charity begins at home; From Pakistan to New Orleans, global philanthropic dollars are stretched thin.(fund raising events)

Byline: William Norwich

With spring ahead, that garden of blossoms and occasional thorns known as polite society shrugs off its winter wrappings. It rejoices yet again in the auspicious marriage of fashion and fund-raising (and the flowering of new clothes for a fresh season of parties).

But-and, as we know from the novels of Jane Stanton Hitchcock, nothing matters in social life until the "but"-this spring, charities are facing tremendous challenges to innovate, bang their gongs, and recoup from recent low levels of giving. "Organizations helping victims of Hurricane Katrina, last year's tsunami, and the recent earthquake in Pakistan have raked in more than $4.7 billion. Meanwhile," Crain's New York Business reported in a recap of giving in 2005, "local nonprofits, ranging from groups that fight hunger to those helping foster children, have seen donations plummet by as much as 50 percent during the most important fund-raising weeks of the year."

The competition between emergency causes versus cultural was illustrated for me at the Frick's annual autumn fund-raising dinner. Apropos of the Frick's own fund-

raising efforts, the evening's honored guest, Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish, the twelfth Duke of Devonshire-uncle of Stella Tennant for the uninitiated-was here to speak about collecting at Chatsworth, his family's stately pile in England. (Following her husband's death, the duke's celebrated mother, the former Deborah Mitford, now the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, has moved to a smaller house on the estate, having revived Chatsworth with her charms for nearly 55 years. You can read about the experience in several endearing books, including one just published, Round & About Chatsworth.)

An assemblage of some of society's most fashionably plumed, including Anne Bass in Gaultier couture and Mercedes Bass in Chado Ralph Rucci-this winter Mercedes and her husband, Sid, rocked the philanthropic world with their $25 million donation to the Metropolitan Opera-listened as the duke talked in general about the high costs of maintaining Chatsworth, hint-hint, and in particular, as I recall, about silver samovars . . . when a lady caught my eye, raised both hands as if to represent the scales of justice, and silently mouthed, "Chatsworth? Katrina? Hmm. . . . "

Got it: Charities don't have an easy sell these days.