Disaster Fatigue?
Is there such a thing as disaster fatigue?
According to this report in the Washington Post, in the US an unprecedented series of natural disasters — floods, tornadoes, wildfores — threatens to overwhelm the resources of non-government relief charities and agencies like the Red Cross, Catholic Charities, and Salvation Army.
Officials at these groups say that huge, long-lasting expenses are not being matched by the level of donor response of the past. Keep in mind that these humanitarian relief charities are very skilled and practiced at mobilizing their fundraising efforts when disaster occurs.
Yes, the economy is still down, and there’s obviously a limit to how much and how often one can give in response to humanitarian impulse. But I wonder if something else is going on here.
How much disaster does one see before it simply becomes too numbing? Or before giving to relief efforts, which donors might regard as an infrequent and special ‘topping off’ of their ‘normal’ giving, begins to threaten their ability to support their long-term causes and charities?
It will be interesting to see what the various fundraising trend reports have to say as 2011 progresses.
Tom
One response to “Disaster Fatigue?”
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