"Nonprofit Spark": A Radio Talk Show for New and Emerging Nonprofits

"Nonprofit Spark" is weekly radio talk show through The Voice America hosted by Renee McGivern, a Minnesota-based nonprofit consultant. This show, launched in September, is focused on spurring dialogue on issues of emerging and new organizations. Check out her show live on Thursdays at 8am EST or catch up on past episodes on her show's webpage.

About the Host: Renee McGivern has 30 years of experience working in nonprofits and trade associations. She’s worn the hats of development, communications and executive director and also spent a great deal of her career designing training seminars for the newspaper industry. McGivern’s passion is to facilitate learning, communication and action so life works for people and organizations. “Nonprofit Spark is the first national radio show devoted to new and emerging nonprofits,” says McGivern. “It’s my dream job - to spark learning and action so leaders are effective at making a huge difference in the world.”

New York Nonprofit Press: Camp Finance

The New York Nonprofit Press reports that over 250 people turned out for this year’s Camp Finance hosted by the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) on September 30th and October 1st.

The event, which was held at Mohonk Mountain House, featured a keynote addess by Tim Delaney, Executive Director of the National Council of Nonprofits on “The Future of Our Sector: State and National Trends You Should Know About”.

Elliot Pagliaccio, Assistant Comptroller for Strategic Planning & Program Effectiveness kicked off day two with a discussion on “Strengthening the NYS & Nonprofit Sector Relationship: Reforming Procurement & Prompt Payment in New York State.”

More than 25 workshops were offered in a series of “tracks” on such topics as Basic Nonprofit Accounting, Nonprofit Accountability & Compliance. Fundraising & Marketing, and Grantmaking Today.

Camp Finance also included the recognition of Edward S. Mucenski, CPA of Potsdam, NY as the 2010 recipient of the Michael H. Urbach, CPA Community Builder’s Award. The New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc. (NYCON) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) co-sponsor the seventh annual award. The award recognizes exemplary achievements of a certified public accountant who serves on the board(s) of directors of charitable organizations.

Mucenski has been a Shareholder/Director in the firm of Pinto Mucenski Hooper Van House & Co., P.C. in Potsdam, New York since 1984 and is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the firm. Prior to that time, he had worked for the firm of Ernst & Ernst in Syracuse, NY. He has served in a variety of board leadership roles over an extended period of time, including Chairman and Vice-Chair of the St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers; Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Canton-Potsdam Hospital; Treasurer of Mater Dei Foundation; and is past Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Potsdam. He also serves as a board member on Community Bank, N.A. and St. Mary’s Church Finance Council.

Steering Committee Minutes: Planning for Dec 6th and 2011

Mohawk Valley Nonprofit Leaders Group Steering Committee
October 25

Present: Cornelia E. Brown, MAMI Interpreters; Lorraine Kinney-Kitchen , Mid-York Child Care Coordiating Council, Inc; Jeff Owen, USC The Business College; Darby O'Brien, Utica Library; Tim Trent; Kevin Marken, Stanley Center for the Arts

Agenda:
• Recap of the October 6th ED and Board Working Together panel discussion
o Will focus on the topic of ED and Board Partnership on an annual basis
 2011 will offer separate general sessions for EDs and board members and then joint session

• Half day conference approach with breakouts
o Suggestions received for ED focus include
 How do you deal with a board member who continues to want to be involved with day to day activities?
 Board dysfunction as a result of personality conflicts and agendas and what to do?
 Staffing issues
o Suggestions for Board focus include
 What to look for in the financial reports?
 How do you deal with an inappropriate board member?

• Focus for next program meeting, set for December 6
o Social and networking focus
 Will ask EDs to bring 3 ideas or challenges they would like to see the ED Group address

• More specifically, will have easels with notepads around the room listing questions for the participants to address
o Examples: Biggest financial challenge/issue; fund development challenge/issue; board need/challenge; special event challenge/issue; leadership challenge/issue; biggest challenge/issue in general
 Details

• Participants invited to bring materials to share

• Meeting held at Stanley
o 5 to 7pm
o $15 fee
 Light food, soda, coffee, and cash wine and beer bar

• 2011 Planning
o Will have next Steering Committee meeting on Dec 13 to discuss outcomes of Dec 6th meeting and plan for next year
o Ideas
 Recruiting board members
 Leadership

Next Steering Committee Meeting: December 13th at 9am located at Stanley Performing Arts Center

October 6 Program ED and the Board Working Together: Watch the Discussion!

Missed the Mohawk Valley Nonprofit Leaders Group October 6th Program? Watch the panel discussion on the ED and the Board Working Together: Keys to Success.



Here's more video from the panel on NYCON's YouTube Channel.

The panel featured:
Facilitator: Kevin Marken, Stanley Center for the Arts

Panelists:
Jan Forte, Homeownership Center
Kelly Blazosky, Oneida County Tourism
Peggy O'Shea, The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, Inc.
Larry Gilroy, Board Member
Jim Stewart, Stewart Consulting

Questions Discussed:
o What is EDs responsibility for board development?
o What is/how do you define the relationship between the board and ED?
o What are the ethics and issues regarding developing a board focused on mission or community politics?
o How do you keep reinforcing mission and focus of board?
o How do you (and who) set board expectations, get commitment, and monitor/facilitate them?
o How do you communicate and convey obligations and other related info to the board and make them understand?
o How do you clarify and emphasize the importance of conflict of interests and priority issues for the board?
o How much involvement should board members have in daily activities?
o What is the nomination process and what works and what doesn't?

