If you missed yesterday's meeting

If you missed yesterday's meeting of the WNY ED Network, don't worry. It was such a great discussion that it's being carried over to the next meeting.

Attendees welcomed Bill O'Connell, ED of the Homeless Alliance of WNY. Bill provided us with great information on policy making and lobbying (yes, nonprofits can...and if you don't think so, we'll see you on March 4th!).
"Nonprofits are in a unique position to inform" legislators about the issues that you face every day, and they want to know the numbers, the funding and other alternatives, Bill said. He also urged attendees to frame their discussions with reporters, uring them to become an asset to the media and be recognized as a community expert on the issues facing your nonprofit. It was also pointed out that you want to stress the importance of lobbying to your Board of Directors and gain their crucial support of the organization's efforts.

The WNY ED Network also welcomed Pat Johnson, Associate Professor at Canisius College. Pat talked about the project opportunities through the Nonprofit and Government Accounting course. The goal is to get MBA and senior students involved with nonprofits early in the semester. In the past, they have assisted with development and review of policies and procedures, governance, writing resource guides, etc...If you're interested, she can be reached at johnsonp@canisius.edu.

We also reviewed the results of our Skills Inventory Survey to date. A big thanks to those of you who took a minute to answer the four questions...The number of ED's who are willing to help each other is certainly indicative of what makes Buffalo a great place to work!

So what's ahead? Our Wednesday, March 4th meeting will be extended one hour, starting at 9:00 a.m. for networking with the program starting at 9:30 a.m. By that time, this recession will be 15 months long, just one month shy of the previous record 16 months! How will it be affecting your organization's donations, funding, staffing, programs, etc...?

Please join us for a great discussion by several community leaders about what you can do to help your organization through these difficult economic times. Watch here for more details!