VAST Training - Optimum Use of Volunteers: October 21

The Volunteers Administrators of the Southern Tier (VAST)
Cordially invites you to attend

"Sustaining Your Resources in Tough Economic Times"

Volunteer Manager/Director
One-Day Regional Training

Thursday, October 21, 2010
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Holiday Inn Arena
2-8 Hawley Street
Binghamton, NY

Cost: $60.00 (lunch included)

Please indicate session preferences when you reply
Session 1
Evaluating How Your Organization Views and Uses Your Volunteers
An all day (morning and afternoon) session with guest presenter:

Harriet C. Edwards, Ed.D., Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University and President A.L.!.V.E (Association Of Leaders In Volunteer Engagement)

Session 2
Morning : Overview of the AmeriCorps Program: How it Works, How to Apply
Presenter: John C. Salo, Executive Director of Rural Health Service

Afternoon: Connecting with your Local College Resources
Presenter: Allison Alden, Ed.D., Founding Director of the Center for Civic
Engagement at Binghamton University

Harriett C. Edwards, Ed.D., Assistant Professor
North Carolina State University Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family & Consumer Sciences

Registration and Session Preference

We regret that payment by credit card and PO's is not available.

Registration Deadline
October 5, 2010

MAIL TO: STAP
c/o Candace Phelan
122 Baldwin Street
Johnson City, NY 13790

cphelan@stapinc.org

October 21, 2010

Holiday Inn Arena
2-8 Hawley Street
Binghamton, NY 13901

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Registration 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Choose one @ $60.00

____ Session 1 w/ Harriet Edwards

____ Session 2: w/ John C. Salo and Allison Alden

Registration is not processed without payment unless special arrangements have been made.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: 2010 Michael H. Urbach, CPA, Community Builder's Award

Sponsored by the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA)

In recognition of the important role, talents and leadership that a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in New York State can provide as a board member for community-based charities, NYCON and NYSSCPA are pleased to announce the 7th Annual Michael H. Urbach, CPA, Community Builder's Award.

The award is named in honor of the late Michael H. Urbach, CPA, former partner of Urbach, Kahn and Werlin, former NYS Commissioner of Tax and Finance and Chair of the State Employees federated Appeal, and board leader of a number of charities.


Award Criteria & Submission
Candidates must:

• Be a CPA in good standing and a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants;
• Have served as an Officer on at least 3 different charitable 501(c)(3) community-based nonprofits with service as President/Chair at least once;
• Have demonstrated exemplary board leadership resulting in significant and positive organizational impact including, but not limited to, financial turn-around, growth, and/or organizational re-structuring; and
• Preference will be given to nominees whose board leadership accomplishments have been with community-based charities.

Deadline - August 30th, 2010
Nominations addressing the candidate's qualifications must be submitted in writing and received by August 30th, 2010. Nominators are strongly encouraged to include letters of support from the charities who have benefited from the candidate's volunteer leadership.

Send six (6) packets of nomination materials to:
Urbach Community Builder's Award Committee
New York Council of Nonprofits
272 Broadway
Albany NY 12204

Announcement & Presentation
The 2010 award will be formally presented at the Annual Member Meeting of NYCON slated for the afternoon of September 30th at Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, New York.

The Luncheon will take place during CAMP FINANCE, a two-day retreat that provides the very best in knowledge and skill development sessions for fiscal and management staff, as well as board members. New this year, it has expanded to include the popular "Money for Mission" tracks that will focus on fundraising, marketing, social media, grant making (both government and philanthropic) and more!

In honor of the late Harold Mandel, a certified public accountant who worked for Urbach, Kahn & Werlin in Albany, NY and retired in West Palm Beach, FL, the 2010 Urbach Honoree has the privilege to award three (3) nonprofit executives of their choice Camp Finance scholarships in Hal's name. In 2009, Mr. Mandel's family accepted a posthumous Michael H. Urbach, CPA Community Builder's Award in his tribute.

