Rock n' Roll n' Risk Management - RISK eNEWS

Rock n’ Roll n’ Risk Management

By Melanie Lockwood Herman and Alexandra Ricketts

A friend of the Center, who happens to be an accomplished sound engineer, forwarded a terrific article to us this week about how the best rock n’ roll roadies can do things many music fans might believe are impossible. Why? Well, one reason seems to be that roadies and members of production crews are motivated to do the impossible because the show must always go on.

Why Roadies Are Our Best Bet For Typhoon Haiyan Relief In The Philippines, by Ruth Blatt, published at www.forbes.com, features an interview with Charlie Hernandez, a former roadie and production manager for The Police. Blatt, who writes about “the intersection of rock n’ roll and business,” describes how roadies and the rock concerts they support “descend upon a site and then quickly disappear. Along the way, they face technical complexity, divergent regulations, multiple vendors, language barriers, and the certainty of unforeseen obstacles.”

As we read about how touring professionals came together to provide relief in Haiti and Pakistan after the disasters in those countries in 2010, we couldn’t help but see that the talents of roadies offer valuable lessons for nonprofit leaders charged with ensuring that their missions go on.

Risk Tips from the Road

·         Ask for Help and Be Eager to Help — In addition to “somebody to love,” every nonprofit leader needs lots of somebodies to help sustain a charitable mission. The article explains that despite the demands of the work and lifestyle, many roadies and production managers spend their free time helping others. As a result, the best in the business have bigger contact lists in their cell phones than professional match makers. According to our sound engineer friend, keeping a mental note of the skills and interests of people you meet on the road, and saving contact details, are essential to getting the help you need when you need it.

·         Close the Loop — Roadies don’t call it a day until every piece of equipment is packed up and on the truck or headed to the airport. The ability to follow-through until the job is completely done is essential to making sure the band is ready for the next stop on the tour. The commitment to closing the loop is applicable in risk management as well. Whether it’s conducting an in-depth review of the nonprofit’s policies and the actions taken by staff after an accident or near-miss, or taking the time to tell a vendor the reasons you’ve decided to change providers, closing the loop is fundamental to preserving trust in key relationships, learning from experience, and inspiring confidence in your mission and team.

·         Inspire Loyalty — Blatt’s article explains that “fierce camaraderie” is a must in the tough business of rock n’ roll. That means you’re unlikely to hear about a roadie throwing a fellow roadie under the tour bus, literally or figuratively! Many nonprofit leaders have learned the hard way that you need to earn, rather than insist, on loyalty. True loyalty exists in nonprofits where staff members believe that executives bring integrity to the job each and every day. In the world of risk management, lukewarm loyalty is a downside risk waiting to materialize. When staff are disloyal or disillusioned they are more likely to disregard the risk management policies of the nonprofit.

The Queen song The Show Must Go On was the final track on the rock band’s 1991 album, Innuendo. Written principally by band member Brian May, The Show Must Go On is regarded as a tribute to the bravery and fierce determination of lead singer Freddie Mercury, who continued to perform despite being gravely ill. The song was released as a single, just six weeks before Mercury died in 1991. The song reminds us that nonprofit missions are vital to the health and well-being of individuals, communities and the environment, and therefore must also go on. To reach your goal of becoming an effective risk champion, remember to ask for help and give help freely, close the loop after accidents and near-misses, and inspire true loyalty by leading with integrity.

Melanie Herman is Executive Director and Alexandra Ricketts is Project Manager at the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. Melanie and Alex welcome your feedback on this article or questions about the Center’s resources for nonprofits at Melanie@nonprofitrisk.org, Alexandra@nonprofitrisk.org or(202) 785-3891.

The NonProfit Times Weekly E-Newsletter

IRS Reports 10,000 Fewer Nonprofits In 2012

There were 10,000 fewer registered tax-exempt organizations in 2012 than in 2011. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Data Book for 2012, which was released Monday, there were 1,484,818 501(c) organizations for the fiscal year ending in September, compared with 1,494,882 in 2011 – a decrease of 10,064, or about 0.68 percent.Read more... Professional Development... 5 principles for ethical mentoring “I never meant for that to happen.” Just as the above lament can be the swan song for a nonprofit that doesn't follow good organizational practices, it can also be the epitaph for a mentoring partnership gone wrong. Read more... Human Resources... 15 interview questions you can legally ask There are a lot of laws these days that restrict the kind of information you can request from candidates during job interviews. Since you probably don't want to get in trouble with the law, it's important to know the questions that you can and should ask. Read more... Management... 6 reasons change is good It's usual to resist change. Those who aren't pulling their own (or any) weight know that their gigs can be threatened if they don't do a whirlwind job of convincing change agents just how essential they are. Those who are pulling their own weight (or more) know that their livelihoods are threatened because they are too busy working to prove how essential they are to the operation. Read more... To Read More Click Here

National Council of Nonprofits Offers 3 Ways Board Oversight Keeps Nonprofits Out of Trouble

This article was reprinted with permission from Nonprofit Knowledge Matters, a publication of the National Council of Nonprofits.

What is “Oversight” Anyway? 

Board members are told that their role is to provide “oversight.” But what does that really mean? We were curious to investigate how board governance “experts” define board “oversight." We compiled this “Top 3 list” in case you are curious too.

1.  Follow-through (aka “accountability”). What good is setting policy if the policies aren’t followed? Ellis Carter, Esq., author of the CharityLaw Blog, points out in her piece titled, “Top 15 Non-profit Board Governance Mistakes (From a Legal Perspective)," that exercising oversight is all about making sure that someone (the board) actually follows up on the authority the board delegates to staff and committees:“Oversight is commonly exercised through policies and procedures so long as the board ensures that the policies and procedures are actually followed.” An example of the follow-through challenge for boards is apparent in boards’ relationships with executive directors. In that relationship, appropriate “oversight” includes selecting the “right” person to lead the organization, reviewing and approving the appropriate level of compensation for the staff leader, evaluating his/her performance, and ensuring that there is a leadership succession plan in place. But as we know from numerous surveys and reports, including BoardSource’s Nonprofit Governance Index 2012, one of the oversight balls that boards are most likely to drop is evaluating the executive director’s performance. If boards were better at follow through, they would be regularly evaluating executive directors. More consistent follow-through would also help to avoid common symptoms of tensionbetween the board and CEO that signal insufficient (and indeed, a harmful lack of) oversight. 

