Register Now for Spring NYCON Webinars, Spots Filling Up!

Register for NYCON's Spring Webinars! Get to Know NYCON & Your Membership Benefits... February 22nd, 2013  10:00am - 10:45am Register Online Today In this session NYCON staff will tell you all you need to know about your membership benefits - and answer all the questions you have regarding our process, costs and what you get for FREE. No matter if you are a new member, a renewing member who would like more information or a non-member interested in joining, this session will be enlightening and helpful. We will be covering the following benefits:   Nonprofit Training, Education and Professional AssistanceNYCON empowers our members with the best practices, policies, and procedures as well as information on ever-changing regulations, funding, accountability and more Cost Savings Solutions for Nonprofits NYCON leverages the purchasing power of thousands of nonprofits to bring you economies of scale on everything fromOffice Supplies to Fundraising Software.   The Nonprofit Voice in New York State NYCON represents our members on the local, state and national level, giving voice to small and medium sized nonprofits everywhere

NYCON Member Benefit Spotlight: Budget & Cash Flow Toolkits! Every fiscal staff members best friend... Learn More on February 27th at 10:00am Just in time for budget and cash flow planning, NYCON has developed a new benefit for our member that will truly be the "best friend" of every fiscal person who uses it!  Designed with the needs and resources of the smaller to medium sized nonprofit in mind, NYCON's Chief Fiscal Officer and staff have designed a "fool proof" tool for developing a streamlined, compliant and easy to understand budget.   The features of the Budget Toolkit include:   Built in instructions on "Getting Started" and"How to Develop Your Budget" Built in formulas and linked spreadsheets Definitions & Glossary on types of budgets, frequently used budgeting terms & more Helpful notes that 'pop up' as you create your budget spreadsheet  Quick and easy allocations (for shared costs like space and supplies, etc.) Templates that your organization can utilize to customize for your own organization's budget and salary and fringe expenditures. And more! You have to see all the features to believe it!   Experience the Budget Toolkit for yourself. Learn More on February 27th at 10:00am  On this webinar we also featured the new "Cash Flow Toolkit" which, just like the Budget Toolkit, will be a great addition to any nonprofit fiscal office.

Free Tour of the GrantStation.com Website  Thursday, February 28th   10:00am to 11:00am  Register Today Join Ellen Mowrer, GrantStation's Business Development Advisor, for a free webinar that offers a short tour of the GrantStation website. This tour will provide tips on the most effective way to use all of the valuable resources the website offers; including the extensive funder databases that can help you identify the right grantmaker for any program or project. During this webinar we will also introduce GrantStation's new interactiveGrants2020 visioning tool! There will be plenty of time for questions.This webinar will be held Thursday, February 28, 2013.Did You Know? As a NEW Membership Benefit of NYCON, ourprogram now also allows a discount on Grantstation Membership - which gets you full access to GS.com - for only $75! Click here for more information.

NYS Employers to receive bill for new fee related to Unemployment Insurance borrowing

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

ED Group Program and Trainings Announced

SCNY ED Group Program Set for March 16th

The March 16th Program Meeting will feature a business meeting followed by a special FREE training, Creating a Powerful Team: Executive Directors Working with their Boards, presented by the New York Council of Nonprofits. Many organizations struggle with defining the boundaries of Executive Director authority and establishing appropriate parameters for Executive Director and Board of Director roles. This session, designed for Executive Directors, will address recommended roles and strategies in Executive Director and Board relations and discuss the interplay of organizational culture and commonly held "best practices". The session will help Executive Directors clarify and address with their Boards their role in board development and the balance of responsibilities in areas such as financial oversight, personnel matters, fundraising, and community relations.

This workshop is supported by The Stewart W. and Willma C. Hoyt Foundation and The Community Foundation for South Central New York.

REGISTER HERE

Date: Tuesday, March 16th
Time: 9:30 am- General meeting
10:00am to 12:00pm- Workshop
Cost: FREE to nonprofit directors
Location: Broome Public Safety Building
Academy Classroom #1
155 Lt. VanWinkle Drive
Binghamton, NY 13905


Announcing the 2010 Southern Tier Capacity Building Program
Improving Nonprofit Capacity & Effectiveness through Assessment Workshop
Offered by NYCON CEO Doug Sauer

Nonprofits of all types and sizes are under significant stress on a number of fronts that threatens to reduce our infrastructure and capacity to meet community needs through effective and sustainable services. Theses challenges can seem overwhelming and beyond our control and organizations are finding it difficult to know where to start making the organizational changes necessary. Organizational assessment, whether comprehensive or in strategically selected areas, is the foundation or basis for executing informed and effective strategies. Simply put, your leadership needs to know and understand your organizational condition and viability before expecting meaningful changes, based on internally-driven priorities, to occur.

REGISTER HERE

Date: Thursday, April 15th, 2010
Time: 9:30am to 3:30pm
A break for lunch will be provided. Participants are responsible for their own lunch.
Cost: Free to nonprofit directors, board and staff (Limit 2 per organization)
Location: Broome County Public Library
Decker Room
185 Court Street
Binghamton, NY 13901

This workshop, supported by The Stewart W. and Willma C. Hoyt Foundation and The Community Foundation for South Central New York, provides an overview of what an assessment is and is not, along with the various methods, tools, indicators and processes for conducting an assessment; whether it be a self-administered or provided with outside assistance or consultation. Participants will also learn and discuss nonprofit assessment examples and receive assessment tools for use in their own organizations.

