Among the goodbyes and farewells of over half of the members of the North Carolina Council of State, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall pointed out North Carolinians’ dramatic cut in charitable giving this year.
Her office’s 2023-2024 Charitable Solicitation Licensing (CSL) Division Annual Report found that charities licensed by CSL collected $27,053,714 during the 12-month period, compared to $58,049,394 for Fiscal Year 2022-2023.
State law ends the reporting year at the end of June, so this report did not count donations related to Hurricane Helene.
She said it is worth noting that steeper declines also occurred in national and multi-state fundraising campaigns that were down 67%.
Marshall said the takeaway from the disappointing numbers is a reminder to reward effective charities with financial support and good publicity and for charities to be very vigilant when they’re negotiating their fundraising contracts.
“The bottom line, because we don’t look at one single annual report, when you’re doing your research, review several years of annual reports when evaluating the charity’s effectiveness,” she said. “If it continues to be low below a number that you find unacceptable, then that’s a key that that’s an ineffective charity. Your donation is an investment in a community, it’s an investment in a cause that you care about, it’s an investment in the future, and that is an incredibly powerful thing.”
Marshall added that these numbers should serve as a reminder to support charitable causes and that North Carolinians are always generous.
“We have generous hearts, and that giving is even more important when folks are feeling economic pressure and layer on to that the situation in western North Carolina,” she told Council of State members. “It’s appropriate that today is Giving Tuesday. So many incredible charitable organizations need our support, so if you’re able and you haven’t given yet this year, please give.”
In closing, Marshall said they want people to be generous, but they also want them to be careful with their money and watch out for scams.
Commissioner of Agriculture
Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler said they are continuing to plan for an agricultural disaster relief program for farmers in western North Carolina that will hopefully be funded by the federal government, but people are suffering and need help now.
“We are going to have farmers in North Carolina that probably won’t get financing to raise a crop next year,” he said. “We have gone through probably the worst production year in agriculture in a long, long time, if not ever, and it’s from the mountains to the coast.”
Several agricultural companies stepped up to help Hurricane Helene victims. Smithfield Foods donated pork at the State Fair’s Hunger Relief Drive Mountaire Farms gave two tractor-trailer loads of chicken. Agri Supply donated fencing materials, boots, and coats, and Tractor Supply donated a tractor-trailer load of fencing materials.
Troxler added that while it has been amazing to see how people and organizations have stepped up to help out, people still need to keep giving, as people in the western part of the state still need items like shoes, clothes, and small propane heaters.
“So I hope that the citizens of North Carolina use this Christmas season to continue to help the folks of western North Carolina, and that starts with buying a live Christmas tree and greenery from western North Carolina,” he said. “Throw out the plastic and get the real.”
Insurance Commissioner
Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said Southern States in Reidsville have been taking donations from the public and sending their own donations of truckloads of supplies, fencing, and hay.
He also wanted to commend the volunteers across the state and the state and local employees working in the department’s Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP).
In 1986, North Carolina and Washington were the first states to implement the program. Currently, North Carolina has over 800 certified volunteers in all 100 counties. He reminded everyone that Open Enrollment with Medicare ends this week on Dec. 7.
“Our SHIIP staff at the Department of Insurance have answered 6511 calls just in October and November, and that’s 1500 more calls than in the same time period last year, and the total of people helped this year in North Carolina through November has been 55,909 people,” Causey said. “So that’s a lot of folks, and we’ve saved consumers almost $25 million, but it’s $24,887,000 that has been saved on insurance and prescription drugs, so forth, and they’ve also processed 991 Medicare and long-term care complaints, and you already know this, but North Carolina’s the 9th most populated state, 9th in the age 65 plus, but we have over 2.2 million Medicare beneficiaries in North Carolina.”
He said he was surprised that the federal funding for the program is as low as $54 million for all 50 states. North Carolina’s share of the funding is a little over $1 million.
“So I and other insurance commissioners are urging people to talk to their members of Congress,” Causey said. “We have an office in Washington that’s called the Federal Insurance Office is a duplication that I believe should be abolished. Insurance is regulated at the state level, but the funding from that should be put in the SHIIP program.”
Attorney general
Attorney General and Governor-elect Josh Stein had brief remarks, thanking outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper for the work he and his office have been doing in starting the recovery process from Hurricane Helene, knowing that it will be a long-term process. He also noted that this would be “job one” for fellow Council of State members like Causey, Troxler, and Marshall and incoming members.
Congressman Jeff Jackson and Attorney General-elect will take over Stein’s spot in January.
labor commissioner
Interim Labor Commissioner Kevin O’Barr said the department will carry on a tradition as they have for the past 26 years and will host a Toys for Tots toy drive from noon to 3 pm on Dec. 12 at its headquarters at 4 West Edenton Street in Raleigh. People can bring unwrapped toys or cash. Last year, they collected over 2100 toys, ten bicycles, and $5,000 in cash.
Cooper reminded everyone, regardless of whether they were leaving office at the end of the year, transitioning into a new role, or continuing on in their present offices, to continue working as they have, especially when it comes to western North Carolina.
“It’s going to take all of us collectively to make sure that western North Carolina rebuilds and recovers,” he said. “Not only is it important to them, it’s important to our state, and many of us have memories of the mountains. It’s a special place for us for many reasons, but it’s also important to our state’s economy, and it’s important to a lot of people across the country, which I have discovered in my conversations with many people.”
Cooper said he has traveled to 15 counties in that part of the state and saw the devastation first-hand. He added that there has been a lot of progress, with 900 roads now open, closed schools back open, and thousands of people in transitional housing.
But the recovery process has only just begun.
“We’re working to fix water systems, but we know that the road ahead is long and hard it’s going to require billions of dollars,” he said. “This is a $53 billion storm, and we know that everybody’s got to step up from the federal government and the state legislature to businesses to people of faith and nonprofits, and people in communities.”