How America Gives- Interactive Fundraising Tool

Check out this great new interactive tool that can help nonprofit directors get information about the giving patterns in every state, county, city and ZIP code in the United States. This is an exciting new tool that can help  you out with fundraising. 

How America Gives is a free resource that spotlights giving statistics across a variety of income levels and allows users to compare and share data about charitable contributions. You can access it here:http://philanthropy.com/givingmap 

You are also invited to check out our exclusive How America Gives special report, which includes rankings, analysis, and much more: http://philanthropy.com/americagives 

Nominate an Outstanding CPA; Join the NYCON Board

2012 Michael H. Urbach, CPA, Community Builders Award Now Accepting Nominations Submission Accepted through August 24th, 2012 Sponsored by the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) Lewis Kramer, Urbach Award Recipient and Doug Sauer, CEO, NYCON The New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc. (NYCON) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) are pleased to announce this call for nominations for the Ninth Annual Michael H. Urbach, CPA Community Builders 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. This award is 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. Award Criteria & Submission Candidates must: Be a CPA in good standing and a member of NYSSCPA. 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. Preference will be given to nominees whose board leadership accomplishments have been with community-based charities. Deadline - August 24th, 2012 Nominations addressing the candidate's qualifications must be received by August 24th. Nominators are strongly encouraged to address the qualifications related to the four (4) criteria mentioned above and to include at least three (3) letters of support from the charities who have benefited from the candidate's volunteer leadership. Send two (2) packets of nomination materials to: Urbach Community Builders Award Committee New York Council of Nonprofits 272 Broadway Albany NY 12204 or email the packet to Melissa Currado, Executive Assistant to the CEO at mcurrado@nycon.org. NYCON Now Accepting Applications for Board Membership A great opportunity to volunteer your time and lend your expertise to help nonprofits of all types improve the quality of life in New York State. The New York Council of Nonprofits' Board Development Committee is now accepting applications for nominees for its Board of Directors. Terms are for three years, starting January 1, 2013, with a three consecutive term limit. Successful nominees will be presented for election to our Membership at NYCON's Annual Meeting on October 4th in New Paltz. Applicants must be individuals of high integrity, demonstrate commitment to our state's nonprofit sector, and be willing to invest the time, effort, expertise and influence necessary on a regional and statewide basis to further NYCON's mission. All applications will be considered by the Board Development Committee however priority consideration will be given to individuals who meet more than one of the following characteristics: Resides in Hudson Valley, Metro New York or Central New York regions Has public policy knowledge & expertise, particularly with respect to state government Has marketing & Media Relations expertise Is affiliated with Organized Philanthropy Has Banking & Corporate Business expertise & affiliations Is a racial or ethnic minority Applications are due by August 27th, 2012. If you are interested we encourage you to review the NYCON "Board Brief" document and complete the application below: Download an application Download the NYCON "Board Brief" Candidates are recommended to the Board by the Committee and the Board in turn recommends a slate to the NYCON Membership which convenes for our Annual Meeting at Mohonk Mountain House on October 4th during Camp Finance. Board members elected by the members begin service in January 2012. Questions?Please contact us.

All About the Board Members... Nominate an Outstanding CPA Board Member by August 24th Are You Interested in Joining the NYCON Board? Thank You to Our Supporters! NYCON and NYSSCPA would like to recognize The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region for their grant contribution towards the Michael H. Urbach, CPA Community Builders Award. For More Information visit NYCON at WWW.NYCON.ORG or contact Melissa Currado at (800) 515-5012 or mcurrado@nycon.org Co-sponsored by The New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants 　 www.nysscpa.org

Economic Impact Study Update: Photos and Quotes Needed!

Dear SCNYED Members,

We are asking for your submissions of Photo's and Quotes from the people who benefit from your organizations mission. to be considered for inclusion in the Economic impact Study final document which is currently being prepared by Riger.  Individuals would need to sign consent form for the images and quotes to be used.  It is critically important to show the personal side of how we impact the lives of those who are touched by our programs.  Please send your submissions to Darrell Newvine at Family Enrichment Network  dnewvine@familyenrichment.cc by August 24th   Thank You.

