How Will Hurricanes and Flooding Impact Your Charity?

History indicates that non-disaster giving will dip 5 to 15% within 45 days of a catastrophic event. Get ready, the math does not lie. We can validate this by going back and looking at Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Sandy, and of course, Hurricane Katrina. The Association of Fundraising Professionals, in Alexandria, Va., released a survey after Katrina that found 11% of all charities experienced a decline in overall giving. We have every reason to expect the same thing following Hurricane Milton.

It is not just the distraction by capturing national attention, but the real challenge is the large number of donors (retirees with disposable income) who live in these southeast states in the sun coast areas. When you combine Florida with Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, we have an area that could easily make up 20% all the nation's donors. For those that live in the hurricane and flooding areas, it will no doubt have a direct effect in future giving.

Make no mistake about it, relief organizations will see a windfall of giving following a catastrophe. Organizations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Samaritans Purse, Direct Relief and many, many others will keep the public's eye on disasters as they solicit donations nationwide.

Non-disaster charities need to take steps to win every precious penny in this now competitive arena for the donor dollar. Here are a few steps I believe every charity should be considering and have in place when disaster strikes:

Step 1: Act fast, even if it is not perfect. Drill down on the numbers and get specific with development managers. The first 2 to 4 weeks after a natural disaster are the most critical in reducing your charity’s losses. Most “non-disaster” charities see a dip during the immediate event aftermath. Email, write and leave a voice mail for your donors in the hurricane areas and tell them you are thinking of them or praying for them. Don't ask for money. However, your appeals should focus on your donors outside of the disaster area. Giving does recover, and many donors give more at yearend to make up for the shortfall.

Step 2: Become Nimble, segment your file and then use it. Make a plan to suppress segments impacted by the hurricane from your direct mail, email and communications for a minimum of 4 weeks after the event. Even if it has been printed, have your vendor or volunteers go to the mail trays and pull and discard those zip codes in the hurricane area. While the post office may discard it anyway, most postmasters will simply hold the mail and deliver it along with everything else after the hurricane. Nothing upsets a donor more than going through their own trauma and getting a basket full of solicitation appeals from your charity, the week or same day they get back in their home. They need a few weeks to “recover” emotionally before your appeals can start again.

Step 3: Offer support, prayers and service. Yes, it’s the thought that counts. Tell donors you are thinking about them and ask them to contact you if you can help in any way. Your top donors in the impacted areas should be called, leave a voice mail or text, reminding them that you are praying for them. It is the thought that counts! ?Don’t ask for anything, just show you care.

Step 4: Cut spending in non-essential areas. If there was ever a time to tighten your belt, this is it. You have to plan now. Find a way to offset the likely shortfall this crisis may create. Even cutting 5% of your monthly expenses over the next 90 days after a natural disaster is critical. It also to helps you create a culture of philanthropy in your organization. Everyone needs to know when your donors are hurting, we all are hurting.

Step 5: Be part of the solution, but don’t be stupid. I’ve seen some charities (who are not relief charities) try to raise funds to start doing relief. You may raise a few bucks that way, but long term it is going to hurt your brand positioning. Donors smell opportunists a mile away and to most donors with a heart for philanthropy. Be careful. If you previously did human service work, be part of the solution and raise as much funds as you can to do it. However, if you’ve never done it before, now is not the time to shift the focus of your organization.