Bad news for advocacy nonprofits

See this article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy on fundraising trends. Most interesting to advocacy groups:

Advocacy organizations, however, reported the worst results of any type of charity in the survey. They recruited a median 21.8 percent fewer new donors in the first three quarters of last year, on top a 14.2-percent decline during the same period in 2006, while the number of total donors also dropped by a median 12 percent.

Combine that with the usual issues with giving during an election year (more competition than off years) plus the spectre of a recession... this isn't the best of news.