New Webinars, New Benefits for our Members

Tomorrow! [Corporate Member Spotlight]   Learn More about RER Energy & How Your Nonprofit Can Save Money on Energy Cost A Webinar Presented by Christopher Flynn of RER Energy Group   January 24th, 2012 10:00am to 10:30am  Register Now  RER Energy Group, a new NYCON Corporate Member, is pleased to offer this introducttion to their services and solar photovoltaic energy (PV) for NYCON's members. Legislation enacted in New York State is providing funding through NYSERDA to help the state reach a goal of doubling renewable energy generation by 2015. Who Should Attend: This workshop will benefit executive directors, finance and accounting staff and anyone responsible for managing electrical energy costs and systems. Members of RER's Staff can work with you to answer questions about solar photovoltaic technology, other renewable energy and currently available incentives.   Register Now

Pros and Cons of  Restructuring a Nonprofit: What it Means for your Staff and Board  A Webinar Presented by Doug Sauer CEO of NYCON February 13th, 2013              10:00am to 12:00pm RegisterThis thought provoking, insightful event will provide you with knowledge gleaned from decades of Doug's work with hundreds of nonprofits in various stages of formal restructuring, shared service models and, certainly, merger. Doug, perhaps more than anyone on the national nonprofit "scene," knows first-hand that merger (or any type of structural "re-engineering" of your organization) is a serious solution to the very complex issues facing today's nonprofits.   Register

Dollars through the Door: Who Does What in Nonprofit Fundraising & Revenue Generation  A Webinar Presented by NYCON March 13th, 2013     10:00am to 12:00pm Register  This session provides an introduction to the diverse strategies nonprofits can use to generate revenue for their organizations with an emphasis on planning, sustainability and the role of Executive Staff and Board Members in fundraising efforts. We will be covering four key topics that typically arise when discussions of "fundraising" occur.  Register For the Full Page Click Here

Ch-Ch-Changes: Nonprofit Sector Predictions for 2013

WRITTEN BY RICK COHEN

Predictions about the non-profit sector have been made for 2013. While some predictions look promising, non-profits hope that others are mistaken.

For the full story click here.

Governing Data: See New State Population Estimates, Where Your Residents Are Moving

New 2012 State Population Estimates Released

The Census Bureau released new estimates today for each state, indicating the U.S. population grew about 0.8 percent between July 2011 and July 2012. 

North Dakota, fueled by an oil boom creating thousands of jobs, is the nation's fasting growing state. Other states experiencing the largest percentage increases were predominantly in the South and western U.S. They include Texas (1.7 percent), Wyoming (1.6 percent), Utah (1.5 percent) and Nevada (1.4 percent).

We've compiled totals for each state along with a series of maps illustrating drivers of the population changes, including birth rates, death rates and net migration.
Read full story and view data for each state

See Where Residents in Your State Are Moving To, From
Relatively few Americans moved this year, and those who did find new homes didn’t travel far. Estimates compiled in the most recent 2011 American Community Survey provide a glimpse of where Americans are on the move. View our interactive map for detailed migration trends for each state.

Of those moving between across state borders, Texas (109,887), Florida (61,395), Colorado (41,501) and North Carolina (40,144) gained the most residents. New York (95,591), California (93,915) and New Jersey (76,175) saw the most residents move away, according to the Census Bureau.
Read more and see how your state measures up

The “On-the-Go” Government

Learn how embracing workforce mobility can benefit an organization with improved productivity, reduced costs, better service, and improved employee satisfaction and retention. Read this case study to learn more.

N.Y. Nonprofits Can Now E-File

N.Y. Nonprofits Can Now E-File

Charities registered with the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau (AGCB) may now file their reports online. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the move will allow release of key information to the public more quickly.

Organizations based in New York are required by law to register and file annual reports with the AGCB including, but not limited to, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990. Charities will now be able to file both federal and state forms on Form990.org, a website powered by the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics.

