Hannah Cobb from Tauranga's SPCA. Photo / George Novak
Hannah Cobb from Tauranga's SPCA. Photo / George Novak
Tauranga charities are feeling the economic crunch of Covid-19 as fundraising opportunities dwindle in an uncertain world.
Waipuna Hospice was close to $130,000 of debt in April, while a local trust is down $40,000 in general funding.
However, it's not all "doom and gloom" as many use the opportunity to think of new, creative campaigns to raise the much-needed funds.
Breast Cancer Support Service Tauranga Trust manager Helen Alice said it had an estimated deficit of between $10,000 and $30,000. It could get "worse or better" by the end of the year.
The trust relied on its three major fundraising events annually, which all had to be cancelled this year at a loss of up to $40,000.
She said they had to "think out of the square" to find fundraising activities that could work across all Covid-19 levels.
They came up with the "Paint October Pink" campaign that encouraged people to dress in pink and donate to the cause, she said.
Breast Cancer Support Service Tauranga Trust manager Helen Alice. Photo / File
"We wanted something that could be done from home, work or school ... we were prepared for the worst-case scenario of lockdown but luckily we got the best-case scenario."
Local Z service stations also got on board with collections, with the owners pledging to match whatever was raised. The trust benefitted from about $13,000 in donations.
She said the charity had been "hit really hard" by both fundraising and grant restrictions but had a contingency fund that they had been "saving for a rainy day".
"We never thought that almost all of our funding would dry up in one year, but here we are."
She said there was a "climate of uncertainty" and it was hard to say what the next few months would look like for the trust, but providing care remained the number one priority.
Many people had come in to donate $5 where they could, while a company raised $800 for the trust, she said.
The trust had been "overwhelmed by the community's generosity".
SPCA general manager of marketing and fundraising Dominique Leeming said it had been a "topsy and turvy year" and, although they had been "very worried" when lockdown came in, things were tracking well.
Hannah Cobb from Tauranga's SPCA. Photo / George Novak
The SPCA decided to run an emergency appeal right out of lockdown to help cover the funds that would have been raised from op shops that had to be shut, she said.
"People were very generous and it really helped cover our losses."
She said they were on track to have a similar amount of funds as this time last year and had run a number of successful campaigns.
The charity was now entering the kitten season, which was its busiest time of the year.
She said they were looking for donations such as blankets, towels and supplies and anything that would be "useful" at this time.
Waipuna Hospice chief executive Richard Thurlow said at one point in lockdown, they had been close to $130,000 in the red but had thankfully "rebounded strongly".
Although it had been a "difficult" year for the hospice, he said their second-hand shops had seen success post-lockdown with people looking for "bang for their buck".
Waipuna Hospice chief executive Richard Thurlow. Photo / File
He said this had been the "lifeblood" for them as the hospice was about 50 per cent down on annual funding.
He said thankfully they had reserves in place for a rainy day as it was "pouring outside" but other charities might not be that lucky.
If the country had gone in and out of lockdown more than once, it would have been "very, very hard to continue" for the hospice.
The hospice's next funding appeal would start in the coming weeks in partnership with Farmers NZ and its annual Christmas remembrance tree.
BDO Auckland's audit and assurance partner Wayne Monteith said some charities might join to ease funding and staffing requirements in order to stay afloat.
This could mean two charities that did similar work in a community might have to put any "competitive" histories aside and work together, he said.
For the most part, the majority of charities did not have huge reserves to fall back on when times got tough and were reliant on ongoing revenue streams, he said.
Charities were always "walking on a tightrope" when it came to putting money away for a rainy day as they "can't have too much or too little" and this could have been problematic for some, he said.
But it was not all "doom and gloom", he said. The changing landscape had allowed many charities breathing space to try new creative campaigns and diversify.
He said the wage subsidy had been "hugely helpful" for charities and the situation would have been far worse without it.
