Idealist.org Sending Out an S.O.S

These are tough times in the for-profit world and even tougher in the not-for-profit one, but Idealist.org, a job site and interactive resource for the the NGO community, is feeling the love after sending out an S.O.S. late last week.

Like many of us, Idealist is a victim of the financial crisis. For the past 10 years, the organization has been making ends meet by charging for job postings on its site.

But when the market crashed late in '08, organizations stopped hiring, and Idealist — which is run by Actions Without Borders — saw its revenue cut in half overnight.

"That was 16 months ago, and since then we've survived on faith and fumes, by cutting expenses, and by getting a few large gifts from new and old friends," executive director Ami Dar wrote in a fundraising appeal. "But now we are about to hit a wall, and this is why I am reaching out to you."

The future looked grim for Idealist, but ever since the organization kicked off its appeal, things have started to look up.

"The public support has been wonderful," Dar told Tonic. "And 3,500 people have already donated over $100,000. We are aiming for 15,000 donors by the end of next week and then we'll be OK."

So what are you waiting for? If it's within your means, by all means, donate on the Idealist Web site. You can also follow what other people are doing to get the word out on Twitter.

Dar says despite the tough times, she's more optimistic than ever.

"The content on Idealist has never been richer, our traffic is surging, we are building a whole new Idealist.org that will be released later this year, and the potential for connecting people, ideas and resources around the world has never been more urgent or more exciting," she said.

Could there by anything but a happy ending for an organization called Idealist?

Photo courtesy of Idealist.org.