NYCON Offers Risk Management Tip of the Month

The New York Council of Nonprofits is a satellite office for the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, and will be offering these monthly risk management tips. Interested in more information on risk management? NYCON and our insurance brokerage subsidiary, Council Services Plus, can offer your nonprofit access to resources and assistance. Contact us!

JANUARY Getting Your Board’s House in Order
Effective nonprofits boards are essential to mission fulfillment, yet many nonprofit boards continue to operate on a “wing and a prayer”—just barely able to get the job done. Nonprofit CEOs, working in partnership with their volunteer boards and committees, are in the pilot’s seat when it comes to empowering outstanding governance practices by the board. Remember that:

1. The board’s principal responsibility is to guide and monitor the values and goals of the organization. Ineffective boards simply rubber stamp the plans of a staff or volunteer leader. Effective boards revisit the values and goals of the nonprofit on a regular basis and guide the realization of the nonprofit’s mission. CEOs must encourage and support the board in this important work.

2. Every board member has legal and moral responsibility for providing thoughtful oversight. Two of the most important steps a CEO can take to empower the board is to schedule training on the review of financial statements (you can’t oversee what you don’t understand) and encourage tough questions from the board. Acting as if questions from the board are an insult will extinguish healthy boardroom discussion and increase out of the room conversations about the CEO’s performance. At some point those conversations may turn to the nonprofit’s need for new staff leadership.

17 Ways Consumers Are Changing

US News and World Report featured an article on 17 ways consumers are changing in response to the economic challenges and changes. The last couple are of the most interest, especially the focus on volunteering. This presents a significant opportunity for nonprofits and their boards of directors.

Less healthcare. There's no upside here. With unemployment skyrocketing, millions have lost health insurance coverage or cut back on care to save money. Some people go without drugs they've been prescribed or cut the dosages in half, so the pills last longer. (Not recommended!) In some areas, people are compensating for reduced coverage by taking advantage of free offerings like mammograms or flu shots.

More negotiating. It's no longer cool to pay the list price for everything, and consumers are less embarrassed asking for discounts. Retail merchants won't always haggle, but eBay sellers will, and state-your-price websites like Priceline have been booming.

More volunteering. Americans with more time on their hands find it rewarding to spend some of it helping others. "I do volunteer projects to help keep social connections up," says Kathy Bowman of Joseph, Ore. "Think volunteering at community events, serving on the boards of disability or folk dance organizations, small donations to the humane society or kids' projects."

Redefining success. We used to measure it by how much money and stuff we had. Whoops. With jobs scarce and money tight, Americans are seeking more satisfying work--and giving up material goods to get it. Cathy Goerz of San Francisco spent the past year making a low-budget film documentary--a longtime goal--after losing her job at a corporate communications firm. She lives on 75 percent less than before, but she cherishes the freedom: "My quality of life has not changed at all," she says. "I think it's improved. I'm not tied down by location, and I don't have to be under somebody's gaze eight hours a day." Now that's a recovery.

Read the full article here.

2010 AFP Finger Lakes Chapter Program Schedule

Tuesday, January 5, noon (Brown Bag)
Guerilla Tactics: Motivating Your Board and CEO to
Raise More Money
Paula K. Parrish, CFRE Webinar
Ithaca, Tompkins County Public Library

Tuesday, February 2, 4:00 – 6:00
Member Networking Social Event
Ithaca: NorthStar, 202 East Falls Street

Tuesday, March 2, noon
Strategic Major Gifts Fundraising Chip Bryce, Director, Cornell University
Office of Gift Planning
Ramada Inn, 2310 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca

Tuesday, April 6, noon
Baby Boomers & Philanthropy
Prof Karl Pillemer, Director, Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging
Ramada Inn, 2310 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca

Tuesday, May 4, 8:30 – 10:00
Breakfast Provided
Highlights from the International AFP Conference
Panel of Attendees
Ithaca, Tompkins County Public Library

Friday, June 18, 9:00 – 3:00
AFP Fingerlakes Day Long Conference
Ted Hart - People to People Fundraising:How to Succeed On-line,
Location: TBA

Tuesday, July 6, noon
Leadership & Conflict Resolution
Ann Martin, Praxis Consulting Group
Ramada Inn, 2310 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca

NO AUGUST MEETING

Tuesday, September 7, Time TBA
Joint Meeting with the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America: Community Relations Building Location & Time TBA

Tuesday, October 5, 8:30 – 10:00 Breakfast Provided
Succeeding Capital Campaign Success
Kathy Cole, President,
West Wind Consulting
Tompkins County Public Library

November, noon
National Philanthropy Day
Location & Date TBA

Tuesday, December 7, noon
Holiday Gathering
Tompkins County Public Library

Naturally, changes in scheduling may occur as the year progresses. Changes and up-dates will be announced by email. Please contact the chapter’s membership chairperson, Carla Dawejko, crd24@cornell.edu, with questions about AFP.
www.afpfingerlakes.org

Nonprofits Expanding

WETM Channel 18 reported that with the continuing down turn of the economy non-profit organizations are growing to fit neighbor's needs.CEO Natasha Thompson of the Food Bank in the Southern Tier, says, "The reality is that about fifteen percent of the population in the Southern Tier are living at or below the federal poverty level, which is $21,200 before taxes."

