PERSONAL donations to the St Vincent de Paul Society in Queensland have increased more than 10 per cent despite the current tough economic times.
However, state president John Campbell has told The Catholic Leader that an even greater increase in demand for services had required the organisation to dig deeper into its emergency financial reserves.
Mr Campbell has also continued a membership drive throughout Queensland as one way to meet the increased level of community need.
He said the economic downturn had created a complex situation.
“Personal giving is up … as it tends to be in tough financial times,” Mr Campbell said.
“We believe there are various reasons for this.
“For example in good times some may think: ‘Why help layabouts when there’s plenty of work around?’
“In bad times we see our members often increase their donations and their efforts to raise funds.
“The public also increases donations.
“Some may be thinking: ‘I’m only two pay packets away from disaster myself’…that’s when the sense of what’s important changes.”
Mr Campbell said, however, that donations from the corporate sector and trusts and foundations were down.
“The corporate area seems to have pulled its belt in a bit and this is showing in reduced funds flowing to corporate-community partnerships and the like,” he said.
“Funds from trusts and foundations are also down, reflecting the drop in interest rates and the decrease in money to these bodies.”
The St Vincent de Paul Society’s state manager for communications and fundraising Ted Flack said giving in the society’s Christmas and Winter campaigns had been up more than 10 per cent.
“The situation is a bit more complex than people might think,” Mr Flack said.
“In tough times a realignment of expenditure seems to occur.
“What seems to happen is that there are changes in market share – so it’s probably not so good for such areas of the entertainment industry as opera and so on.
“However, welfare particularly what’s donated in the home country, in this case Australia, seems to do much better.”
Another bright spot is an increase in welfare shop takings.
