MAKING A DIFFERENCE

DEAR READERS,

In this pandemic year, San Diegans have turned increasingly to nonprofits for help — to provide food for the hungry, care for the sick, and support for the elderly, the isolated and the distressed.

The nearly 12,000 nonprofit organizations in San Diego are an important part of what makes our community resilient. But like government and the private sector, they have been hit hard in 2020.

Nearly all have seen revenues drop, according to USD’S Nonprofit Institute, whose research is the foundation of the Union-tribune’s Making a Difference Nonprofit Guide. Forty percent foresee problems raising money next year. It’s a particularly troubling prospect in the arts, where 90 percent of organizations have canceled some or all of their programming, and four in 10 workers have been furloughed or laid off.

“The most urgent challenge we are facing is compassion fatigue from our communities,” said one nonprofit leader. “With many injustices occurring simultaneously, it can be challenging to engage community members and donors and raise awareness on issues we are advocating for when there are also many other immediate needs and issues as well.”

As you look through the pages of this year’s guide, you may find an organization or cause that will benefit from your time or resources at this critical time. If you choose to donate or to volunteer, you will be helping to build a better community, enriching your life and the lives of others.

Jeff Light, editor and publisher The San Diego Union-tribune