Consumer cutbacks related to the economic crisis are affecting organizations that rely on donations. “Most nonprofits don’t have an endowment or cash reserves (which means) some smaller organizations might have to shut their doors,” said Fran Barrett of the Community Resource Exchange to The New York Times.

Greensboro’s Piedmont Wildlife Rehab (PWR) is one such organization feeling the economic pinch.

“Donations are inconsistent especially when people need to focus on conserving money for themselves, “said senior Becky Pittman, a PWR center volunteer.

“Rescuing squirrels hit by cars and birds that fly into windows is a needed service,” said Pittman. “We offer a comfort service for the individual that cannot walk away from an injured or orphaned animal.”

The average cost of care and rehabilitation is $25 to $50 per animal.

“Food is the biggest expenditure,” said Sue Fields, a rehabber who has treated injured and orphaned squirrels from her home for 11 years.

The rehab nonprofit was formed in 2007 by federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator Melissa Coe to meet the growing demand of supplies needed in assisting the increasing number of animals coming into their care.

Currently they are aligned with several retail organizations, such as Food Lion, that will match a small percentage of dollars spent with a donation to the center.

However, replenishing a bank account is sometimes not enough. Reliance on donations, especially in tough economic times, can undermine the good intentions of nonprofits.

“The less popular nonprofits may need to change their strategy of where they get their money from,” said Robert G. Williams, John K. Voehringer Jr. professor of economics.

One of the problems many of the smaller groups get into is that “they aren’t driven by profit, but should follow the same guidelines and still be of benefit to the community,” said Williams. “It’s a basic survival skill for social change.”

A closed nonprofit can also mean the end of an important and needed public service. Having a survival technique, or an alternative financial strategy, is key.

“Although some nonprofits may fail, others may survive if we see more strategic alliance between smaller agencies and larger nonprofits that can help with administration and fundraising,” said Nancy Wackstein, executive director of United Neighborhood Houses of New York to The New York Times.

Consolidating with another agency worries Coe, who prefers the care that a smaller agency can provide.

“It’s harder to give quality care when you have too many animals to care for,” she said.

Fields will continue her crusade to save injured animals out of pocket even if she has to do so by cutting corners in her personal budget. Pittman applied for a Carter Academic Service Entrepreneur (CASE) grant that will cover the expense of a t-shirt fundraiser. A CASE grant is awarded to a student with an innovative and promising idea who is actively involved in a community nonprofit.

“The grant will help advertise the center and generate income from the sale of t-shirts,” said Pittman. “Hopefully this will prevent us from having to reduce the number of animals that we can accept.”

Another growing source of revenue comes from www.goodsearch.com.