Security and Risk Management Training for Museums

Theft of historical documents plagues records repositories. With careful planning, awareness of warning signs and proactive security solutions, organizations can reduce the window of opportunity for historical record theft. Archival security expert Mimi Bowling will provide an interactive curriculum on archival security, preparing participants to take immediate action to strengthen their local security programs. Participants will receive a certificate upon completion. There is no cost.

Topics include risk awareness; insider theft; facility design and security technology; security of information systems; working with vendors and contractors; research room management and design; developing institutional security policies; procedures and post-theft response; additional topics as requested by participants.

Representatives of NY¹s historical records community, including archives, governments, libraries, museums, historical societies, schools and non-profits will be given first priority. Additional seats are available for security personnel and law enforcement representatives working with these organizations. Out-of-state representatives and others interested in the
topic are also encouraged to register.

September 13, 2010 (Monday)
Ontario County Safety Training Center
Canandaigua, Ontario, NY

September 14, 2010 (Tuesday)
Erie 1 BOCES
West Seneca, Erie, NY

October 4, 2010 (Monday)
Utica Public Library
Utica, Oneida, NY

October 5, 2010 (Tuesday)
Roberson Museum and Science Center
Binghamton, Broome, NY

March 7, 2011 (Monday)
Historic Huguenot Street
New Paltz, Ulster, NY

April 11, 2011 (Monday)
Crandall Public Library
Glens Falls, Warren, NY

April 18, 2011 (Monday)
Town of Massena
Massena, St. Lawrence, NY

Metro NYC Region and
Long Island Region
Spring 2011
TBA

To register, please email Bturner@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-473-0130. Early registration is encouraged and appreciated; only 25 seats available.

Workshop have been made possible by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the New York State Historical Records Advisory Board, and the New York State Archives.


Brittany Turner
Project Assistant
"Lessons from a Theft: Bringing Security Tools and Knowledge to New York's
Historical Records Community"

NYS Archives
CEC, Room 9D58
Albany, NY 12230
(PH) 518-473-0130\
(FX) 518-486-1647

Rural Health Network of South Central NY presents Growing Healthy 2010: October 5

Common Ground: Farms, Food & Health
An Inaugural Conference for Interdisciplinary Learning and Dialogue

An Evening Celebration Offering a Sumptuous Selection of Locally Grown Food, Wine & Beer

Date: Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Conference: 8:30 AM-5:30 PM
Evening Tasting Event: 5:30 - 9:00

Location:
Binghamton Regency Hotel and Conference Center
225 Water Street
Binghamton, NY 13901-2704

Every Growing Health event gets bigger and better. In 2006, over 200 people sampled dishes prepared with local fresh food by some of the area’s most popular chefs. In 2008, over 250 people came, more local restaurants, wineries and breweries were featured, and we offered information about where to purchase food from farms in the region.

In 2010, we are back by popular demand! Our evening food, wine and beer tasting event will be truly sumptuous! And for the first time, due to tremendous interest, Growing Health 2010 features a full day Farms, Food and Health Conference. Attend the conference, the evening local foods tasting, or both. But please register early because tickets are limited.

Conference and Registration Info

SCNY ED Group September 14th Program: Partnerships, Mergers and Acquisitions

Presented by Doug Sauer, CEO, NY Council of Nonprofits

Doug Sauer, CEO of the New York Council of Nonprofits, will speak about Partnerships, Mergers and Acquisitions. With nonprofit resources getting tighter and expenses increasing, concerns growing about more regulations and accountability demands, and the search for solutions other than belt-tightening, service cut backs, and ramping up fundraising efforts, nonprofits are looking for new opportunities. Mr. Sauer will discuss partnerships, mergers and acquisitions as solutions and ideas for nonprofits during these challenging times.

Date: Tuesday, September 14th
Time:
8:30 am- General meeting
9:00am to 10:30pm- Program
Cost: FREE to nonprofit directors
Location:
American Red Cross, Southern Tier Chapter
620 East Main Street
Endicott, NY 13760

REGISTER HERE

Free workshop on social media for nonprofit groups

A half-day workshop for nonprofit organizations will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Broome County Public Library.

