When life is difficult, I don’t know about you, but I want to stay in touch with the people in my life who matter most to me. Same holds true in my relationships with the organizations I support.

As we painfully peel the onion layers of ramifications of the global economic meltdown, I have an increasing need to know how things are going, to share my worries, to offer help even if it has not been expressly sought and, most important, to feel that I am connected to those who matter most to me.

I also want to know what my favorite charities are doing, how they are holding up as their resources contract and the need for their support increases. So far, I have been disappointed with the dribble of communications. Maybe it is because these organizations have been too busy working to meet the crisis or maybe they expect me to search out their efforts on my own, or maybe they are focused only on communicating with their major donors. It doesn’t matter what excuse it is because the impact on me—one lonely supporter—is disappointment.

One wonderful ray of light I got via email last Friday came from the desk of John Ruskay, Executive Vice President and CEO of UJA-Federation. Here is a great example of why communicating with all your supporters often and well, especially during difficult time’s, matters. In a few short paragraphs, John told me everything I wanted to know and offered me hope that at least one organization was taking charge.

If your organization is doing important work to help people in need right now, please tell us about it! We care and want to know. We want to help. We will pass the information along to others. We will remain a dedicated supporter. Just talk to us.