Another factor in the decline is several nonprofits moved money-raising events out of Palm Beach to either West Palm Beach or Manalapan. For example, the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County held only one of its two major money-raising events on the island last season, said Betsy Hatfield, chief financial officer. The money nonprofits and charities collect in Palm Beach is vital because it often represents a significant chunk of the groups' overall money-raising. Nationally, the total amount of money given to charity has dropped only once since records began to be collected in 1970, according to the American Association of Fundraising Counsel. That was in 1987.
Financial considerations are usually second or third on the list.
Brown said nonprofits and charities that count on upper-income people for most donations appear to be unaffected by the economy this year. Beth Walton, vice president of the Palm Beach Community Chest, the United Way chapter for the town, agrees. They understand there are needs, and they still need to help us. Officials of other local nonprofits and charities worry about whether donations will remain strong in the 2001-02 social season. Individual donations have largely kept pace, but officials say corporate giving has become tighter.