The Foundation Center, the nation's leading authority on philanthropy, has launched an online database of proven approaches to measuring and analyzing the impact of social investments. As philanthropists and the nonprofit community shift towards more strategic approaches to get a "social return," evaluation activities must also operate at a higher level. TRASI ("Tools and Resources for Assessing Social Impact") addresses these growing needs by offering tools and methodologies that place a premium on evidence and metrics in tracking progress.
"Measuring the effectiveness of social programs has always been a challenge because it's not just about the numbers. TRASI helps organizations meet that challenge and go beyond simply determining whether projected outcomes were achieved," said Lawrence T. McGill, the Foundation Center's vice president for research. "The organizations that have generously shared their own strategic methods for measuring impact will greatly help others to find a solution that is a good fit for them."
Developed in partnership with McKinsey & Co., the assessment approaches in TRASI were authored by a range of organizations, including social investors, foundations, NGOs, and microfinance institutions. The Better Business Bureau, USAID, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Center for Effective Philanthropy are among them. The resources in the database range from off-the-shelf tools and concrete methodologies to generalized best practices and are complemented by multimedia features and social networking tools.
Each approach has been carefully indexed against a common set of key elements and presented in a way that makes it easy to compare their relative merits. The key elements include: who the approach applies to, what kind of organization or evaluation the approach is best suited for, and the costs and techniques involved in its implementation. Each approach was thoroughly reviewed by an Expert Review Panel convened by the New York University Stern School of Business.
Online Kick-off Event
The Center is hosting an online event to kick-off the TRASI launch. Beginning at 2:00 pm EDT on Wednesday, September 22, 2010, a live chat with some of the individuals from the Expert Review Panel will be held. Anyone interested in learning more about impact assessment and the TRASI platform is invited to attend by visiting http://trasicommunity.ning.com/.
About the Foundation Center
Established in 1956 and today supported by close to 550 foundations, the Foundation Center is the nation's leading authority on philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grantmakers supporting them to tools they can use and information they can trust. 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 450 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions nationwide and beyond. For more information, please visit http://www.foundationcenter.org/ or call (212) 620-4230.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
An Eye of the Future Conference in NYC September 28th
For Nonprofit Executives, Board Members, Marketing Managers, Fundraisers & Students
Join us for a unique, one-day educational event for nonprofit professionals on Tuesday, September 28th from 8:30am to 4:30pm at the Down Town Association Club.
An Eye of the Future will feature three panels of corporate and nonprofit experts as they explore cutting-edge strategies in Marketing, Board Leadership and Fundraising to help nonprofits sustain their organizations in today's uncertain economy.
Speakers include:
-Anu Gandhi, Director of Consumer Marketing for American Heart Association's Go Red Campaign, will discuss how to make your nonprofit stand out in a crowd of worthy causes
-Beth Stellato, VP, Goldman Sachs and Manager of the company's partner placement program, will discuss recruiting young professionals
-Rob Carter, Vice Chairman of Changing Our World and a global fundraising strategist, will discuss how to go from predicament to partnership when funding your cause
-Scott Roen, VP of American Express OPEN Forum and Steve Rubel, VP of Digital Insights, Edelman PR, will discuss social media techniques to promote your brand and cause online
-Asif Talukdar, Director of Business Development for GuideStar, will address how to position your nonprofit as a viable organization
And more! To register, email: events@ebsr.org or call: 866.287.3937
This event is open to ALL nonprofit organizations.
Join us for a unique, one-day educational event for nonprofit professionals on Tuesday, September 28th from 8:30am to 4:30pm at the Down Town Association Club.
An Eye of the Future will feature three panels of corporate and nonprofit experts as they explore cutting-edge strategies in Marketing, Board Leadership and Fundraising to help nonprofits sustain their organizations in today's uncertain economy.