“E-Filing marks another step towards reducing burdens on charities and promoting transparency,” Schneiderman said via a prepared statement. “Now the public and funders will have immediate access to information about charities they seek to support and reporting procedures for charities are simplified.”

This is the first recommendation that has been implemented by the Leadership Committee for Nonprofit Revitalization in April 2011. The committee, made up of 32 nonprofit leaders from across New York, was put together by Schneiderman and it issued its findings earlier this year. The guidelines were designed to put less of a burden on nonprofits and improve transparency. Some of its other recommendations included streamlining the process to approve the formation of new nonprofits, increasing board responsibilities to oversee financial audits, and requiring organizations to adopt conflict-of-interest and whistleblower policies.

Michael Clark, president of the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York and a member of the Leadership Committee, approved of the move to allow e-filing, saying via a statement, “We applaud the Charities Bureau’s adoption of electronic filing. … Our members’ annual reporting will now be simpler because they can submit both New York’s form CHAR500 and IRS Form 990 with a click of a mouse.”

New York nonprofits interested in learning more about the e-filing process canhttp://www.charitiesnys.com

Regional Economic Development Council Awards

Regional Economic Development Council Awards

A list with descriptions of 2012's council awards.

Click Here

Nonprofits benefit in NYS regional funding

By: Tracey Drury

New state funding will allow nonprofit groups in the Western New York region to train employees, expand access to the arts and expand employment opportunities for the clients they serve.

Nearly a dozen projects by nonprofit organizations were included among 58 projects selected by the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council. A total of $52.8 million was allocated to the Western New York region by the state-run Regional Economic Development Council, part of $738 million allocated statewide.

The YWCA of Niagara was approved for $158,167 to expand its Community Culinary Training Center in Lockport. The project includes renovations and construction of a commercial kitchen training facility.

CEO Kathy Granchelli said the project expands a culinary programs started at Carolyn’s House in Niagara Falls, its shelter for women and children. The project has served as a starting point for women who move on to further education at Niagara County Community College and Niagara University.

“The YWCA culinary training is a great example of community collaboration,” she said.

Other grants, while small, go toward expanding access to the arts. Arts Services Initiative of WNY received $48,237 to support its Arts Access program, providing discounted and free tickets to cultural events for needy families.

Tod Kniazuk, executive director, said the grant is a partnership between Arts Services Initiative of WNY, the Theatre Alliance of Buffalo, Crowley Webb, the Mobile Safety-Net Team, M&T Bank and Arts Partners for Learning.

“The Arts Access program will provide the opportunity for economically challenged individuals and families to enjoy our region’s cultural offerings by providing low cost tickets and free transportation to them, and will grow the audience and awareness of the participating venues,” he said.

Other grants to nonprofits include:

• Springville Center for the Arts Inc. was funded with a $434,310 grant to redevelop 37 North Buffalo St., a former Baptist church in the Village of Springville, which will be transformed into a mixed-use space with an arts cafe, artisan marketplace and artist housing. A second grant for $394,810 will fund rehabilitation of 5 E. Main St. as a second mixed-use site.

• Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Arts Gallery (CEPA) and Big Orbit Galleries will use a $65,000 state grant toward merger costs. The two organizations plan to create a contemporary arts and learning center in downtown Buffalo, with the re-envisioned CEPA Gallery providing emerging and under-recognized artists with presentation opportunities.

• Just Buffalo Literary Center received $125,000 toward targeted investments in staff time, artist fees and marketing to advance its arts and community-building work.

• The Gowandas Historic Hollywood Theater will receive $420,000 to continue restoration of the theater, including upgrades to HVAC and architecture work. The site is planned as a multi-use facility for the visual and performing arts.

• The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra will receive $90,000 to host its Celebration of Music on Buffalo’s inner harbor as part of a larger family-friendly series of events.

• The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo will receive $300,000 to train 80 unemployed workers in green rehabilitation construction through its Green and Healthy Homes workforce development program.