Called “Cutting Edge Technologies to Grow Your Non-Profit Organization,” the workshop will look at social media and its ability to transform nonprofits. Other technologies to help recruit and retain volunteers will also be discussed.
The Broome Leadership Institute Alumni Association, RSVP, Southern Tier Young Professionals, United Way of Broome County, Binghamton University College of Community and Public Affairs and BU’s Department of Human Development have joined together to hold this free workshop.

For more information or to sign up, contact Amy Shaw at (607) 722-8863 ext. 313.

Arts group plans to restore landmark Binghamton theater

The Press & Sun-Bulletin reported on new plans for the Strand Theater on Chenango Street.

The lights went out, and the long run ended, in the late 1970s when the theater went out of business.

Now, a local nonprofit arts group has plans to reopen and restore the building as a multi-screen theater and community arts center.

The Art Mission and Theater has applied for a $160,000 Environmental Protection Fund Grant from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to buy the 27 Chenango St. building from its current owner, Riviera Theater Inc.

The acquisition would be the first step toward moving the theater and art gallery from its current location at 61 Prospect Ave. to the old Strand Theater location, which has been vacant for about four years since the closing of the Parlor City Café, said Matthew Thorn, executive director of the Art Mission and Theater.

"We want to expand and offer more programs. Our goal is to turn the building into a cultural center," Thorn said.

The Art Mission and Theater opened at 61 Prospect Ave. in 2007 to show first-run independent and foreign films that generally don't show up at the Regal Cinemas and Town Square Mall multiplexes. Read more here.

National Council of Nonprofits' Nonprofit Advocacy Update

Five Worst Government Contracting Abuses
Late payments for contracted services is only one of many ways that governments shortchange nonprofits and exploit the contracting relationship. See the five worst government contracting abuses and let us know if you can add further documentation, if you've seen worse, or if you know of solutions in your state that help prevent these and other abuses.

Hearing to Consider Gulf Coast Need for Charitable Assistance
Viewing the impact of the Gulf oil spill on people in the region, Congress is asking "what needs to be done and how the charitable sector and others can reach out to these communities and help." The Oversight Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, July 20, to consider these questions and examine how donations contributed to charities are being used. In announcing the hearing, Chairman John Lewis (D-GA) stated, "This is the moment when government must rely on charitable organizations to fulfill their missions and address these urgent needs."

Rival Estate Tax Revisions Proposed
The estate tax expired at the end of 2009, but will snap back automatically in 2011 to a 55 percent tax rate with a $1 million exemption unless changes are made. Senators are proposing rival plans to weaken or strengthen the federal tax on estates. Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) introduced a measure last week to set the estate tax rate at 35 percent, with a $5 million exemption phased in over 10 years and indexed for inflation. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) recently introduced the Responsible Estate Tax Act, S.3533 to set an exemption of $3.5 million and impose tax rates from between 35 percent and 55 percent based on the size of the estate above the exemption level. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said that he does not intend to allow any estate tax votes in the coming weeks, but he continues to negotiate with the Republican Leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), on the Senate schedule and amendments.

Financial Regulatory Reform Enacted, Cuts Debit Card Fees
Last week the Senate passed and sent to President Obama the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R.4173). The measure imposes new restrictions on risky financial investments, creates a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau within the Federal Reserve, and allows the Federal Reserve to regulate the amount of fees that nonprofits and merchants can be charged for debit card transactions. President Obama is expected to sign the bill this week.

Nonprofit Sector Act
Federal Data of "Uncertain Quality"
The case for the Nonprofit Sector and Community Solutions Act, H.R. 5533, was made recently by SubsidyScope, a program of Pew Charitable Trusts. In seeking to analyze the effects of tax subsidies and federal grants, the authors reached the following conclusions:

"It is challenging to assemble and present spending and subsidy data regarding the nonprofit sector because the federal government does not identify nonprofits as a distinct budget category. Further, federal budget data are of uncertain quality; specifically, the data available through USAspending.gov are incomplete because certain program information is missing for a number of records, making it difficult to discern which specific agencies and programs may be awarding funds to nonprofits."

A key component of H.R. 5533 is to overcome the data challenges that SubsidyScope, and many other nonprofit researchers, have identified.