We hope to have the final draft of the document ready to share with all of you in late September, watch for the meeting date.

Sincerely,
Deb Fitzgerald
Steering Committee Chair SCNYED
 

Deborah Fitzgerald, Exec Director

Cub Care Children's Center
Enriching Young Minds
Recess Resources, Inc.
201 Main Street, Vestal, NY  13850
Ph: 607-786-9006  Fax: 607-786-7705
Visit us at www.cubcare.org
Like us on Face Book  -
 http://www.facebook.com/#!/CUBCARE

Growing Health 2012, Cultivating Common Ground: Farms, Food & Health on October 16 and 17, 2012

Register for Growing Health 2012

Join us for two full days of learning and dialog at Growing Health 2012, Cultivating Common Ground: Farms, Food & Health on October 16 and 17, 2012 at the Riverwalk Hotel in downtown Binghamton, NY.  Be a part of this rich educational and networking experience that is working across sectors to build a healthier New York literally from the ground up. Register online at growinghealth.rhnscny.org or call 888-603-5973. Space is limited. Register before September 30 and take advantage of package discounts.

October 16: New York State Healthy Farms, Healthy People Meeting: Participants will register by NYS region and focus on four critical issues which impact the effectiveness of accessing NYS food products to maximize nutrition and health. Topics include: NYS Agriculture Capacity and Infrastructure; Individual and Consumer Access to NYS Food Products; Business and Institutional Access to NYS Food Products; and NYS Food Coalitions, Networks, and Collaborations.  

Evening Celebration of Local Foods: Join us from 6:00-8:30pm for local food-tasting. Guests will enjoy a bounty of delicious food samples prepared by some of the area’s finest chefs, fruit from NYS orchards, and beverages from NYS wineries and breweries.

October 17: Growing Health Conference: Our morning kicks off with walking tours of the Binghamton Urban Farm or Binghamton Greenway. Six tracks of two sessions each will be offered throughout the day. A sampling of our topics: “Local Foods on The Menu” with presenters Heather Birdsall, and Will Owen; “Milk and Dairy Products in a Healthy Diet: Myth & Reality” with presenter Dr. Adam Lock; “Why does the FDA Tell Me One Thing About Overuse of Antibiotics as a Farmer and Another as a Physician?” with presenters Dr. Ken Jaffe and Dr. Helene Marquis; “Measuring Farmers Markets: Where Community Development Meets Public Health” with presenter Richard McCarthy; “Value Added Agricultural Economic Development” with presenter Patrick Hooker.

About the Host: The Rural Health Network of South Central New York is the proud host of Growing Health. We have been serving the health-related needs of rural residents in Broome, Tioga, and Delaware Counties since 1998.

New Ideas for Board Recruitment: Consider Youth

As more of our organizations face recruitment and engagement issues with our Boards of Directors, it is time to think outside of the box and take new approaches. One such idea is to consider youth serving on our Boards. Below is a great overview and info from the National Council of Nonprofits, the umbrella organization for the NYCON, for your consideration.

You’re only as old as you feel

By Jennifer Chandler

When a question landed in my inbox last week about youth serving on nonprofit boards, my thoughts turned to our society’s attitudes towards age and the role that charitable nonprofits can play in bridging the “generation gap.” The question in my inbox was: “Are there any programs that prepare youth to serve on nonprofit boards?” The question prompted me to think about the distance between young and old, and how nonprofits bridge what I think of as a“perspectives gap.”

But first, let’s clarify a threshold issue relating to the question posed. While seven states (Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Utah) prevent anyone under the “majority age” (usually 18) from serving as a board member of a nonprofit corporation, most states are silent about the age of board members. This leaves the decision about what age is appropriate for board members up to the individual nonprofits. (To our knowledge there are no state laws that restrict older individuals from serving on boards.) If you are curious what your state law says about the age of board members, you can research the statutes that govern nonprofit corporations in your state at LawForChange.org.