• The Martin House Restoration Corp. was approved for $268,000 to support the final stage of interior restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed site in Buffalo.

• The Buffalo Zoo will use a $376,000 grant toward its upgrade and replace its polar bear exhibit to comply with standards of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

• Catholic Charities of Buffalo received a grant for $79,884 to train 200 workers in Lean Six Sigma practices and other workforce skills development.

Click here for full online article.

Data Are Transforming Philanthropy and the Social Economy

Data Are Transforming Philanthropy and the Social Economy

Lucy Bernholz Joins Forces With GrantCraft, Predicts Big Shifts in 2013

New York, NY — January 7, 2013. A GrantCraft publication released today,Philanthropy and the Social Economy: Blueprint 2013, written by leading philanthropy scholar Lucy Bernholz, captures the changing landscape of what it means to use private resources for the public good. No longer the purview of foundations and nonprofits alone, philanthropy is now defined by an array of increasingly diverse activities, such as impact investing, social businesses, peer networks, and crowdfunding. The Blueprint outlines how these and other innovations are transforming the "social economy."

The fourth edition of the Blueprint has joined the suite of materials in GrantCraft — a joint project of the New York-based Foundation Center and Brussels-based European Foundation Centre — which taps the collective knowledge of funders to share insights to help them hone their craft. The analysis and forecasting showcased in the Blueprint provides the GrantCraft community with keen observations about the current landscape, emerging trends, and important breakthroughs likely in the year ahead.

Bernholz notes that the big shifts that matter for donors and "doers" are data-related, and she provides more than a dozen examples of foundations embracing data. Looking into the future, she sees data as transformative for philanthropy, in terms of both practice and policy. Indeed, Bernholz asserts that the use, ownership, and access rules of data will be as definitional for the social economy in the 21st century as the charitable tax deduction was for nonprofits in the 20th century.

"I’m hopeful the Blueprint can contribute to a global discussion about philanthropy, nonprofits, and how we use our private resources for public benefit," said Lucy Bernholz, visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and author of Blueprint 2013. "There are big changes ahead, and theBlueprint gives readers a heads-up on the most meaningful trends."

In this year’s report, Bernholz includes a scorecard for the previous year’s predictions and a list of 2013 forecasts covering crowdfunding, social impact bonds, and political advocacy. She also points out the catchiest philanthropy-related buzzwords of the year and lists possible "wildcard" world events — legislation, scandals, or disasters — that have the potential to mitigate or accelerate the timing of big shifts in the social economy.

"The Blueprint serves as a finger on the pulse of the social economy," said Lisa Philp, vice president for strategic philanthropy at the Foundation Center. "Lucy’s insights about the changing nature of philanthropy have become required reading for funders and anyone concerned with aligning resources toward the greater good."

Throughout 2013, Bernholz will explore the ideas in the Blueprint, as well as trends in Europe and other regions of the world, in an ongoing conversation atField Notes, the GrantCraft blog, as well as on her own blog, Philanthropy2173.

Philanthropy and the Social Economy: Blueprint 2013 can be downloaded for free at www.grantcraft.org.

About the Foundation Center
Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. Thousands of people visit the Center's web site each day and are served in its five regional library/learning centers and its network of more than 470 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions nationwide and around the world. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call  (212) 620-4230.

About the European Foundation Centre
The European Foundation Centre, founded in 1989, is an international membership association representing public-benefit foundations and corporate funders active in philanthropy in Europe, and beyond. The Centre develops and pursues activities in line with its four key objectives: creating an enabling legal and fiscal environment; documenting the foundation landscape; building the capacity of foundation professionals; and promoting collaboration, both among foundations and between foundations and other actors. Emphasising transparency and best practice, all members sign up to and uphold the European Foundation Centre Principles of Good Practice. For more information, please visit www.efc.be.

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For the Full Online Article Click Here