Lawsuits: GroWest's leaders responsible for improprieties

Imagine a dysfunctional nonprofit agency, filled with corruption and negligence at every level.

That’s the picture of GroWest Inc. painted in five state Supreme Court lawsuits obtained Wednesday by the O-D.

Some of the most egregious allegations are made against John Denelsbeck, the agency’s former executive director. One complaint filed by GroWest claimed Denelsbeck orchestrated bid rigging and masked the nonprofit’s financial problems from the board of directors.

“Denelsbeck used inside program information, such as project cost estimates to manipulate the bidding process to ensure that preferred contractors got particular jobs,” the complaint states.

Those contractors then called for bogus emergency repairs and other project changes to raise costs, according to the complaint. In some cases, the contractors used construction materials obtained through GroWest funds for personal use, according to the court documents.

The four separate legal actions filed by GroWest against its former officials and contractors claim various monetary damages ranging from $439,003 to more than $7.4 million. A fifth complaint filed by the city against GroWest and its former leaders also claims damages of more than $7.4 million.

Attorney Mark Wolber, who is representing Denelsbeck, said the former executive director did nothing wrong. Wolber took issue with how the allegations were compiled and questioned why Denelsbeck never was interviewed during a city investigation into the nonprofit.

“I find it a bit difficult to understand how anyone attempting to investigate can get a fair picture of the situation without explanation from both sides,” Wolber said.

Read more of the OD's article here.

NYS Society of CPAs Discusses Family Foundations: Oct 20 Program

THREE FRUITY FLAVORS OF FAMILY FOUNDATIONS
PRESENTED BY THE NYSSCPA – UTICA CHAPTER

Date: Wednesday October 20, 2010
Place: Radisson Hotel
200 Genesee Street
Utica, New York

Schedule: Registration/Breakfast Buffet: 7:30 - 8:00
Seminar: 8:00 - 10:00

Please join the Utica Chapter of NYSSCPA for this exciting discussion on family foundations. Our speaker, Bryan Clontz, will discuss the attributes of private foundations, community foundations, and supporting organizations and review the advantages and drawbacks of each. Mr. Clontz is the president and co-founder of Charitable Solutions, LLC, and specializes in non-cash asset receipt and liquidation, gift annuity reinsurance brokerage, gift annuity risk management consulting, life insurance appraisals and CRT/CGA investment management. His company’s website is: www.charitablesolutionsllc.com. He also serves as a Senior Consultant for Ekstrom & Associates – a Connecticut-based community foundation consulting firm.

This seminar is graciously co-sponsored by The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties and their generous Corporate Partners: Bank of America, Bank of Utica, Carbone Auto Group, Cathedral Corporation, Fastrac Markets, JAY-K Independent Lumber, M. Griffith Investment Services, NBT Bank, Pacemaker Steel & Piping Company, Strategic Financial Services and Staffworks.

Discussion Leader: Bryan Clontz
Course code: 29101101.
The cost for the meeting will be $15 per person.

Please mail your reservation and payment by check to Scott Hosler, c/o Gruver, Zweifel & Scott, LLP, 7936 Seneca Turnpike, Clinton, NY 13323 by Wednesday October 13, 2010. Reservations may also be faxed to 797-0305 or e-mailed to SHosler@gzscpa.com. Checks should be made payable to NYSSCPA – Utica.

How Much Does Your Program Really Cost?

From the National Council of Nonprofits' Nonprofit Knowledge Matters October Newsletter:

Your Mission: What Does it Really Cost?
Too often the grant or contract a nonprofit receives to deliver a program or service, whether from a foundation or the government, simply does not cover the full cost of delivering that program or service. This problem is highlighted in the National Council's recent Special Report: Costs, Complexification, and Crisis: Government’s Human Services Contracting "System" Hurts Everyone. The report illustrates how government contracts that do not cover the full cost of services cut into the muscle of the nonprofit providing the services, and ultimately weaken our communities.

In fact, failure to cover the full cost of services and programs was the #1 problem uncovered by the first-ever national survey documenting the serious and widespread problems experienced by nonprofit human service providers under contract with local, state and federal governments. View the findings from the survey conducted by the Urban Insitute.

The "full cost recovery" problem is echoed by the experience of nonprofits receiving funding from private philanthropy. Foundation grants frequently fall short of covering the actual cost to the nonprofit of delivering programs and services covered by the grant. For instance, a survey by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) found that only 20 percent of foundations say that their grants "often or always" include the appropriate overhead to cover the amount of time grantees spend reporting on their grants. Read a national study by GEO.

In order for nonprofits to be sustainable this paradigm has to change.

Whether from the perspective of capacity builders, or nonprofits that are striving to build their own capacity, we should recognize that part of the problem – and a big step towards a solution – lies with nonprofits themselves. Here are three things you can do:

1. Know how to calculate the full cost of delivering programs and services – not the "budgeted" costs (often a euphemism for anticipated or projected costs) but the actual costs of service delivery.
2. Advocate for your organization by communicating the actual costs of program delivery to funding sources.
3. Communicate to funders that shortchanging nonprofits by not paying the full cost of service delivery is a barrier to the sustainability of individual nonprofits.

The bottom line is that without knowing how much to ask for, and without receiving full cost recovery, nonprofits will never be able to build their capacity or provide sustainable services to our communities.

Wondering where to start? The National Council's Capacity Building Hub shares resources to help nonprofits understand and calculate the full cost of delivering their mission, and to help grantmakers understand the importance of full cost recovery.