2.  Seeing sustainability, not just dollars (aka “financial oversight”). When a board reviews the organization’s budget or considers whether adequate internal controls are in place, these activities are quite properly part of a board’s financial oversight responsibilities. But too often, the activities focus on the immediate cash flow instead of long-term sustainability. Boards that see their role as monitoring the financial health of the nonprofit, rather than just the financial status, will be more likely to ensure that there will be enough resources in the pipeline to continue providing programs -- or alternatively -- that it’s time to make a course correction. As Jeanne Bell, CEO of CompassPoint, points out in her Nonprofit Quarterly article, "Beyond Financial Oversight, Expanding the Board’s Role in Pursuit of Sustainability," in practice “financial oversight” is often defined as a handful of board members who monitor timely financial reports and drill down on budgets. Unfortunately only infrequently do boards look at the organization’s financial sustainability, which Bell describes as the entire “interdependent mix of programs and fundraising activities that work together to achieve a set of impacts and financial results.” As Jan Masaoka points out in her Blue Avocado article, "Ten Myths About Nonprofit Boards," it’s a myth that approving budgets is the “cornerstone” of the board’s financial oversight. By viewing its financial oversight role through a strategic lens, instead of merely an approve-the-budget lens, boards are more likely to see farther, towards financialsustainability. We like the practical way Andy Robinson and Nancy Wasserman put it in the chapter of The Board Member’s Easier Than You Think Guide to Nonprofit Finances entitled, “Finding the Best Altitude For Financial Oversight.” The authors point out that “inexperienced boards tend to work at the wrong altitude by focusing on details better left to staff….” (How’s that for “oversight”?) They offer a chart illustrating examples of what’s properly the board’s role (example: “use actual financial data for planning, oversight, and evaluation”) versus the domain of staff (example: “develop a diversified fundraising plan reflecting budget goals and organizational needs”).

For more insights from these authors on the board’s financial oversight role, we share this author interview with our readers.

3.  Avoiding trouble (aka “legal compliance"). While board members are not expected to know every law or regulation that applies to the operations of the nonprofit they volunteer for, it’s clear that making sure that the nonprofit does not violate any laws (or overstep its mission) is the board’s role. In fact, BoardSource includes legal compliance right at the top of its list of “What do boards do?”  What if the board doesn’t know what legal obligations apply? As a fiduciary, the board is expected to either learn – or delegate that role to someone else (which then triggers the follow-through oversight requirement) so that the board can be assured that all the bases are covered. In order to be able to provide oversight in this area, boards should try to learn enough about the applicable legal requirements to ask the right questions, such as “Have we filed all the required annual filings with the IRS?” Fortunately, the IRS has improved its website in recent years so it’s relatively easy to research IRS requirements. For state law requirements, the National Council of Nonprofits’ network of State Associations offers board training and state-specific guidance about legal requirements for charitable nonprofits in their states. Reviewing basic legal requirements during board orientations is one way to prepare new board members for their legal compliance oversight role. But even with that background, some board members may not connect the dots between their own oversight responsibilities and the risks of non-compliance. Charity regulators are not shy about investigating the conduct of a nonprofit board, or even proposing their own list of “best practices” for nonprofit boards (such as this very long list of board oversight recommendations produced by Kentucky's Auditor of Public Accounts). When a legal requirement, such as filing annual reports with a Secretary of State, has been missed, this is a red flag for state regulators to investigate the overall conduct of the board, and that could spell a “heap of trouble” for the nonprofit. Consequently, board oversight for legal compliance needs to be taken seriously.

A board that is governing from a perspective of “Let’s follow-through, stay at the right altitude, and take the high road to stay out of trouble” is more likely to focus on how effective the organization is in addressing its stated mission. A board that takes its oversight role seriously is also more likely to spot issues that could spell trouble for the organization down the road – or around the next bend. When a board realizes that it is accountable for not only the “good,” but also “the bad, and the ugly,” that board is more likely to take its oversight role as a champion for the nonprofit’s mission and fiduciary for its assets seriously; those are the boards that will stay out of trouble.

We hope that these musings on the top three ways boards’ oversight keeps nonprofits out of trouble helps you find the right “altitude” for your own board’s oversight. Don’t forget to check the sidebar for more resources, including our invitation to attend a free webinar, Nonprofit Audits in a Nutshell, on March 28^th 3:30-4:30 pm (Eastern), sponsored by First Nonprofit Foundation. Jenifer Holland, a governance consultant with BoardSource, will address the board’s role in the audit process.Join us!

Executive Director for Literacy Coalition Job Description

Executive Director

The Literacy Coalition of Herkimer & Oneida Counties

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties

MISSION OF THE LITERACY COALITION

The Literacy Coalition connects organizations in our region to the funding, advocacy, professional development and service support they need to increase the availability of high quality literacy programs. Through collaboration, the Coalition will raise awareness of low literacy, provide links to services and encourage the residents of Herkimer and Oneida counties to become lifelong learners. The goal is that through these commitments, all residents will have the opportunity to fully participate in society and support their community as active citizens.

THE POSITION

The Executive Director of the Literacy Coalition under the leadership of The Community Foundation and principal partners will lead a community-wide collaboration of businesses, schools, community and faith-based organizations, volunteers, institutions of higher education and individuals to create and carry forward the Community Literacy Plan. The Executive Director will be an employee of one of the partners. The employer may also be the fiscal agent or another partner may fulfill that role.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Literacy Coalition and the Executive Director will work on behalf of the community to raise literacy levels to ensure that everyone in Oneida and Herkimer counties reach their highest potential for employment, self-sufficiency, inclusion in society and life-long learning. The Executive Director of the Coalition will provide leadership in developing and implementing the vision, mission, values and strategic goals.

Specific duties include:

1. Implementing the Community-wide Literacy Plan
• Work with a consultant to develop, implement and manage the community-wide literacy plan that will serve as the blueprint for all community activities supporting efforts to raise literacy levels.
• Lead the Literacy Coalition in promoting the achievement of the Community Literacy Indicators fostering significant improved literacy development in the areas of early childhood, school based, out of school, adult education, workforce development and lifelong learning.

    2.        Fund Development/Sustainability

• Develop and manage systems for resource development, impact measurement, strategic planning, decision-making and on-going communications with interested parties and literacy providers while engaging the literacy network in the community plan.
• Establish and maintain a relationship with the NYS Education Department in order to access their knowledge and expertise in the area of literacy.
• Establish and maintain relationships with elected officials, businesses and community stakeholders.
• Develop and implement in cooperation with the Leadership Council the legislative agenda for the Literacy Coalition.  
• Facilitate preparation and implementation of a long-range financial plan.
• Facilitate preparation of all fundraising materials, grant proposals and implementation of an annual budget.
• Identify types of special events appropriate to the organization’s image and purpose.

