It’s that time of year again … the time when your post office box is stuffed to overflowing with holiday catalogs. Wedged in there among the latest offerings from L.L. Bean and Land’s End, you’ll probably find something else that’s a sign of the season—donation letters.

This is the time when many non-profits kick off their end-of-year fundraising campaigns. But before you simply toss that letter aside, take a few minutes to think about the organization and the valuable services its members provide to the community.

Many of these groups provide a social safety net for families struggling in our community, filling basic needs such as weekly food distributions and home heating fuel assistance, to ensuring that no one is turned away from services like the Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA.

Those groups have been hit especially hard in the current recession—at the same time they see their donations fall as traditional donors have cut back on...