Laura and Joe Diviney cut their spending dramatically after she lost her job this spring. Then he ended up in a wheelchair after a fall.
Despite their challenges, the couple remains determined to continue supporting their favorite charities. They're eating at home more instead of going out, and buying fewer clothes and books.
They still contribute food to Loaves & Fishes, and donate to their church and a hospital in the Middle East. And Joe, who has muscular dystrophy and is temporarily wheelchair-bound after surgery, has resumed his volunteer work repairing furniture at the Habitat ReStore.
The Divineys are among a majority of Carolinians who say their charitable giving hasn't changed in the past year, and will likely remain the same next year, according to a new poll. The survey didn't ask their level of giving.
"We don't live in a vacuum," Laura Diviney said. "We live in a community and the health of our community will directly benefit the health of our family."
But about 30 percent of N.C. and S.C. residents said their giving declined in the past year, according to the annual Carolinas Poll, conducted for The Observer, WCNC-TV and WFAE public radio. Some of the reasons: Lost jobs and decisions to cutback all spending in the prolonged economic recovery.
Nationally, charitable giving fell 3.6 percent in 2009, according to Giving USA, a foundation that researches philanthropy. A more recent report from the Chronicle of Philanthropy showed that donations to the nation's 400 largest charities dropped 11 percent last year, the biggest decline in two decades.
The economy has forced many nonprofits to change the way they solicit support from the public. That's because many people have cut spending and are more selective in which organizations they support.
The United Way of Central Carolinas is holding a year-round campaign, dropping its traditional fall kickoff. The agency raised $24 million in 2009 -- an increase from 2008, the height of the economic downturn and of controversy over a pay plan to its former executive director. But current executive director Jane McIntyre has told the Observer she feels it'll be a fight to match the 2009 total this year.
Rachel Smith, director of development for Care Ring, said while her health care assistance agency has seen some individual contributions remain the same, it also has seen a decline in multiyear commitments. As a result, the agency is working to ensure that people understand how their money can help. They're also focused on retaining past donors.
This year's Carolinas Poll surveyed nearly 800 adults in the Carolinas between Sept. 30 and Oct. 10.
Lee Greenelsh, 31, said he wishes he could contribute more. But the Harrisburg resident, who lost his job with a homebuilder and has worked off and on since, says his family has had to change the way it spends.
"I used to give a lot to charities, (but) I just can't right now," said Greenelsh. "And I feel bad for it, because I like helping people out."
Looking ahead to next year, about 64 percent of respondents predicted their charitable giving will remain the same, with 7.5 percent saying it could decrease.
But in what could be reason for optimism for local charities, about 21 percent of those surveyed expect to increase their giving in the next year.
Huntersville resident Cappy Davis, 48, said she and her family have long supported local and national organizations, including the Charlotte Rescue Mission and Second Harvest Food Bank. She said their donations have increased in the past year, and predicts they will be the same in the future.
"We're Christians and we really believe that that's important, especially when (other) people are having an even harder time and we have been blessed," Davis said. "And there's nothing that we really need so we felt that we could give more."
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