          3.        Leading the Literacy Coalition

• Oversee the work of the Literacy Action Teams that meet monthly or as determined by the needs and priorities of the Literacy Coalition to address long-term and short-term targets and specific strategies to effectively measure literacy success.
• Continue to develop the collegial relationships with community stakeholders that were developed during the planning process, such as direct one-to-one communication, public presentations, written materials and online networking tools.
• Advocate for increased literacy support through collaborative efforts and a united voice.

IDEAL QUALITIES AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s degree in related field required; Master’s degree strongly preferred; at least 5 to 7 years of experience working in the education, business or non-profit field preferred. Key attributes include: inclusive and welcoming, excellent communicator, sharing the spotlight, trustworthy. Skills required: group facilitation; conflict resolution; fund development; and knowledge of literacy landscape and issues.

• Excellent written, verbal, public speaking and technology skills. Coordinate projects, prepare correspondence, produce written reports and proposals, make public presentations, and facilitate planning meetings.
• Act as a collaborator, unifier and negotiator who can build strong and effective relations with a variety of organizations in the community as an energetic team player.
• Self-starter who initiates and pursues objectives in an organized and efficient manner, working either independently or as a team member.
• Needs to be credible both with community leadership and have the respect of coalition members.
• Strong ability to persuade, advocate, develop support of 100% community engagement.
• Passionate about literacy at all levels.

Because the position will require extensive relationship building with non-profits and volunteers, individuals with strong interpersonal, oral and written communications skills should highlight these skills in the cover letter. Candidates with a sense of humor and desiring to make a difference for the community are most welcome.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This is a full-time, exempt position. Competitive salary and benefits are dependent on experience.

TO APPLY

Inquiries, applications (including a resume, cover letter and three professional references), and nominations should be directed to Marie Piayai at mpiayai@foundationhoc.org. Please list ED: Literacy Coalition in the e-mail subject line. A review of candidates will begin immediately and applications will be accepted until March 9, 2012. Only candidates who are being actively considered will be contacted.

Genesis Events: September 22nd Media Forum Focuses on Social Media

Hello Genesis!

Here is your update for Tuesday September 13th
It's PRIMARY DAY in New York State. Don't forget to vote!

Join us for a special kick-off event of
www.CollegeWelcome.org
Thursday September 15th 10:00am at Hotel Utica


Join us for the Genesis Group 5th Annual Media Forum
Topic: How has Social Media changed the way News is reported?
Thursday September 22nd - 7:30am at Holiday Inn (Utica Business Park)
THE PANEL INCLUDES REPRESENTATIVES FROM:
WKTV
WIBX 950AM
WUTQ 95.5 FM
Rome Sentinel
YNN
WUTR and WFXV
Utica OD

Coming in October ~ Genesis Group Annual Meeting
~ Mohawk Valley Chamber Alliance presents
"Crossing the Generational Divide"
Thursday 10/6/11 - 6:00pm
Click Here for Event Flier


Coming in November ~ Annual "STRIVING 4 Success" Program
~ Annual Excellence in Education Program
Thursday November 17th - 5:30pm
Click Here for Nomination Form

Thank you for your continued interest & support.

Ray Durso, Jr., Exec. Director
The Genesis Group of the Mohawk Valley Region
SUNYIT 100 Seymour Road, Utica, NY 13502
315.792.7821 (T) 315.797.1280 (F)
info@TheGenesisGroup.org
www.TheGenesisGroup.org
Genesis is also on FACEBOOK

Fund Development Program Videos Now Available!

The Mohawk Valley Nonprofit Leaders Group held a program on July 21st that focused on fund development infrastructure. The agenda included an overview of the fund development committee and plan by the NY Council of Nonprofits. A panel discussion followed. Videos from the panel discussion are now available and feature the following topics (click below to watch):

• board engagement in fundraising


• fund development committee


• importance of face to face in fundraising


• role of special events


• board and special events


• board's role in fundraising


• board expectations


• fundraising efforts mix


• fundraising success and impact


• fund development plan


• fundraising ideas


• fundraising mistakes


• fund development partnership


• defining success and lessons learned

The panel featured: Judith Reilly, Executive Director, Compeer of the Mohawk Valley; Frank B. DuRoss, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement, Mohawk Valley Community College MVCC; Steve Robinson, Director of Programs and Training, The Peacemaker Program, Inc; and Nancy M. Benz, Vice President for Fund Development, Planned Parenthood Mohawk Hudson, Inc.

11 Ways To Use Technology To Thank Your Donors

Here is a helpful article from Idealware, a NYCON partner:

By Andrea Berry and Chris Bernard, August, 2011 This article was originally published in the August 2011 issue of The NonProfit Times.

Organizations use technology to engage donors, manage them in databases, and even accept their donation payments online. With a little creative thinking you can save staff time on this important step and increase the likelihood that donors will give again.

Such classic techniques as thank-you letters, phone calls, events and special gifts will never go out of style. Many of these translate surprisingly well to online or technology-enhanced techniques, providing both new ways to make donors feel appreciated and, in some cases, organizational savings.

Here are 11 ideas ranging from the simple to the high-tech to get started.
•Personalized Emails. Most organizations are already sending automatic emails to people who have donated online. A little creativity can increase the impact of those emails. Nonprofits with a small staff can pass around a list of donors and their email addresses and have a couple of different people send personal emails thanking them. Better yet, organizations that serve a certain populace, such as schoolchildren or artists, can line up a few of them to write personalized thank-yous that show people the power their gifts have to change lives. There’s no cost other than staff time.

•eNewsletters. Many nonprofits have newsletters. It’s easy to turn them into enewsletters to email to donors, or to create a periodic enewsletter exclusively for donors offering short articles about special projects they’ve funded. Asking celebrities or experts to write a guest article or answer questions can give a newsletter a bit of appeal, and compelling stories and interviews can be of real interest to donors.

•Online Profiles. Organizations can use their newsletters, blogs or websites to profile donors on an ongoing basis. To appeal to the widest possible audience, they can profile “typical” donors -- not necessarily the most generous or the ones who have been giving the most years running -- as a powerful thank-you. A profile of someone who gives a small amount despite their limited income because a nonprofit’s mission is near and dear to them, or who has a great personal story as to why they support an organization, can inspire other donors to give more.