Participants will qualify to apply for the 2010 Southern Tier Capacity Building Mini-Grant Program, as well as special assessment support offered directly by the New York Council of Nonprofits. The Mini-Grant Program and special assessment assistance are supported by The Stewart W. and Willma C. Hoyt Foundation, The Community Foundation for South Central New York, and Conrad and Virginia Klee Foundation.


State Board Training Consortium's Achieving Excellence in Governance in BINGHAMTON!

Click here to register online
Are you a nonprofit receiving funding from OASAS, DOH AIDS Institute and Center for Community Health , OMRDD, OMH or OCFS? These state agencies, in collaboration with NYCON, have created a free Board Training program!

BINGHAMTON WORKSHOPS
SBTC: Understanding Your Legal Obligations as a Nonprofit Board Member
Thursday, April 08, 2010 from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (ET)

SBTC: Human Resource Issues for Nonprofit Boards
Thursday, April 08, 2010 at 5:30 PM - Friday, April 09, 2010 at 8:30 PM (ET)

SBTC: Nonprofit Accounting Basics for Board Members
Friday, April 09, 2010 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

SBTC: The New Form 990: A Focus on Board Governance
Friday, April 09, 2010 from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (ET)


Looking for new ideas for employee benefits?
Let NYCON help you create an extensive, affordable benefits package that is easy to comprehend and manage! Learn more about the ways in which we help over 1,000 nonprofits just like yours with Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Disability Insurance, Flexible Savings Accounts, Life Insurance, Retirement Benefits, Unemployment Savings Program, and Workers Comp. Contact us for more information. Click here for a flyer.

Unemployment costs increasing across US

CNN Money featured the following article on rising unemployment expenses throughout the US. As the article relates:

Employers are getting hit with a massive tax hike at a time when they can least afford it.

Companies in at least 35 states will have to fork over more in unemployment insurance taxes this year, according to the National Association of State Workforce Agencies.

The median increase will be 27.5%. And employers in places such as Hawaii and Florida could see levies skyrocket more than ten-fold.

Many of these hikes happened automatically as prolonged joblessness triggered state laws governing their unemployment insurance systems. But at least seven states voted to raise their taxable wage bases, the level of income subject to unemployment tax. And another 10 are looking at upping the wage bases or tax rates.

The states are scrambling to restore their unemployment insurance trust funds, which cover claims.

State trust funds have been decimated by the Great Recession, forcing a record 26 states to borrow a total of more than $30 billion from the federal government. The numbers are expected to grow to 40 states borrowing $90 billion by 2012, said George Wentworth, policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project. Read more here. The state by state unemployment rate listing is available here for 2009. NY's rate in 2008 was 6.3 and in 2009 increased to 8.6.

Looking for Unemployment Insurance assistance? Contact NYCON for information on our Unemployment Savings Program. You will receive a free cost savings analysis, which will tell you how much money you will save. We will advise you on your best option, including if you’re better off staying in the state tax system. Contact us with your questions.

Comptroller Questions, Nonprofits Respond

Last week NYCON was asked to provide feedback to the Comptroller's Office on how late New York State contracts and payments were affecting real nonprofits in the community. NYCON has already collected almost 250 responses - and more nonprofits are responding every day.
• 66% of nonprofits responding said they currently have a line of credit
• 66% of nonprofits responding said that they had borrowed money because of delayed government contracts and/or payments in the last two years.

Well over 100 comments were also submitted to the Comptroller´s Office. Click here for a sampling of these comments (a full list will be posted soon on the NYCON website.) Still want to add your feedback? Click here for the survey.

Want to know what else you can do? The Comptroller's Office will be holding nonprofit forums around New York State soon. NYCON will inform our members when those forums are scheduled.

Membership Benefits Corner: Special Package Offers on Bylaws, Personnel Policy Reviews and more...
Bylaw & Personnel Policy Reviews
Whether you are a newly created organization or a long standing one, risk management is the keystone for good governance of your organization. Two important tools for protection of your organization from mission killing liability and litigation is the creation and annual review of corporate bylaws and personnel policies. Our attorneys and legal staff will dissect your corporate documents and review same for legal pitfalls, returning same to you with revision comments and "best practice" advice within 30 days.
A Bylaw Review is $500.
A Personnel Policy Review is $700.
A Package price for both is only $1,000.
Interested? Click here and let us know and we´ll have one of our legal staff get back to you to start the process!

Corporate Document Review
Another important element of risk management is the maintenance of the proper form of corporate existence. Our attorneys and legal staff will analyze your Certificate of Incorporation, and any Amendments for consistency between them and your internal corporate documents and Bylaws, returning the same to you with revision comments and "best practice" advice within 15 days.
A Corporate Document Review is $300.00.
Interested? Click here and let us know and we´ll have one of our legal staff get back to you to start the process!

Interested in Employee Benefits for Your Employees?

Take a look at three of NYCON's most popular programs. NYCON adminsters each of these programs, answers your questions, and gives you and your employees the customer service and value you deserve! The flyer outlines NYCON's Delta Dental Plans, Flexible Spending Accounts, and Life Insurance Plans. Questions? E-mail NYCON today.