I heard an anecdote this week about responding to adversity.  ”When you run into a problem,” someone said to a friend of mine, “you don’t see an obstruction.  Instead you see a path.”    It’s true, my friend does think this way.  And this strikes me as a very powerful lens through which to experience the world.

Flickr image courtesy of Andy Gosling

We’ve been hearing a lot of buzz (mostly dismal) about the effects of an economic downturn (or financial crisis) on NPO fundraising.  A lot of people are inclined to think that less disposable income inevitably results in less money donated to NPOs.  However, sometimes these things can be counterintuitive.

We were curious about whether this assumption was actually true, so we asked you, our blog readers, whether your giving patterns are changing as a result of changes in the economy.  The results of our survey?  70% of respondents are giving as much or more than they did last year.

You may be surprised to discover that it’s actually difficult to discover why people give.  At Firstgiving, we’ve definitely discovered some of the reasons, and posted them under “Tips and Tricks” to help you raise more money for charity.  We’ve also found that with the way people are communicating virtually, online giving makes giving easier.  It might even prompt people to give habitually.

Another reason charities may not have as much to fear right now is the fact that people like Andy Lee are fundraising for them.  Andy is running the Kansas City Half-Marathon next month, and here’s a quote from his blog:

“While this race does donate a good chunk of the proceeds to a couple of charities, I’ve decided to do my own fundraising for Harvesters, Kansas City’s only food bank.  With the recent economic downturn, more people are turning toward different charities for food, while fewer people are donating.  I’ve seen more than a few local news stories about places running out of food, so I thought this would be a good charity to support.”

In the face of adversity, Andy Lee sees a way out.  Best wishes, Andy, for a great race and for fundraising success!