•Online Gifts. Many nonprofits offer incentives such as T-shirts or coffee mugs to those who make a certain level of donation. What about online gifts of appreciation instead of, or in addition to, these real-world gifts? Offering donors access to a mission-related webinar provided by experts, or to an online Q&A with a “celebrity,” can be a rewarding thank you. Organizations can mine their networks for potential candidates -- people are often grateful for the opportunity to contribute if given the chance. Other ideas include a mobile app related to the organization or mission, or an online game. As opposed to physical gifts, many online gifts cost nearly the same whether they’re given to one person or to hundreds of thousands.

•Social Media Shout-Outs. It’s a good idea to thank people publicly, say in a list-wide email, because there’s a certain momentum to donations -- they can gather speed along with mass -- and because some people like the credit. But there’s a lot to be said for the perception of intimacy a personal contact can create, which is why the best campaigns incorporate both. Using multiple channels to give donors rolling shout-outs during an ongoing campaign can include Facebook, Twitter, email and a blog. For example, a “Donors of the Week” post on Facebook, or a thank-you can be tweeted every time someone gives more than a certain dollar amount, like bartenders ringing the bell for a big tip. Linking to donors’ own sites or blogs, if they have them, is another subtle means of thanking them.

•Highlight Early Donors. Approaching a set of major donors early in the campaign to seed a matching fund that would then be promoted to other prospects through emails and the website can work particularly well for corporate donors. It allows them to essentially “sponsor” the email and online fundraising campaign, and gives them publicity for their gifts.

•Website Leader Board. For friend-to-friend fundraising campaigns, in which supporters raise money from their own networks on behalf of an organization, it’s possible to create an online leader board where fundraisers “compete” good-naturedly against each other’s campaigns. These public rankings can be a powerful way to thank high performing teams and to incent others to do even more.

•Real Time Giving Updates. For live events where people are encouraged to give, with a little technical know-how, it’s easy to project the gifts onto a screen as they’re received. This can be as simple as typing the gifts into a document that’s projected from a laptop, to posting them in real time on Twitter and projecting the organization’s Twitter stream. Twitter also allows community members who aren’t there in person to vicariously experience the excitement -- and be inspired to give online.

•Videos and Photos. More and more organizations are harnessing the power of video to capture and convey emotion often lost in email, and with video capabilities now included in nearly every camera and phone, it’s never been easier. From a staff sing-along to a classroom full of children thanking donors for their gifts, the ideas are seemingly limitless. Videos can be fun, or they can be serious. It’s up to the nonprofit to set the tone. Photos can be used in a similar way, for example, as a slide-show set to music that shows constituents or events or the beneficiaries of funding. These can be posted on the website and sent to donors as links in their thank you emails.

•Interactive Thank You Pages. When donors click a button to donate online, they typically see a thank-you web page. Enhancing this page with something more compelling, like a Flash fireworks display or a thank-you video or slideshow, can provide a more exciting option. Since the donor’s name and information is already in the system, it’s possible to personalize the video, for example, by superimposing the donor’s name onto a “Thank You” sign held by a child served by the organization.

•QR Codes. Growing in popularity, QR codes are the black-and-white graphics that look like bar codes that link people to a website when they scan them with their smartphone cameras. Including a QR code in a thank-you mailing or email is an innovative way to send donors to one of the web pages or videos discussed earlier. It also provides tech savvy donors an easy way to follow a link, and doesn’t require anything but the space in the letter.

Most of these ideas can be executed for free by someone with a firm grasp of computers. Some might require an investment, some specialized knowledge, or the help of a programmer, writer or consultant. But donors are the lifeblood of your organization, making them feel appreciated is a good way to show gratitude and keep them donating.

Building bonds while raising funds

The OD featured a helpful article on fundraising for nonprofits stressing the importance of relationships, which is a good follow up to the recent program held at Herkimer County Community College. As the article relates:

As nonprofit organizations and professional fundraisers court today’s savvier donors, it’s not always about who can throw a bigger, splashier fundraiser or a swankier black-tie event.

“If you’re looking at events and things that are going to pull people out, the level of competition is the same (as before the recession began),” said Katherine Lowe, membership chair and member of the board of directors for the Central New York Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Lowe also is community relations director of Meals on Wheels of Syracuse.

The real competition is in reaching donors with your mission, because that’s how they decide where to place their hard-earned dollars, Lowe said. Nonprofit organizations and fundraising professionals are focused on building long-lasting, solid bonds with individuals in their communities.

Giving them something different

Lowe emphasized that matching an event to an organization is a unique fit — what works for one organization may not work for another.

A volunteer-based organization may enjoy awards dinners that single out and honor a volunteer each year, but that wouldn’t work for everybody, she said. Instead, the trend is toward events that are tailored to the community, its desires and what it can support.

“I think it’s something you really look to your donors (for),” Lowe said.

Maria Alberico, regional director of Special Olympics New York, Central Region, agreed.
“It’s important to know your demographic,” she said. “You have to know what people are interested in.”

But when the Special Olympics of New York asked their fundraisers what they wanted, the answer was clear — something totally different.

Special Olympics responded by organizing events such as The Polar Plunge, where sponsored fundraisers take a winter’s dip into icy waters to raise money.

The event has become one of their most popular fundraisers. The Central Region had 400 participants last year.

“It’s that kind of wacky, thrilling, daredevil kind of event that doesn’t get lost in the walkathons,” she said.

The organization’s most recent event, Over the Edge, was held Thursday. It’s a fundraiser in which donors rappel over the side of a building to raise money. It had been successful in other areas of the state, Alberico said, with more than 150 participants in 2010.

In the event’s first year, 40 participants rappelled down the side of the Adirondack Bank Building on Genesee Street in Utica.

While events like Over the Edge or The Polar Plunge present unique opportunities for their participants, it’s important to make sure the connection is made between the event and the mission of the Special Olympics, Alberico said.

“We serve 51,809 athletes in the State of New York,” Alberico said. Nearly 7,000 of those athletes are in the Central New York region.

One of those athletes, basketball player Art Lindsey, went “Over the Edge” at a media day prior to the fundraiser, bringing attention back to the organization’s mission.

“In the end, this is why we do this. We have a great group of folks,” she said.

Making a connection

While Special Olympics of New York found in this case that donors were looking to walk on the wild side and raise money, Lowe said that’s not always the norm.

She said fundraising professionals are becoming cautious about planning “huge, splashy events.” They often are more expensive to put on and can cut into the net proceeds.

Stevens-Swan Humane Society has been able to effectively use its fundraisers to build upon the strong connection the community already feels to animals and the organization’s mission.

