Uncertainty is the watchword for Washington-area nonprofit groups as they enter the traditional giving season with their budgets stretched even as demand for social services continues to spike, The Washington Post says in its Charitable Giving 2009 special section.

Requests to the United Way of the National Capital Area doubled this year, to $20-million, more than five times what the organization has available. Nearly a third of charities in the region have cut staff and frozen programs or shut down this year, according to a survey by the Center for Nonprofit Advancement.

Other articles in the Post package focus on businesses eschewing holiday parties in favor of staff charity drives; advice on choosing donation recipients and ensuring tax benefits for giving; and how to assess the relevance of traditional corporate philanthropy in an age of growing social entrepreneurship.

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