Monday, July 13, 2009

NYCON Launches Interim ED Program

Are You Looking for an Exciting Opportunity to Lead a Nonprofit Organization?
Consider becoming an Interim Executive Director!

What is the Interim Executive Director Leadership (IEL) Program? The Interim Executive Director Leadership (IEL) Program is designed to help meet the needs of nonprofit agencies as significant numbers of nonprofit executives are expected to retire over the next 5 years. The Interim Executive Director Leadership (IEL) Program is a comprehensive training, placement and support initiative designed for qualified, experienced nonprofit professionals in transitional nonprofit Executive Director/CEO positions in New York State. Interim Executive Directors trained through our program will provide effective transitional leadership to nonprofits in order to strengthen organizational health and effectiveness during a time of transition.

Consider Becoming an Interim Executive Director if you are a:
Current and/or former executive director with successful experience in nonprofit executive management;
Nonprofit professional who is currently or have already served as an Interim Executive Leader who would like to be involved with this initiative and receive specialized training to augment and build upon their current skills;
Nonprofit Professional or consultant who clearly demonstrates executive leadership knowledge, abilities, maturity and effectiveness.

Program Dates & Locations: Please note that space in the training sessions listed below is limited. Registrants must complete an application process that includes submission of a writing sample and at least one reference. Candidates who successfully complete the training and secondary evaluation process may be placed into Interim Executive Director positions through this program.

Dates:
August 18th, 2009 - Albany, NY NYCON Main Office, 272 Broadway, Albany, NYTime: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Cost: $150, Training Materials & Lunch Provided

August 20th, 2009 - Rochester, NY United Way of Greater Rochester, 75 College Avenue, Rochester, NY Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Cost: $150, Training Materials & Lunch Provided

For more information click here or please contact: Jennifer Lockwood, Program Director jlockwood@nycon.org(845) 454-5062 x. 102

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Cattaraugus County Arts Council takes a stand by making artistic seats

The Buffalo News reported about an Arts Council's response to the widespread state budget cuts that have impacted nonprofits everywhere. As the article relates:

Arts programs run through the Cattaraugus County Arts Council at the Allegany State Park received massive cutbacks, putting in jeopardy many of the classes, workshops and exhibits that are made available each year to enthusiasts of all ages.

For Heidi Tschopp and Anne Conroy Baiter, that wasn’t acceptable.

Tschopp, a park and recreation aide, and Baiter, executive director of the arts council, both jumped at an idea Tschopp had seen in Lake Placid—a fundraiser that involves auctioning off specifically designed Adirondack chairs that could be displayed in the park.

The exhibit, “Art and the Adirondack Chair,” features 18 chairs that can be found at nine locations, starting at the administration building in the Quaker rental office. The three styles of chairs (adult, children’s and a new “throne-ish” style called “breakdown” that was built without nails or screws) can be seen at the 65,000-acre state park through Aug. 18. Read more here.

Chairs can viewed at www.myartscouncil.net. How is your nonprofit responding to funding cuts or donation decreases? Share your thoughts here.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Area small businesses back ‘public option’ in health insurance

The Buffalo News featured an article about an informal survey by an advocacy coalition that found small business owners in New York state overwhelmingly support the idea of a “public option” as part of a national health insurance reform effort, and are willing to pay to make “quality, affordable coverage” available.

The survey by New York Small Business United for Health Care reported that 73 percent of the business owners surveyed preferred a proposal with a public, government-run alternative to private insurance, versus 19 percent favoring an expansion of private market options.

The owners said they are willing to pay a portion of their payroll towards supporting such an option, with 64 percent saying they would pay at least 4 percent to 7 percent to “guarantee quality affordable coverage for themselves and employees.” Read more here.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

A.P. in Deal to Deliver Nonprofits’ Journalism

The NY Times reported that four nonprofit groups devoted to investigative journalism will have their work distributed by The Associated Press, greatly expanding their potential audience and helping newspapers fill the gap left by their own shrinking resources.

Starting on July 1, the A.P. will deliver work by the Center for Public Integrity, the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, the Center for Investigative Reporting, and ProPublica to the 1,500 American newspapers that are A.P. members, which will be free to publish the material.

The A.P. called the arrangement a six-month experiment that could later be broadened to include other investigative nonprofits, and to serve its nonmember clients, which include broadcast and Internet outlets.

“It’s something we’ve talked about for a long time, since part of our mission is to enable our members to share material with each other,” said Sue Cross, a senior vice president of The A.P. She said the development in 2006 of an Internet-based system for members to receive A.P. material made it easier to do that kind of sharing, and to offer new products like the investigative service.