“It seems everybody has a connection with animals,” said Jerry Kraus, public relations director for the Stevens-Swan Humane Society. “So when we ask people to help us, and help our animals, it’s not really a tough sell for us because people identify with what we’re doing there: sheltering stray, homeless and abused animals.”

In fact, they identify with the organization’s mission to such a degree that community members frequently organize events and donate the proceeds to the humane society.

Last weekend, for example, the annual Animal for Animals benefit concert event took place. It was organized in memory of Ric “Animal” Morehouse by his stepson.

As a professional fundraiser, Lowe said, that is the ideal scenario: to have people who are willing to put together an event and donate the proceeds to your organization.

Whether they’re at an event organized by the humane society or helping out one of their many supporters, Kraus said the special events raise money but also highlight the work that the shelter is doing.

They bring shelter dogs the Wiggle Waggle Walkathon each September – even finding some of them homes at the event.

“When we get on the telethon, we’re bringing out some of the cases of abuse,” Kraus said. “So people know what we do at the shelter has some real, tangible results.”

And when it comes down to it, that’s what fundraising is all about, Lowe said.

“Fundraising, at its core, is really about relationship building,” Lowe said.

“It’s not about producing a one-shot deal,” she said. “It’s more about connecting to those individuals who are going to support your mission regardless of the economy.”

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INTRODUCES SIMPLIFIED MINI-GRANT PROGRAM FOR CAPACITY BUILDING

In Central New York, our local not-for-profit organizations tend to feel the pinch of challenging economic times more acutely than their for-profit counterparts. Often, a simple increase in organizational capacity can help not-for-profits withstand the turbulence of the market and continue to achieve the goals of their missions. To facilitate this, The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, Inc. is introducing a simplified mini-grant program.

This program is designed to help not-for-profits apply for funding of $20,000 or less that will be used for capacity-building purposes. For this process, capacity building is defined as something that “improves organizational capacity and competence;” this can include strengthening areas such as administrative systems, management, financial resources and governance. Historically, capacity-building grants have been invested in creating strategic or resource development plans, training and education for board and staff and purchasing new technology, to name but a few examples of activities that strengthens an organization’s foundation upon which its mission and programs rest.

The application for mini-grants is significantly shorter than the standard grant application.
This mini-grant program is a featured component of The Community Foundation’s competitive grantmaking. Capacity building grant requests for amounts over $20,000 may still be submitted, but are subject to the standard submission and review. Jan Squadrito is the Foundation staff contact for this program and all competitive grants. Interested parties should contact her at (315) 735-8212 or jsquadrito@foundationhoc.org for more information or to begin the application process.

The Community Foundation has been a force for improving lives and promoting philanthropy throughout Herkimer and Oneida counties since 1952. The Foundation has made more than 4,700 grants totaling over $37.2 million in support of causes ranging from education to health care, the arts to the environment. Grants are generated by the more than 285 funds that comprise The Foundation’s endowment, established and advanced by area individuals and families. For more information about The Community Foundation’s work in Herkimer and Oneida counties, visit www.foundationhoc.org or call (315) 735-8212.

Governor Orders Review of Executive Compensation at Nonprofits

From the Governor's Website

Albany, NY (August 3, 2011) Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that he has created a new task force to investigate the executive and administrator compensation levels at not-for-profits that receive taxpayer support from the state. The task force will be led by the New York State Inspector General Ellen Biben, Secretary of State Cesar A. Perales, the Medicaid Inspector General Jim Cox, and the Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services Benjamin Lawsky.

"Not-for-profits that provide services to the poor and the needy have a special obligation to the taxpayers that support them. Executives at these not-for-profits should be using the taxpayer dollars they receive to help New Yorkers, not to line their own pockets. This task force will do a top-to-bottom review, not only to audit current compensation levels, but also to make recommendations for future rules to ensure taxpayer dollars are used to serve and support the people of this state, not pay for excessive salaries and compensation," Governor Cuomo said.

Governor Cuomo continued, "There is a whole range of compensation levels and extremes that have existed for too long and must be reviewed. The use of taxpayer dollars must be scrutinized at every level."

The Governor's task force will determine the protocol and scope of the investigation in order to target the audit to focus on ensuring that state taxpayer dollars meant to help and protect New Yorkers, particularly the poor and indigent, are going to that purpose and are not being diverted to compensation. It will also provide recommendations for State agency policies and procedures that will ensure that taxpayer dollars are not being diverted to excessive compensation.

Commissioners from the Department of Health, the Office of Mental Health, and OPWDD will also serve on the task force.

The Governor's action follows reports of startlingly excessive salaries and compensation packages for executives at not-for-profits that depended on state Medicaid funding through the Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and other State agencies.

The State's Medicaid Inspector General has the authority necessary to exclude providers from participation in the Medicaid program if it is found that they have engaged in fraudulent or abusive practices.

There are currently no state rules governing executive and administrative compensation for not-for-profits that receive state support.

According to the Department of the Budget's January 2010 preliminary analysis of not-for-profit employees contracting with the mental hygiene agencies (Office of People With Developmental Disabilities, Office of Mental Health, and Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services), there were approximately 1,926 employees with annual salaries greater than or equal to $100,000. The total value of their salaries was $324.6 million, with an average salary of $168,555.

NYCON Statement on Governor's
Review of Executive Compensation:

"NYCON supports IRS and state enforcement efforts to root out those relatively few and often large institutional nonprofits, especially in health care and higher education, where charitable resources are used for the private and personal gain of executives. Such abuses are a stain on the sector and the Governor is right, public trust is integral to the mission and work of our state's charities. The Internal Revenue Service already provides compensation guidelines as set forth in the federal tax code and we believe those guidelines should be upheld.

It needs to be emphasized, however, that these cases are very much the exception.

The vast majority of community-based nonprofit employees are doing hard and challenging work at compensation levels that are far below public employees and often the for-profit sector. It should also be noted that the phrase "taxpayer supported nonprofits" is misleading as the state government contracts to buy services from nonprofits, just as it contracts with the for-profit sector; except the nonprofit is often expected to unfairly perform at below the actual cost of doing business. Perhaps it is also time to order an extensive review of the executive compensation levels of "taxpayer supported for-profit businesses."

NYCON asks the Governor to take this opportunity to go beyond the immediate executive compensation issue and take a comprehensive look at how the state's overall regulatory and business relationship with the nonprofit sector can be improved in the interest of all concerned."

