While postal workers may soon be back to work, non-profits across Canada will suffer through what’s usually the most charitable time of year.
Barney Ellis-Perry is the CEO of the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation, which is currently trying to fundraise for a new medical imaging machine to serve patients on the Central and North Island. He estimates there’s about 5,000 pieces of mail sent out to donors in the backlog that will take months to process, and by then, it will be too late.
“For I and a lot of other non-profit leaders, the fear is that people get something in January, and they’re like, ‘well, you know, I’m not going to get my tax receipt for last year, the window’s sort of closed, and you know what? I love this organization, I’ll support them when it comes around to December again,'” he says.,
He says other charities that rely on year-end donations to make ends meet are finding themselves in the same situation, including other Island hospital foundations doing similar fundraisers.
Anyone who wants to help with the fundraiser can make a donation online, visit the foundation’s fundraiser website.
Ellis-Perry points out that the new scanner will be one of only two north of the Malahat, and will be used by patients outside of the region.
