Special interest groups hurting

AUGUSTA – Special interest groups in Maine are feeling the pinch in the economic slowdown and are worrying about their ability to raise money, especially in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Edye Cronk, president of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, wrote to members in his annual fund-raising appeal that the group was expecting fewer dues renewals, a sharp drop in corporate contributions and reduced raffle ticket sales.

The Christian Civic League of Maine is trimming its staff and eliminating one of its publications because contributions have been down for several months.

“We were going strong right up until the middle of the year,” said Michael Heath, the group’s executive director. Money was drying up before Sept. 11, but the situation has been worse since then, Heath said.

Special interest groups that rely on membership dues or donations worry the soft economy could hurt their ability to get their messages heard at the State House and elsewhere.

Local activists also are concerned that contributors may opt to send their money to national efforts helping the survivors of the Sept. 11 attacks instead of giving closer to home.

Some worry that recent security concerns may divert the public’s attention from causes in Maine.

“I don’t know if it’s as compelling anymore,” George Smith of SAM said of the reaction some usual supporters may now have to his group’s agenda.

Everett Carson of the Natural Resources Council of Maine said he wouldn’t be surprised if fewer people renewed their memberships.

But he said the NRCM would not curtail its lobbying because that is “part of the core work that we do.”

If SAM’s revenues fall too sharply, Smith said, he might have to drop the two contract lobbyists who helped him out during the last legislative session. That would leave Smith as the group’s sole lobbyist in Augusta.

Other groups are trying to stay optimistic, but acknowledged they still are awaiting outcomes of recent or upcoming fund-raising efforts.

“We’re concerned about it,” Kevin Carley of the Maine Audubon Society said about the possibility of a decline in membership. He said an annual fund-raiser this month set records for attendance and contributions.

“Right now it doesn’t look like we’re being significantly affected,” said Gary Porto of the American Lung Association of Maine, but he noted the results of the association’s annual Christmas seals campaign are not yet in.

The Maine People’s Alliance, a consumer group that lobbies on state issues, reports its fund-raising efforts are going well. The same holds true for the American Cancer Society, which said a series of breast cancer walks pulled in healthy receipts.