Doug Sauer, CEO, New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc.
http://www.nycon.org/
1-800-515-5012, ext 103
dsauer@nycon.org

Unemployment Insurance borrowing results in new employee fee: To Impact Nonprofits

Read below about the recent news about a new fee per employee for employers related to NYS Unemployment Insurance borrowing. As a nonprofit, there is another alternative, which you can learn about from NYCON:

Find Out if the Unemployment Savings Program for NYCON Members through First Nonprofits Companies can Save You Money.

Why pay a tax if you don’t have to? Many NYCON Members have switched from paying the state unemployment tax rates to First Nonprofit Unemployment Savings Program saving up to 60% of their unemployment costs annually. Find out if you can too. Take NYCON's FREE upcoming Beneft Spotlight: Unemployment Savings Program on August 23rd from 10 am to 11am. REGISTER HERE

A Big Bill for Employers
The Albany Times Union reported that Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday rolled out a sweeping plan to help revitalize the state's economy, complete with an ad campaign and competitive grant program designed to spark innovation.

But businesses have a more immediate concern: The bill is coming due for New York's unemployment insurance.

Citing the need to borrow more than $3 billion from the federal government to prop up its chronically empty account, the state faces a whopping $95 million interest payment on loans for the fund due Sept. 30.

As a result, the state Department of Labor is assessing businesses up to $21.25 per employee to cover the cost. That payment is due Aug. 15.

Complaints about what businesses describe as a hidden tax were rolling in Tuesday after numerous employers received the notices and as Cuomo expounded on his plans for the economy.

"This is something that could -- depending on the number of employees -- be a pretty hefty cost in this economy," said Mike Durant, New York state director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

When asked about the surcharge during a news conference outlining his revitalization plans, Cuomo stressed that the bill for interest is ultimately coming from Washington, D.C.

"It's a federal decision whether or not they'll waive the interest payments. I hope that they do," he said, adding that his office was pushing the state's congressional delegation on the issue.

The hefty tab illustrates what can happen as the federal stimulus program, enacted shortly after the recession started in 2008, runs out.

The Department of Labor noted that the stimulus program provided no-interest loans to the states in 2009 and 2010, but not this year.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/A-big-bill-for-your-boss-1472786.php#ixzz1SetH4Zip

Steering Committee Minutes June 29th

Present:
Cassandra Sheets, Center for Family Life and Recovery
Jeff Owen, USC The Business College
Lorraine Kinney-Kitchen, Child Care Council of Cooperative Extension
Tim Trent, Future Development

July 21st Update
16 people registered

Proposed Agenda:
9 -10am NYCON presentation (overview of fund development committee and plan)
10 -10:10am Break (collect participant questions for panel)
10:10 -11:30am Panel discussion
11:30 -12pm Questions

The panel will be asked questions collected from participants. These questions will be focused in the areas of:
- ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN SETTING UP AND IMPLEMENTING FUND DEVELOPENT COMMITTE
- ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN SETTING UP AND IMPLEMENTING FUND DEVELOPENT PLAN
- LESSONS LEARNED
- MEASURES OF SUCCESS


The panelists are:
 Judith Reilly, Executive Director, Compeer of the Mohawk Valley
 Frank B. DuRoss, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement, Mohawk Valley Community College MVCC
 Steve Robinson, Director of Programs and Training, The Peacemaker Program, Inc
 Nancy M. Benz, Vice President for Fund Development, Planned Parenthood Mohawk Hudson, Inc.


Planning Discussion for 2012

• Discussed theme being Leadership in the Mohawk Valley




• Would focus on areas like succession planning and ED transition

FIFTH ANNUAL LATINO UPSTATE SUMMIT COMES TO MOHAWK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN UTICA ON OCTOBER 21, 2011

Latino leaders from across Upstate New York will gather in the Mohawk Valley this fall for the Fifth Annual Latino Upstate Summit. This year’s event, which is being hosted by the Mohawk Valley Latino Association (MVLA), will take place Friday, October 21, 2011, 8 am to 5 pm, at the Information Technology Building on the campus of Mohawk Valley Community College.

“After coming to Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany, the Latino community in the Mohawk Valley is proud to welcome the Latino Upstate Summit to Utica,” MVLA President Sonia Martinez said.

Since 2007, the Summit has addressed such issues as education, immigration, health care and economic development by bringing together leading experts in these and other fields for panel discussions designed to make policy recommendations to New York’s leaders.

Experts on this year’s panels include:
• Health Disparities: Dr. Patricia Bomba, Excellus Health Plan; Dr. Aymme Belen, DMD PC; Dr. Martin Morell, MD, ARTHRITIS SPECIALISTS; and Dr. Cynthia Jones, MD, Utica Community Health Center
• Education: Dr. Andy Lopez-Williams, Mohawk Valley Charter School for Excellence; Mickey Smith and Elizabeth Jimenez, Adult Learning Center; and Ralph Hernandez, President of the Buffalo Board of Education
• Immigration: Peter Vogelaar, Executive Director, Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees; Peter Mares, La Casa & Catholic Charities of Wayne County; Andrea Callan, NY Civil Liberties Union;
• Youth: Gary Harvey, Youth Construction Initiative Program, Proctor High School; Kitzia Burgos, House of Good Shepherd; Mary Hayes-Gordon, Young Scholars, Utica College; and Rita Paniagua, Spanish Action League of Onondaga County
• Workforce and Employment: Edwin Lopez-Soto, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University; David Mathis, Oneida County Workforce Development; Ryan Leogrande, NYS Department of Labor;
• Community: Juan Thomas, Utica College; Patrick Johnson, New Life Institute, Cathie Bullwinkle, Oneida County Health Department
• Best Practices (Concluding workshop): Anthony Colon, Techno-Logic Solutions

“The 2010 Census says that there are more than 243, 000 Latinos living north of the Hudson Valley, in urban, suburban and rural settings. The needs for these communities are as varied as the cultures that represent Latinos,” Martinez said.

This year’s keynote speaker during the lunch will be Ms. Pegine Echevarria, MSW, CSP. Ms. Echevarria is CEO/President of Team Pegine Inc. a global think tank, training and organizational development company focusing on leadership, diversity and motivation. Her clients include the US Navy, US Army, National Guard Bureau, Colgate Palmolive, Intel, and Northrup Grumman.
In addition to the Mohawk Valley Latino Association, Utica-Rome area participants in this year’s summit include businesses, non-profit leaders and government officials from communities across New York State.

Other participating agencies and organizations include Hispanics United of Buffalo, Ibero-American Action League, the Spanish Action League of Onondaga County, Centro Civico of Amsterdam, Noticias y/e Notas, Capital District 100 Hispanic Women, and New York State United Teachers (NYSUT).

