Recession strategy: Collaborate to raise money

Easter Seals Colorado is trying to lift giving through joint advertising with two other local charities that serve people with physical disabilities: the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Special Olympics. Through speaking engagements, and both paid and public-service advertising on radio and television, says Lynn Robinson, chief executive of Easter Seals. The three organizations are encouraging Colorado residents to help people with disabilities by taking advantage of a provision on their state income-tax forms. The provision enables people to make a tax-deductible contribution directly to any of 15 charities approved by the state legislature, including the three charities now collaborating.

In addition to saving money, Ms. Robinson says, the joint promotion is likely to help all three organizations raise more money by increasing awareness of an easy way to give, which less than 8 percent of the state’s taxpayers currently use. “We serve a lot of the same populations with our different services,” she says. “The more I can tell people about us, it will come back to us. They will access our services or tell relatives about us or choose to make a donation.”

Jan Masaoka, editor of Blue Avocado, an online magazine for nonprofit groups, advises charities to take advantage of the type of grass-roots activity used in Barack Obama’s presidential campaign by banding together for area fund-raising events such as walkathons, which have long been dominated by national health charities.

“Ten small organizations that serve children could put on an event to raise money for the children in our town,” says Ms. Masaoka. “We can tap into the energy of this new community activism, creating small campaigns in which people do things on the fund-raising side.”

— Holly Hall and Paula Wasley