It’s hard to go more than a couple of weeks without a dedicated group of Jasperites putting on an event to raise money for a very worthy cause. Those events are largely made possible through the generosity of the town’s business community.
And while Jasper is an extremely giving community, with so many people asking for donations, some of the town’s business owners are feeling worn out.
“I had to learn to say no and not feel bad about it,” said Lynn Wannop, the owner of Coco’s Café. “I don’t want to sound heartless, but I can’t say yes to everybody.”
Wannop is passionate about supporting her community, but recognized early on that she would have to turn some organizations away. She said that she gets asked at least three times a month for donations, and if she ponied up for everybody, she would quickly put her business in jeopardy.
“It’s hard with donations, because it’s so important to do, but you don’t want to go over and above what you can afford,” she said.
Her strategy for dealing with the tide of requests has been to pick one cause she feels strongly about—in her case the Jasper Pride Weekend—and give a big cash donation, while providing in-kind donations (like gift certificates and travel mugs) to others who ask.
But even with that less expensive option she can’t say yes to everyone.
Wannop said if someone comes into Coco’s that she recognizes as a contributor to the community, she is much more likely to give something. If it’s someone she doesn’t recognize, or an organization she’s not familiar with, she generally turns them away.
Kim Stark, who owns several small businesses in town, has a similar system. She is approached for donations on average more than once a week, and said she can’t afford to give cash to everyone who comes asking.
“There [are] many good causes, but you can’t give to every cause, you just can’t,” she said. “It is challenging because you don’t want to say no to your community, but at the same time you have to have limits—I can only give so much.”
Stark gives in-kind donations—in the form of hoodies, mugs and gift certificates—to just about any local organization that asks. Like Wannop, she also gives a cash donation each year to a single cause that’s important to her.
Paul Schmidt works for the Jasper Victim Services Unit. Each year he organizes a charity golf tournament to help raise much-needed funds that support victims of crime in Jasper.
He recognizes the town’s businesses are tapped to the limit, and that’s why he only asks for donations once a year.
“For us that is really our way of being conscious—we ask one time in the year, and that’s it,” he explained, but added that even though his tournament is only a once-a-year thing, he still sees the occasional wince from businesses owners when he comes knocking.
“I [sometimes] see this kind of look on people’s faces, like ‘oh, here he comes again,’” Schmidt conceded with a laugh. But he said that part of what makes Jasper so great is that even though an incredibly high bar has been set for generosity, businesses still come through.
That fact is obvious, as a number of local projects have seen dizzying support from businesses owners in past years. Medical professionals trying to bring an expensive ultrasound machine to town reached their initial fundraising goal in a few months, and the museum raised a significant chunk of change to replace its roof in 2013.
Herb Robinson, the president of the Jasper-Yellowhead Historical Society, wrote in an email that the museum’s experiences have been generally “quite positive,” but he does see that businesses in Jasper are getting “donationed out.”
“In a small community, however, it is very difficult to actually say no, and I’ve experienced this ... when helping to manage a family business in town. Generally, those asking for help always have a good reason for doing so and one almost risks negative publicity by turning groups down.”
Jasperites can be quick to judge, but as Schmidt pointed out, because businesses are so often sought out for donations, organizations need to make it worth the owners’ while to support them. To do that, Schmidt prominently displays businesses names at each hole of his charity golf tournament, and makes sure donators get as much recognition as possible.
After all, he said, businesses do have to think about their bottom line, and if supporting a good cause can also work as an advertising opportunity, they are more likely to get on board. Wannop agreed whole-heartedly.
“It’s hard to say that out loud because it looks like you’re not doing it genuinely. You are doing it genuinely, but definitely as a business owner you want people to know you’re helping in the community,” she said.
It also helps significantly if the money an organization raises is going directly back into Jasper. Just as Wannop screens askers based on how involved in the community they are, Stark can’t justify giving up money if it’s not staying in town.
“I have enough to support in this town already, reaching out beyond this town is just not feasible,” she said.
Stark’s advice to non-profits looking for cash is to be creative. She said it’s often the first instinct to just go to businesses and ask for donations, but with a little work that doesn’t have to be the only option. (The museum recently purchased a hot dog cart to help raise funds.)
She also said that it’s much tougher for businesses to cough up cash than it is to give out in-kind donations, so silent auctions are a good choice if you must go to businesses.
Ann Thomas, the driving force behind the non-profit Santas Anonymous, follows most of this advice, and has had success fundraising because of it. She said she feels blessed to live in Jasper, because at the end of the day people do want the community to be a better place, and are willing to give to see that happen.
“It never ceases to amaze me, the generosity of people—I’m really overwhelmed,” she said.
Trevor Nichols
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