DECEMBER 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 17
FEATURE
AMID EVER-CHANGING CHALLENGES
“We’ve been around since 2002, we
serve both the North and South
Fork, and we’re well established with
those communities,” O’Shea says. “It’s
important we keep those donors and
volunteers engaged.”
Engagement means partnering with the
community for small events and initiatives
and making sure the organization
remains on the radar of people and businesses
who will be inclined to donate
in the future. But this isn’t always easy,
due to shortages in staff that are usually
behind such projects.
“Nonprofits, like everyone else, are
finding it increasingly difficult to
find staff, especially at lower salary
ranges,” Cerini says. “This has been
exacerbated by mandatory vaccination
requirements. Add to this that
nonprofits tend to pay less than other
employers, so many nonprofits have
seen a loss of staff to their for-profit
counterparts.”
Because of this, Cerini foresees nonprofi
t partnerships going a step further
in the future.
“We expect to see an uptick in collaborations
and mergers within the sector
over the next fi ve years,” he says.
Ultimately, the generosity of Long Island
families and companies who are
able to help keeps small nonprofits
helping the region’s most vulnerable.
“We did see some donors who were a
little extra generous this year,” O’Shea
says. “Typically, the end of the year is
one of our busiest times when it comes to
funds — November and December are
our two largest months for donations.”
Getting the message out to businesses
that are in a position to donate could
be key to nonprofits going forward
because consumers care more about
a company’s social impact nowadays,
Cerini says. Last year, Cerini predicted
corporate giving would increase 1.4% in
2021. His offi ce will release a new report
about nonprofi t fi nances in January.
“Donations from businesses have always
been one of the small areas of contributions
for the nonprofi t sector,” he said
during a recent webinar, “but corporate
giving is predicted to increase ...
because of that new need for social
responsibility in business.”
When it came to Thanksgiving this year,
the generosity of a local business helped
fuel Lighthouse Mission’s turkey drive
for its recipients.
King Quality, a Bohemia-based roofi ng,
windows and siding company, donated
150 turkeys and Thanksgiving meal
sides at Lighthouse Mission’s outreach
location in Central Islip, helping the organization
cut down on costs to feed others.
“Being able to partner with Lighthouse
Mission this Thanksgiving to help feed
our Long Island neighbors fi lls me with
joy and also with hope,” says King Quality
CEO Jeff Brett. “I’ve lived on Long
Island all my life and while it’s one of the
most affl uent parts in America, hunger
is a reality here for a lot of people and
it’s especially tough to be alone and
hungry during the holidays.”
“The need is going up,” Ryan says. “Not
everybody believes how much of a need
there is. The need is going up, but donations
are going down. I know how hard
it is out there. We get that.”
Ryan oft en asks the public for “much-
needed funds” on Facebook — but remains
steadfast in his confi dence that
donors will come through.
King Quality employees help Lighthouse Mission donate turkeys the week before Thanksgiving.
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