IRS Seeks Comments on New Disclosure Requirement
The health care reform law enacted earlier this year requires nonprofits and businesses, starting in 2012, to report aggregate payments to vendors in excess of $600 for goods and other property. The requirement applies for payments to all vendors, not just those related to health care. Currently, nonprofits and others are required to file Form 1099s for payment of services by independent contractors, but not for goods from vendors. The IRS is seeking public comment on how to most effectively carry out the law change, with the stated goal of minimizing burdens and avoiding duplicate reporting. The deadline for comments is Sept. 29, 2010. Please share this information with your accounting and operations personnel and send the National Council your ideas on how best to limit the impact of this new reporting requirement.

Tri-Cities Opera Reshapes for the Future

The Board of Directors of Tri-Cities Opera have announced a variety of changes to better position the company financially while improving its service to local and regional audiences.

Months of research have examined opportunities to reduce expenses, off load costs and provide better efficiencies. Most recently TCO concluded a workshop looking at these issues with the President and CEO of OPERA America.

As a result, the following changes have already taken place:

1) The development of new partnerships through Binghamton University's School of Music.

2) Peyton Hibbitt, Co-founder and Artistic Director Emeritus has been offered an adjunct faculty position as part of the MM-Opera program at Binghamton University.

3) Duane Skrablak, Senior Artistic Director has retired.

4) Peter Sicilian has been asked to be the Stage Director for Cosi fan Tutte, the first production of the 2010-2011 season.

5) John Mario Di Costanzo has been engaged by both Tri-Cities Opera and Binghamton University. He will be music director and conductor of the opera performances at the Forum and he will teach classes and give individual instruction at the University.

6) The Resident Artist Training Program will continue with available resources concentrated on fewer singers and with added opportunities for the singers to network with artists working in the industry.

TCO was founded in 1949 by Peyton Hibbitt and Carmen Savoca. By 1950 they had launched this community's first full-scale opera Cavalleria Rusticana, using a full orchestra, native language and complete stage settings -rare for any local opera - anywhere.

In 1971, TCO began its Resident Artist Training Program (RATP). Through the 1990s singers came to train and stayed for several seasons before launching careers. These singers provided the primary talent for TCO's main stage presentations.


Over half of North America's opera companies were established after 1970, and one quarter of the total were established since 1980, making the growth of opera throughout North America a relatively new phenomenon.

Many of these newer companies also offered training programs with greater financial support than was available at TCO and the added value of important exposure to industry professionals. This made it more difficult for TCO to attract and keep singers. In the past few seasons, the company has had to engage singers outside the company for primary roles.

"The business model which served us well is no longer workable," said General Director Reed Smith. "However, with the guidance of OPERA America, and given the strengthened relationship with Binghamton University we believe we are now headed in
the correct direction."

OPERA America serves the opera field by supporting the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera. It counts 117 professional companies in 43 states in its membership, including Tri-Cities Opera. It also provides support and consultation to opera companies.

"The re-structuring of Tri-Cities Opera represents an important step forward for this historic company," said Marc A. Scorca, President and CEO of Opera America. "For more than 50 years, the company played an essential role in the development of young
American artists, paving the way for an explosion in the number of training programs across the country. With the recent re-structuring, the company is making a bold and strategic move to improve its service to local and regional audiences, and increase its financial stability into the future. As it did in 1949, Tri-Cities Opera is responding the current needs of its community."

"Tri-Cities Opera is making some bold changes but the fundamentals of the company are still intact," said Dirk Olds, TCO Board Chairman. "It was absolutely necessary that the
company re-tool itself for the future and we feel these changes will result in a wonderful improvement of our services. It's as if we have just upgraded to 'TCO Version 2.0'".

Tri-Cities Opera was founded in 1949 by Carmen Savoca and Peyton Hibbitt. The company enjoys an exceptional reputation in the opera world for its resident artist-training program, sets, costumes and opera productions.

Tri-Cities Opera has announced its program for its main stage productions and its 62nd season: Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte will be presented October 15 and 17; Verdi's La Traviata will be performed February 11 and 13, 2011; Offenbach's The Tales of
Hoffman will end the season on April; 29 and May 1, 2011.