As they sharply reduce their staffs, many newspapers have cut back on investigations or given them up entirely. When there are barely enough reporters to cover the daily news from the local courthouse and the school board, it is harder to justify assigning someone to an in-depth project that might take weeks or months. Read more here.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

New Statewide Tool for Arts and Cultural Organizations

The New York State Council on the Arts has joined to help launch the New York State Cultural Data Project (New York State CDP), a powerful management tool for arts and cultural organizations. This unique system will, at no cost, allow arts managers and artistic leaders to understand and analyze their organization’s financial performance through easy-to-run reports. By participating in the New York State CDP, you will be part of a successful and growing project that will allow researchers and the arts community as a whole to better articulate and provide evidence for the sector’s assets and needs, as well as its contributions to the state and the country. By completing the online form annually, you will also be able to generate reports to be submitted to grantmakers with the click of a button.

Organizations can participate and benefit from the system regardless of whether they are a recipient of support from any of the participating funders. Additionally, there is a full-time Help Desk/hotline available to guide organizations in entering and understanding the data.

NYSCA is interested in your feedback in terms of how CDP can be most useful to your organization, how NYSCA can best incorporate it into our grantmaking process, and how it can help shape policy and advocacy efforts. Please read the letter from the CDP Taskforce, go online and learn about the system at www.nysculturaldata.org, and, most importantly, attend a free demonstration and discussion (see below). Please direct your feedback either to NYSCA program staff or cdp@nysca.org.

Get the most from the New York State CDP.
Attend a free demonstration and discussion.

Register for a demonstration and discussion by visiting www.nysculturaldata.org and clicking on "Attend a Demonstration and Discussion."

July 20 - 23, 2009, Western New York

Olean
July 20, 9:30 am
Location to be announced

Ellicottville
July 20, 2:00 pm
Holiday Valley Resort,
Creekside Lodge

Buffalo
July 21, 9:30 am
Canisius Amherst Conference Center

Geneseo
July 22, 2:00 pm
Wadsworth Library

Rochester
July 23, 2:00 pm
Location to be announced

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Leadership director is long on experience

The Buffalo News reported on the new executive director, Molly Fitzpatrick, of Leadership Niagara, named by its board of directors. In her new job, Fitzpatrick directs the community leadership nonprofit, which has graduated more than 700 men and women— in county business, labor, education, arts, religious, government and cultural groups— since its inception a quarter-century ago.

Fitzpatrick is backed by two decades of working with leadership and youth education nonprofit organizations in Western New York, beginning as a senior staff member to the American Management Association’s entrepreneurship program and Junior Achievement. She’s the former executive director of Kids Voting New York, which encompassed all of Erie and Niagara counties. During her tenure at Kids Voting, she led the largest community volunteer effort in Western New York and achieved the highest student voter turnout in the nation.

“Molly brings a wealth of experience in executive leadership and community development,” said Leadership Chairwoman Christine S. O’Hara of Niagara University. “We look forward to her leadership and the energy she’ll bring to this dynamic organization in Niagara County.”

Fitzpatrick served on numerous boards of directors in the community including King Urban Life Center and Mount St. Joseph Academy. She’s also been the interim executive director of the Buffalo Alliance for Education and director of marketing and development for Houghton College.
Fitzpatrick volunteered for a few years in AmeriCorps, focusing on literacy and development.

For more than a decade, she partnered with an economic education center in Ryazan, Russia, and connected community leaders in both countries during Russia’s transition to a market economy.

She calls Leadership, “a first-rate program with enormous potential for developing our region,” and adds she’s honored “to work with the movers and shakers of Niagara County.”

Part of Leadership Niagara’s aim is to bring together current and emerging leaders in an annual forum that expands their knowledge of Niagara County. Read more here.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Lack of resources is challenge to online fundraising

The Philanthropy Journal reported that while many nonprofits have built their staffs and processes around traditional marketing and fundraising activities, a lack of resources is preventing them from adequately pursuing online activities. This is according to a new study.

About nine in 10 nonprofits, regardless of their size, say their greatest barrier to success is a lack of money, staff or online expertise, says the report from Convio, which provides constituent-relationship-management software to the nonprofit sector.

More than a quarter of nonprofits have no online marketing plan, while almost two in 10 either don't know if they have a plan, or review their plan only every few years.

Groups with less than $20 million in revenue employ one to three staffers who are focused on online programs, while nonprofits with revenue of $100 million or more average seven full-time staff working on online efforts each week.