People still willing to put their hand in their pocket – income for relief organizations increases in spite of recession

Donations by individuals to relief organizations have increased in spite of the economic downturn. Keskisuomalainen, a newspaper that comes out in Jyväskylä in central Finland, has interviewed eight charitable and relief organizations, almost all of which said that their income increased in 2007-2008.

Environmental issues, helping those who are less fortunate and animal protection are felt to be at least as important during a recession as at any other time. For example, the Finnish Red Cross has received only the odd contact from people wanting to reduce the amount of their monthly donation.

Keskisuomalainen says that occasional donations from business life have fallen to some extent because of the recession. For example, UNICEF Finland's long-term agreements have remained unchanged, but the extra donations received beyond these have fallen.