Sponsors for the 2011 Upstate Latino Summit include Excellus Blue Cross/Blue Shield, AmeriCU Credit Union, AT&T, Central NY Association for the Blind, CNY Latino, IBOPE Zogby International, Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce, Resource Center for Independent Living, 484 Design and No Sheep Designs.

For more information on the Summit, please visit our web site, www.latinoupstatesummit.org or contact Martinez at 315.738.1083 x147.

General Genesis Meeting Thursday June 16th - 7:30am at Hotel Utica.

As outlined in our Strategic Plan, The Genesis Group continues to heighten the community's awareness on issues and opportunities in our region.

We are pleased to welcome the following Guest Speakers:

Mark Feane, Herkimer County Industrial Development Association (IDA), will discuss Economic Development projects underway in Herkimer County.

Mark Reynolds, Mohawk Valley EDGE, will provide updates on the Marcy Nanocenter, Whitestown Business Park and other EDGE projects

Renee Shevat, GEMS Along the Mohawk, will discuss their (GEMS) Phase II project and other componets of their enterprise

Donna Donovan, Observer-Dispatch, will discuss new changes coming to the newspaper and her company's impact in the region.

Stephen Merren, Nexstar TV, will discuss several "new" News Programs being launched this Fall.

Andria De Lisle-Heath, "Herkimer Now" (Representative), will discuss how this grass roots organization is working to revitalize the village of Herkimer.

Kelly Blazosky, Oneida County Tourism, will offer a preview of the 2011 Summer Tourism Season.

Mike Farmer, Town of Webb Tourism, will offer a preview of the 2011 Summer Tourism Season.

There is NO CHARGE for admission. Coffee & muffins will be offered. Bring colleagues and friends,

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Everyone in attendance will have the opportunity to promote an upcoming event, announce new hires and/or business opportunities.

Please confirm your attendance ~ RSVP to info@TheGenesisGroup.org
Thank you for your continued interest & support!

Ray Durso, Jr.
Executive Director
The Genesis Group
SUNYIT
100 Seymour Road
Utica, New York 13501
315.792.7187 telephone
315.797.1280 fax
email: info@TheGenesisGroup.org
web: www.TheGenesisGroup.org

Difficult decisions for YMCA regarding operations

The OD reported that the Mohawk Valley YWCA Monday announced cuts to programs including the closing of its pool, fitness center, children’s center and the end of its Y girls program.

The cuts are an effort to ensure the organization’s long-term sustainability of the nonprofit, Executive Director Natalie L. Brown said.

“It was imperative for us to take an honest look at our operations, develop a long-term strategy and make some difficult decisions,” Brown said in a news release. “We’ve taken time to evaluate and consider our long-term plan so that we can continue to exist and successfully provide services to the community.”

The Mohawk Valley YWCA has been running an approximately $484,000 deficit since 2004, Brown said.

If the organization continued to operate without the changes, it would have led to the YWCA’s closure in five to nine years, Brown said. The program cuts came after about nine months of planning, and should put the YWCA in a better financial position to handle any cuts to grants or other financial resources in this changing economic environment, she said.

The pool is scheduled to close June 30.

Four full-time and several part-time positions will be eliminated due to the closure of the pool and children’s center, Brown said.

She said she does not see the pool reopening in the future. Brown and the YWCA Board of Directors will be researching options on what to do with the unused facilities, she said.

“If it wasn’t a good program, this would be a piece of cake. It’s just really, really hard. Unfortunately sometimes you have to make those decisions,” Brown said.

The YWCA will continue to provide violence prevention education and sexual violence crisis services in Oneida and Herkimer counties, and domestic violence crisis services in Oneida County.

YWCA members who use the pool and fitness facilities plan to inquire board at its annual meeting tonight.

Steering Committee Minutes: Next Program Set for July 21st

Mohawk Valley Nonprofit Leaders Group
Steering Committee Meeting May 25

Present:
C. Sonia Martinez, Mohawk Valley Latino Association, Inc.
Cassandra Sheets, Center for Family Life and Recovery
Darby O'Brien, Utica Library
Frank DuRoss, Mohawk Valley Community College
Kevin Marken, Stanley Center for the Arts
Lorraine Kinney-Kitchen, Mid-York Child Care Coordinating Council

Discussion about next program meeting, following the year’s theme of Planning and Partnership for Financial Success

• Set for Thurs, July 21st from 9 to 12
• Proposed location is Herkimer County Community College
o Will check on possibility (Frank is making initial contact)
• Following up on Mike Stein’s presentation on the Fund Development Assessment, the next topic is Strategic Planning for Financial Success and will focus on the fund development plan and committee
o Session will include some starting info and a panel
o Also, approach will be more a working one
o Possibly split people up by stage they are at (have a fund development committee; trying to develop a plan; already have one)
o NYCON will provide foundation (fund development plan tools and examples)
• Will pursue nonprofits that have a plan in place to have examples and possibly ask them to be on panel to speak to their experience (how developed, problems ran into, etc).
o Use survey and direct approaches to find examples

Next Steering Committee meeting is June 29th at 9am at the Community Foundation

The Ladder to Leadership Program: Voice from the Field Guest Post from Cassandra Sheets

This is the first in an ongoing series of Voices from the Field guest posts by scholars, fellows and alumni of RWJF Human Capital programs. The author, Cassandra Sheets, L.M.S.W., is a fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Center for Creative Leadership’s Ladder to Leadership program.

It’s been barely 15 months since I completed my RWJF Ladder to Leadership fellowship, and I’m struck by two things. First, to my great surprise, I think I might have put almost everything I learned to use already, and second, it couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I can’t imagine what the last year might have been like if I hadn’t been through the program.

A newly posted story over on the RWJF Web site tells the tale. But the short version is that I was recently appointed CEO of the Center for Family Life and Recovery (CFLR), Inc., in Utica, New York, to guide the organization that we’re creating out of the merger of two family-serving organizations in the region. I know such mergers have been common in the last couple of years, driven in many cases by economic pressure from the recession.
The recession was certainly at work in our merger, and part of the purpose was to create more stable financial footing for the services we provide families. A lot of them are struggling with addiction in a variety of forms. We provide them with counseling and family support, alcoholism and addiction treatment support services, training and education, as well as mentoring and advocacy on their behalf.

Read more here.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Ladder to Leadership Fellow Features Utica ED and Nonprofit

The nation’s economic difficulties are felt in many ways. Some of the pain is measured by numbers on the front pages of newspapers—monthly unemployment figures and home foreclosure reports, for example. But other effects are less noticeable from a distance. Cassandra Sheets, L.M.S.W., gets close enough to notice as a fellow of Ladder to Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders, a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in collaboration with the Center for Creative Leadership.

