the country.
In a new study from Indiana University, the number of donations has decreased dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, findings from the study show that the amount in fiscal donations has remained steady. That is, the amount of money given to any charitable foundation.
Closer to home, the Home of the Innocents, a nonprofit organization based in Louisville that focuses on youth services, says that its donations have not seen a similar hit.
“What I will say about that is that giving can be really cyclical,” said Rennay Marshall, the vice president of public relations at Home of the Innocents. “So around the holidays, as we get into November, people are just more apt to give. So a lot of our fundraising comes in at that point.”
However, a dropoff is normal, according to Marshall. When certain awareness months, like Child Abuse Awareness Month in April roll around, more donations come into Home of the Innocents. Compared to the money and physical donations mentioned in the new study, Marshall said in an interview with LEO Weekly that the ship stays “pretty steady” thanks to leadership decisions from the organization.
“So we have a lot of community members who work really hard to find new connections for us,” she said. “I think it kind of helps us balance out the donations that we’re getting, is that we’re constantly bringing in new people.”
More so than anything, Marshall said, is building trust with the community and showing them the needs of Home of the Innocents, which is primarily done through touring the facility and showing donors where their money and their physical donations are going.
“So I think a big piece of it is just building trust in the community and trust in the people who are donating to you, and that’s a big piece of what we do. I think we do pretty well, and that’s probably why we haven’t really had some of the same struggles as other organizations.”
Though Home of the Innocents hasn’t struggled as much, Marshall says there are still plenty of items that they need as the months get colder and more people come to them for help. In an email to LEO Weekly, Marshall listed off items that will be featured during the 13 Days of Hope, which begins later this year on Dec. 12:
- Tissues
- Comforter Sets (Queen & Full)
- Diapers Size 4&5
- African American Hair Care Items
- Adult Clothing
- Yoga Mats
- Body Pillows
- MP3 Players
“Because we have such a wide reach of children and their families that we’re reaching typically, we have to go through program by program to see what their top needs are, versus what we have…” she said. “Personal care products are always going to be a top need for us when a resident comes to us through our residential treatment and emergency shelter, a lot of times they don’t have anything with them. They may just have the clothes on their back, so making sure that they have shampoo, soap, hair care products, underwear, all of those things are always a top need for us.”
You can find the list of Home of the Innocent’s top needs and wish lists on their website.
This article appears in Oct 23 – Nov 5, 2024.