The post "Youth Board Members: Can minors serve on nonprofit boards?" by Emily Chan, co-author of the Nonprofit Law Blog, gives an excellent overview of the legal issues raised when young people serve on boards. Chan raises many important questions nonprofits should tackle before inviting youth to take on decision-making roles, and she offers several alternatives to board service. Chan’s post is very comprehensive (and we always appreciate Nonprofit Law Blog’s carefully researched resources). My own view is that whether someone under 18 should serve on a nonprofit board should not turn on whether the“youth board member will feel isolated” or “what skills or training the youth board member needs that the organization currently does not provide?”Isolation, preparation for taking on the fiduciary duties that board service requires, and other issues are equally relevant across the age spectrum. What we are really exploring when we ask the age question is whether this particular individual has skills and experiences that will add value to the board’s work and/or whether placing that person on a governing board is necessary to fulfill other goals, such as growing the bench of leadership for the organization, or creating ambassadors to segments of stakeholders that are important for the nonprofit’s work.

Conscious of the need for continuity of leadership, many nonprofits cultivate talent, whether young or old, to make sure that multiple perspectives are represented on their board and that when one generation steps aside, another is ready to take its place. “It’s something the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits advocates, as we want to see nonprofits grow their leadership and ensure that other generations are ready to serve,” explains Trisha Lester, Vice President of the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits.“Authentically engaging young people as partners and decision-makers is a crucial and challenging topic for youth-serving nonprofits (and other groups). Service on governance boards can be a powerful way to do this, but there are other ways to accomplish the goal of giving this particular constituency voice,” says Molly O’Connell, Resources and Advocacy Coordinator at the Maine Association of Nonprofits. Looked at another way, we all need mentors, and when seasoned seniors can pass their wisdom and insights on to younger generations – whether defined as under 18 or under 30 – everybody wins over time. (If you think that working with board members is a little like herding cats, this 60 Minutes story about the importance of role models for elephants may suggest a different analogy!)

Moreover, a board that boasts a diversity of perspectives is simply better-poised for scenario planning. Different life experiences not only help board members see around the organization’s corners, but also help the organization see challenges in the community more clearly. Such added perspective can lead to more effective problem-solving and greater impact. When the work of charitable nonprofits reflects diverse perspectives, this is a perfect example of a“triple bottom line” ROI because it benefits the nonprofit, volunteers, and the community.

At the National Council of Nonprofits we are strong believers in the value of proactively preparing leadersand diversifying governing boards (and staff) of nonprofits. We also believe in the important role that charitable nonprofits play as places where people in communities, young and old, of all shapes, sizes, and colors, come together to learn from each other and collaboratively solve problems.

So what does age have to do with it? Age, like any other characteristic, adds meaningful texture to our own perspectives. And the perspectives of charitable nonprofits are really all about the perspectives of individuals in communities, coming together through nonprofits, to affect change and improve their worlds.

Resources about diversity on boards (National Council of Nonprofits)

Resources on board development (National Council of Nonprofits)

Resources about cultural competency (Bridgestar and BoardSource)

Resources

Boards and governance issues (National Council of Nonprofits)

Next Generation and Governance(BoardSource)

Plan A – How Successful Nonprofits Develop Their Future Leaders (Bridgestar)

Youth Advisory Committees (Michigan Community Foundation Youth Project)

Creating a Teen Board/Ambassador Program (United Way of Central New Mexico)

Case study on board diversity (Maine Association of Nonprofits)

Art Mission and Theater Announces New Executive Director

Rebecca Sheriff has been appointed the Executive Director at the ART Mission and Theater, 61 Prospect Avenue in Binghamton NY. The ART Mission and Theater is an art cinema and a visual and performing arts space that serves as a community center for events related to the arts. Its mission is to be a source of inspiration and excitement for the community and to be a catalyst for the revitalization of the Greater Binghamton area.

Sheriff is a graduate of Binghamton University's Public Administration program where she studied non-profit management. She has worked with the Binghamton Community Orchestra, the Broome County Arts Council, and ACCORD (A Center for Dispute Resolution).  She is a member of, and a former President of, the Southern Tier Young Professionals.

For further information, please contact Denny Ebert, President of the Board at debert3@verizon.net or Rebecca Sheriff, Director at director@artmission.org