The President of the High Desert Museum says some non profits may be impacted by the uncertainty over the fiscal cliff. Janeanne Upp says about 70 percent of their supporters are individuals, 12 percent comes from corporations and the rest from foundations.
"I WAS TALKING TO A LOCAL C-P-A WHO SAYS HIS CLIENTS ARE NOT SURE WHAT TO DO - WHAT DECISIONS DO YOU MAKE BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE TAX CODE - WE FEEL THIS TOO- EVERYTHING'S ON HOLD RIGHT NOW UNTIL CONGRESS MAKES A DECISION."
Upp was a recent guest on 1110 KBND's Your Town. She says the breakdown of High Desert donors is similar to the trend nationwide for museums and other non profit groups.
She says the data has changed over the past 5 years.
"...AND CORPORATIONS THOSE NUMBERS HAVE REALLY SHIFTED- IT USED TO BE THAT LARGE SUPPORTERS OF NOT FOR PROFITS - BUT THAT HAS SHRUNK DOWN WITH THE CHANGE IN THE ECONOMY - THE SAME THING WITH THE STOCK MARKET DROP - AND FOUNDATIONS HAVE LESS TO GIVE - SO YOU'VE REALLY SEEN INDIVIDUALS STep UP INTO THAT VOID."
Upp explains that about half of the museum's budget comes from admission costs and the other half from donations. She says one bright note right now is that many museum leaders in the northwest are much more optimistic about their financial health. She recently attended a regional convention in California, where she says the overall tone was more "upbeat" compared to recent years. The High Desert Museum has also seen an increase in visitors over the last five years, and many of those people are tourists.
