It's all about money...or is it?

On Wednesday, I began my day at the Oregon Convention Center, where I attended a fundraising breakfast for Habitat for Humanity. I made a modest contribution and left feeling pretty good, knowing the money raised would go to help low-income people in Lents (Southeast Portland) and Rockwood (west Gresham) in need of affordable housing.

Later in the day, I received an email from a Big Brothers Big Sisters staff member, telling those of us on the Latino Mentoring Advisory Council that our regularly scheduled May meeting isn't going to be held because the agency needs to devote more of its resources right now to fundraising.

On Thursday (today), I spent my lunch hour and more at a downtown law office in the Wells Fargo Bank, listening with other board members to an update on preparations for The Dougy Center's annual gala and auction, the agency's major fundraiser. All of us have bought tickets to the auction and contributed other goodies, within our means, that are being packaged as a live auction item. All the proceeds will go to finance The Dougy Center's internationally recognized programs in grief counseling for children and families that have lost a parent or sibling to death.

There's an obvious thread here. Nonprofit agencies, such as these, have to spend more time than they'd like rustling up money to do their good works. Wouldn't it be nice if it were otherwise?

On the one hand, fundraisers -- whether they involve food or a fun activity (such as the Bowl for Kids' Sake event for Big Brothers Big Sisters) -- have an undeniable emotional appeal, when you see and hear adults and children give personal testimony to the difference that a helping hand can make. Who isn't touched by an expression of gratitude for the time someone makes to be a mentor or for the collective effort involved in literally building a house that's new, clean, safe and warm?

On the other hand, it can sometimes be weary to attend -- or just be invited -- to a seemingly never-ending list of lunches, auctions, receptions, scholarship dinners, etc. (And I'm not even mentioning direct-mail or telephone solicitations.) In this economy, everyone is tapped out. I understand that. At the same time, as someone who's privileged to serve on the inside with some outstanding nonprofits, I know how vital it is that we continue to ask -- individuals, corporations, foundations -- for contributions while also aggressively applying for grants.

In a society like ours, where capitalism and the education system and many other factors result in a a lot of haves but also a lot of have-nots, there will always be the need to provide direct service to people in ways that government cannot. I sound preachy, I know, but on behalf of these three programs and many, many more, any help we can get is appreciated.