Sheets is the CEO of the Center for Family Life and Recovery (CFLR) in Utica, New York—a role she took on just a few months ago, when the Mohawk Valley Council on Alcoholism/Addictions and Family Services of the Mohawk Valley merged. The new organization provides a range of prevention, treatment-support and recovery services to individuals and families.

Such services are always in demand, but the nation’s economic difficulties have made the need more pressing. “We are finding and hearing from clients every day that the stressors continue to compound as they try to make ends meet,” Sheets says. “We try to be responsive. Our aggression reduction program for youth and adults, for example, helps them put the challenges into perspective while providing healthy alternatives and choices. Our employee assistance program helps people find the help they need to keep their jobs, and remain healthy employees and family members. And our prevention program works with youth and adults to provide information on what they can do to make healthy choices despite the sometimes unhealthy environments they live in.”

The same economic challenges affect CFLR’s funding, as well. Indeed, one of several reasons for the merger was to secure the funding base for the organizations’ programs as the economic recovery limps along. Neither organization faced imminent financial peril, but Sheets and other organizational leaders hoped to build long-term security. “We saw a merger as a great way to stretch our dollars, as well as a way to build stronger programs for our clients,” Sheets says. “In that way, we really want to be a role model for agencies, urging them to partner with one another so as to make services more accessible and affordable.”

But the merger is not a fiscal panacea: CFLR recently had to stop offering income-based sliding-scale fees for its general individual and family counseling services at two of its sites, after losing funding from the local United Way.

The new organization is also dealing with the various strains that come with refining its mission, merging staff and systems, and more. Sheets credits the Ladder to Leadership program with helping her develop the skills to steer the organization through this challenging period in its young, post-merger life. “It gave me great confidence that I could lead this effort and move it forward,” she says. “For me, at least, it was really a life transformation on many levels, not just in terms of leadership, but also individually.”

For more info, visit here.

DeLisle-Heath named as new Utica Zoo executive director

After nearly a quarter of a century in the emergency response field, the head of the local American Red Cross will make the transition to conservation and recreation.
Andria DeLisle-Heath announced Wednesday she will step down as the executive director of the American Red Cross of the Mohawk Valley on June 3 to take over the executive director’s position at the Utica Zoo on June 13.
“Although I am leaving one very important organization in our community, I am thrilled to be joining another that plays a vital role in the Mohawk Valley,” said DeLisle-Heath in a news release.
DeLisle-Heath said during an interview on Wednesday she is excited to get started at the “new Utica zoo.”
“The board and staff have had a vision that has come to fruition,” she said.
This started with the African Alley, which includes new lions, zebras, hyenas and ostriches. She said the zoo is also bringing in an Asian realm, which will include some new arrivals at the zoo. The total number of animals at the zoo by the end of the year will be 270, nearly a hundred more than the number the zoo had at the end of last year, said DeLisle-Heath.
“The Utica Zoo Board of Trustees has searched for years for a talented executive director with the leadership skills, management experience, dedication to nonprofit organizations and a true devotion to the community possessed by Ms. DeLisle-Heath,” Joseph DeTraglia, board president for the Utica Zoo, said in a news release.
“She will continue the work of the board and staff in creating a new and improved zoo, and will continue to take this organization to the next level. She brings a level of professionalism that is unmatched and we are lucky to have her as part of the Utica Zoo team,” he said.
DeLisle-Heath’s background in nonprofit service began after she got her associate’s degree in business from Herkimer County Community College and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Utica College. She said this provided her with a great background to lead at nonprofit organizations.
In 1987, she joined in a leadership role at the YWCA, which provides crisis response for domestic and sexual violence victims, before leaving to head the Red Cross chapter in Herkimer County in 1997. She took a hiatus from the organization from 1999 to 2001 to spend more time with her family, before she decided to return, which was a month before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
After the attacks, the Herkimer chapter became the training ground for several chapters for those who wanted to volunteer. She said the chapter oversaw 80 people become new volunteers after the attacks.
Then in response to Hurricane Katrina four years later, the chapter was able to send 23 people from the Mohawk Valley to assist affected areas.
Both the chapter’s response to Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina stand out as accomplishments for DeLisle-Heath during her tenure, which she points out could not have happened without the chapter’s “amazing” staff, board of directors and volunteers.
“I never did any of this alone. Even with my departure, all of these great things will carry on at the Red Cross,” she said.
DeLisle-Heath said she has many ideas for the zoo, and is excited with the direction they are going in. DeLisle-Heath said she also has a sentimental connection with the zoo, as that is where she spent her first Mother’s Day over 20 years ago.
“Living in the Mohawk Valley has allowed to me to appreciate all of the hometown attractions for entertainment and quality of life enjoyment that we have available,” she said in a news release. “The Utica Zoo is a place where fun, wonder and education all come together. I believe that each family in our region can do just a little bit to ensure that the zoo, which has provided enjoyment for over 95 years, can continue to be a local icon.”
She also said she plans to still be involved with the Red Cross as a volunteer and as a donor.
“She’s such a wonderful, wonderful representative for the Red Cross,” said Red Cross board of directors member John Cipriano. “It’s going to be really difficult to replace Andria DeLisle-Heath. A more dedicated individual you’ll never find.”

"Taxing" Nonprofits: A Growing Interest

The NY Times featured a recent story about the growing trend of municipalities developing or charging nonprofits service fees (aka taxes on certain services). Clearly this is a challenge for most nonprofits, especially as they struggle to address increasing needs, higher operating costs and decreasing funding and donations. It seems that nonprofits will likely cut services in response, especially since most have already cut everything possible in an attempt to preserve programs and services. What kind of impact this will have remains to be seen, but it feels like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

The article relates:
As recession-racked cities struggle to balance their budgets with everything short of feeling behind sofa cushions for loose change, a growing number are seeking more money — just don’t use the word taxes — from nonprofit institutions that occupy valuable land but by law do not pay property taxes.

Boston has been sending letters to its largest nonprofit institutions this year, telling them the value of their land and asking them to begin making annual payments that would eventually rise to a quarter of what they would owe if they paid property taxes. Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel of Chicago wants the city to begin charging water fees to nonprofits, which have been spared them in the past. And the mayor of Providence, R.I., Angel Taveras, cited Boston’s example this month when he called on nonprofits to pay more money to the city.

Read more here.