Thompson also says despite the economic slump, her charity will be expanding thanks to the generosity of the community.

She says, "Our growth over the past ten years is us just getting a lot better at supply the need that already exists."

With an increase of members during recent years, non-profit organizations have been applying for more funds to make sure they have enough to provide those who are less unfortunate.

Bridget Steed of the Catholic Charities in Elmira says they got help from the federal level.

Steed says, "Most recently the stimulus funds that were distributed we were fortunate to apply for and receive. Plus additionally other applications we applied for early on."

The number of neighbors needing services has increased every year.

This means charity directors need to know how many people they need to accommodate.
Steed also says, "We look at what the community need is. We project that out towards the future and identify and figure out what we can apply for.”

Both Steed and Thompson say their organizations can't run without local support.
Catholic Charities have already made plans to expand housing options for neighbors in need.

The food bank of the Southern Tier is planning on expanding into the old Seneca Beverage building.

Southern Tier hospitals finalize affiliation agreement

Central NY Business Journal reported that after exploring their options for 17 months, two Southern Tier hospitals finalized an affiliation agreement that's the next step in an eventual merger.

In a statement released today, the board of directors of Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital in the town of Urbana announced it reached an agreement on affiliation with Arnot Ogden Medical Center of Elmira.

The agreement includes the Fred and Harriet Taylor Health Center (Davenport & Taylor).
The hospitals, which have been discussing an affiliation for nearly two years, are located about 40 miles apart.

Under the agreement, formally reached during the final week of November, Arnot Ogden will appoint a board including representatives from both hospitals to oversee operations at Davenport & Taylor.

In addition, the new Davenport & Taylor board will implement a management-services agreement with Arnot Ogden.

James Watson, current CEO of Davenport & Taylor, will become an employee of Arnot Ogden and report directly to the new board.

To close the merger, the hospitals need to complete a series of filings with the New York State Department of Health, finish corporate restructuring, and wrap up medical services agreements, according to Arnot Ogden. Read more here.

Southern Tier Nonprofit Executive Directors meeting and registration

Executive Directors and Senior Management professionals from Southern Tier Nonprofit Organizations…..you are invited!

To: The Southern Tier Nonprofit Executive Directors’ (STNED) Final Meeting for 2009
Date: Thursday December 3rd, 2009
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Place:Tony R’s Restaurant, Corning, New York
For: An enjoyable evening of networking, food, refreshments and a cash bar.

To Register: Click on STNED 12-3-09 Meeting

The Southern Tier Nonprofit Directors Group (STNED) is a network of nonprofit executive and management professionals in the Southern Tier/Finger Lakes Region of New York State that provides education, peer support and the sharing of ideas to strengthen leadership and promote the collaborative utilization of resources.

Please join your colleagues for the final meeting for 2009. The first 3 quarterly meetings of STNED included an educational presentation with time for networking. The meeting at Tony R’s will not have a formal program, and will be dedicated to socializing with peers and looking forward to 2010.

Thanks to financial support provided by the STNED Steering Committee, registration is free for one participant from the first 40 organizations to register. There will be a donation at the door of $16/person for additional attendees.

For further information about STNED, go to www.ihsnet.org and click on STNED, or please feel free to contact any of the following Steering Committee Members.

Nancy Blake, Career Development Council
Elaine Farwell, Tanglewood Nature Center
David Hill, ProAction of Steuben and Yates Counties
Joyce Hyatt, Chemung Valley Rural Health Network
Sara Palmer, Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes
Patrick Rogers, The Institute for Human Services
Dick Russell, Faith In Action Steuben County
Chris Sproule, Triangle Foundation

We hope to see you there!

Patrick J. Rogers, Executive Director
Institute for Human Services, Inc.
Voice: 607.776.9467 Ext. 211
Fax: 607.776.9482
Email: rogersp@ihsnet.org
Web: www.ihsnet.org

Save the Date: December 3rd Meeting

Next STNED Meeting
Thursday December 3rd, 2009, 5:00 pm
Tony R's Restaurant, Corning, NY

The STNED (pronounced Saint Ned) group recently held its 3rd quarter meeting on Thursday September 17th at the Tanglewood Nature Center, 443 Coleman Avenue, Elmira, NY 14903. Topics discussed included "What is Social Media: Facebook , Twitter, Linked In….., “, "How the heck do I even get onto Facebook/Twitter?”, application pros/cons and a discussion on the goals of using social media.

Sean Lukasik of Creative Agent presented a very interesting and educational presentation on Social Media. It addressed both the uses and abuses of social networking, and participants appreciated the insights provided.

The next STNED meeting will wrap up the first year of this group and will be a social gathering at Tony R's Restaurant in Corning on December 3rd. Please mark your calendars.

We hope that you can join us for refreshments and enjoy the opportunity to meet with your colleagues on December 3rd.