The "fiscal cliff" and charity

GRAND CHUTE - It's a time of year when giving is on many minds.

Curt Detjen with the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley told FOX 11 that's a very good thing.

"The need continues to be very high," said Detjen.

Detjen said local charitable organizations have suffered since the economic downturn in 2008 and now the fiscal cliff stalemate is providing new worries.

"Government provides about 1/3 of the revenues that non-profits use across the U.S. to pay for their programs.  So there's a significant impact happening there already," said Detjen.

Another concern for Detjen is tax rates. He told us he worries if taxes go up people could be less likely to give.

Deb Lewis is the Executive Director of the Fox Valley Humane Association and she echoed those thoughts.

She told us about 34% of the shelter's annual $1.2 dollar budget comes from tax-deductible donations and none of it comes from the government.

"That's a large amount of money and, of course, that's very important to us," said Lewis.

According to Lewis if donations were to decrease, many local non-profits, including her own, could suffer and so would the people and animals they serve.

"We do so much of the work that can't be done by for-profit businesses and we need that support, that financial support. So it's very important," said Lewis.