The nonprofit organizations that serve Pennsylvania’s communities have not been immune to financial hardship brought on by the pandemic. In fact, 87% of the state’s nonprofits have experienced a negative financial impact. Individual giving is critical to the wellbeing of most nonprofits and legalizing online raffles – through SB 243 or HB 290 – in Pennsylvania is one way we can make it easier for people to support their charity of choice.
The world is a lot different today than it was 14 months ago. That’s true for just about every aspect of our lives, in some cases permanently. Countless businesses have closed their doors or drastically slashed operations, and the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic will linger for years to come. In Pennsylvania, we anticipate nonprofit recovery will lag behind business by an additional 18 months, in part because it will take time for individual and corporate giving to return to pre-pandemic levels.
For many nonprofits helping people and our environment, including Ducks Unlimited and others represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, in-person fundraising is integral to raise the funds necessary to achieve their mission. According to a 2020 survey, 63% of Pennsylvania nonprofits saw a decrease in revenue from fundraising events, despite their best efforts to provide the best possible online experience.
Ducks Unlimited uses philanthropic dollars raised through these fundraising events, like raffles, to support vital wetland restoration and enhancement conservation projects in Pennsylvania. When COVID-19 prohibited in-person gatherings, that funding dried up. But some states have found a creative and effective way to help mitigate that massive financial loss.
In states such as West Virginia, Ohio and New York, legislatures have passed laws to legalize online raffles for nonprofit organizations, providing a critical lifeline for organizations that serve our communities. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania isn’t yet one of those states – but it can be.
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has taken the first step by passing HB 290, a bill that would legalize online raffles for nonprofit organizations for the remainder of the state’s emergency order. The Senate took the next step by passing SB 243. It wouldn’t just be organizations like Ducks Unlimited that would stand to benefit – churches, firefighters and community service groups like the Rotary Club all utilize charitable raffles and would all benefit tremendously by having the ability to conduct their raffles online. Both the House and Senate have now passed very similar, though slightly different, pieces of legislation. It is now up to the leadership in both chambers to agree on a single bill, without any additional and unrelated amendments, they can send to the governor to sign into law.
One of the most noticeable side effects of the pandemic has been the embracing of technology to adapt to challenging circumstances like never before. Allowing nonprofits to resume conducting these raffles online is a safe, sensible and economical way to help Pennsylvania nonprofits and, in turn, help Pennsylvania communities restore life as normal.
With the remaining days of the legislative session dwindling, it’s imperative that the Pennsylvania House and Senate agree to a bill that legalizes charitable online raffles as swiftly as possible. Because of the temporary nature of the bill, the sooner it can get passed, the more time nonprofits have to make up lost revenue and help their communities. Reconnecting individuals with their nonprofits of choice, even at a distance, will return just a little bit of normalcy into our lives – and it’ll go a long way toward helping organizations recover an essential source of income.
This is co-authored by Rich Fanaro, state chairman of Pennsylvania Ducks Unlimited, and Anne L. Gingerich, MSW, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO).
More:
Loss of online raffles, pandemic create ‘terrible struggle’ for financially strapped fire companies