Charities compete for donations, many aren't reaching end of year goals



From feeding the homeless, to putting presents under the tree, there's no shortage of ways to donate to charities this time of year. But that can also be a problem when they all have to compete for your donations.

Charities here in Milwaukee constantly say they're blown away by the generosity of strangers. Perhaps with the economy the way it is, many of them have not met their goals for this year yet.

The Salvation Army of Milwaukee County set a goal of $2.7 million. Major Roger Ross with the Salvation Army says they're falling short. "We're still about $900,000 short of our goal. So we need some major folks to step in and close that gap."

He says the problem isn't at the kettle, it's the lack of large donations coming from corporations and individual donors.

Urban Heart Ministry is giving holiday dinners and gifts to families on Washington St. in Milwaukee, after surpassing its fundraising goals.

Last year, the Salvation Army was falling short of it's goal at this time last year too. At the last second, a major donor came forward to make up the difference.

The charity says they hope that will happen again.