by Jessica Carreras
FERNDALE –
Affirmations, metro Detroit's community center for LGBT people and their allies, has been hit hard by the economy – and the drop in funds is beginning to show. Effective Jan. 1, six part-time and one full-time staff will be laid off, and senior and management staff will take a 10 percent pay cut.
An additional $40,000 has been cut in overhead and operating costs, including travel and pension plan costs.
"The downturn in the economy has affected us all. Fundraising has been down the last six months and in my 26 years working for non-profit organizations, this has been the slowest year end campaign I have ever seen," said Affirmations CEO Leslie Thompson, who recently implored the community to try to make whatever donations they could, as detailed in last week's issue of Between The Lines. "December is typically the month Affirmations receives the most in donations during the year. Unless giving patterns change quickly, more cuts may come in 2009."
The layoffs include Community Organizing Coordinator Bashar Mackay, plus three cafe workers, one communications staff member and two receptionists.
Pay cuts will affect Thompson, as well as the director of operations, the chief admin officer and the director of development operations, as well as the communications manager, special events manager and individual donor manager.
"It's a shame that we're at this point," Thompson added, "and hopefully we'll be able to turn things around."
Additional cuts include changes in Affirmations' hours of operation. Affirmations will be open Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 11a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The new hours of operation impact Monday evenings most drastically, as the Affirmations helpline will not be in service and evening programs will have to be rescheduled.
As a result of the cuts, Monday night programs will be moved to different days and schedules will be rearranged to cover for the lost staffers. Thompson added that regretfully, the changes will probably also result in the closure of the Affirmations helpline on Mondays.
Eliminated positions and hours of operation will be reinstated if and when additional funding is secured.
"We know the community wants Affirmations' vital programs and services to continue and we continue to be creative with our efforts and welcome new partnerships," Thompson added. "Every attempt is being made to keep program and service levels consistent with 2008."