Speakers include:
-Anu Gandhi, Director of Consumer Marketing for American Heart Association's Go Red Campaign, will discuss how to make your nonprofit stand out in a crowd of worthy causes
-Beth Stellato, VP, Goldman Sachs and Manager of the company's partner placement program, will discuss recruiting young professionals
-Rob Carter, Vice Chairman of Changing Our World and a global fundraising strategist, will discuss how to go from predicament to partnership when funding your cause
-Scott Roen, VP of American Express OPEN Forum and Steve Rubel, VP of Digital Insights, Edelman PR, will discuss social media techniques to promote your brand and cause online
-Asif Talukdar, Director of Business Development for GuideStar, will address how to position your nonprofit as a viable organization
And more! To register, email: events@ebsr.org or call: 866.287.3937
This event is open to ALL nonprofit organizations.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Nonprofit Knowledge You Need: Independent Contractors and Consultants
NYCON's national association, The National Council of Nonprofits, offers Nonprofit Knowledge Matters and a look at Contractors and Consultants:
You’ve just hired an independent contractor or consultant to work on a special project. Did you first evaluate whether the worker should be treated as an employee instead? Does it matter?
Yes, it matters because the government makes a distinction between the two classifications of workers (independent contractor/consultant versus employee) and requires nonprofits to treat them differently for payroll and withholding purposes. Also, insurance issues will surface when the consultant is injured and tries to file a claim for workers’ compensation. Is she covered? It depends on whether she is a consultant – or not.
Federal and state governments have regulations that define who is an independent contractor/consultant and who is an employee. If a nonprofit misclassifies a worker, the nonprofit is at significant risk. There are serious penalties and back taxes owed when a nonprofit incorrectly treats someone as an independent contractor/ consultant, when in fact the worker should have been classified and treated as an employee.
Additionally there are risks to misclassifying a worker as an exempt employee, when s/he should be classified as non-exempt. For tips and tools for avoiding misclassifying workers, read more about this topic from the resources available on the National Council’s website.
IRS guidance provides that someone is properly classified as an independent contractor/consultant “when the nonprofit has the right to control or direct only the result of the work done by an independent contractor, and not the means and methods of accomplishing the result.” We hope you feel comfortable with the distinction between independent contractors/consultants and employees. If you are not sure, here are some resources to help you classify workers correctly and avoid associated risks:
You’ve just hired an independent contractor or consultant to work on a special project. Did you first evaluate whether the worker should be treated as an employee instead? Does it matter?
Yes, it matters because the government makes a distinction between the two classifications of workers (independent contractor/consultant versus employee) and requires nonprofits to treat them differently for payroll and withholding purposes. Also, insurance issues will surface when the consultant is injured and tries to file a claim for workers’ compensation. Is she covered? It depends on whether she is a consultant – or not.
Federal and state governments have regulations that define who is an independent contractor/consultant and who is an employee. If a nonprofit misclassifies a worker, the nonprofit is at significant risk. There are serious penalties and back taxes owed when a nonprofit incorrectly treats someone as an independent contractor/ consultant, when in fact the worker should have been classified and treated as an employee.
Additionally there are risks to misclassifying a worker as an exempt employee, when s/he should be classified as non-exempt. For tips and tools for avoiding misclassifying workers, read more about this topic from the resources available on the National Council’s website.
IRS guidance provides that someone is properly classified as an independent contractor/consultant “when the nonprofit has the right to control or direct only the result of the work done by an independent contractor, and not the means and methods of accomplishing the result.” We hope you feel comfortable with the distinction between independent contractors/consultants and employees. If you are not sure, here are some resources to help you classify workers correctly and avoid associated risks:
- Guidance from the IRS on everything you’ve always wanted to know about how to pay independent contractors correctly.
- Distinguishing between employees and independent contractors (written by the IRS for small business owners, but equally applicable to nonprofits.)
- IRS Publication 15-A (2010) provides guidance on classifying workers and includes a special section on tax issues relating to employees in exempt organizations.
- IRS Ministers’ Audit Guide (highlights special rules for religious organizations)
Spread the word: Deadline extended to October 15th for nonprofits to file their 990s.
Please join the State Association network of the National Council of Nonprofits, the IRS, and others to spread the word – to small nonprofits in particular – that they need to file with the IRS annually. Most urgently, many small nonprofits will lose their tax-exempt status if they have not filed in the past 3 years and fail to file by October 15th of this year. The IRS has announced a one-time relief program for nonprofits required to file the 990-N or 990-EZ that missed their deadline earlier this year.
- This short video from the IRS explains the filing deadline.
- The one-time relief program will not help organizations required to file the Form 990 or Form 990-PF. Their tax-exempt status will be automatically revoked if they fail to file for three consecutive years.
- Guidance from Guidestar.org explaining what you need to know about revocation of tax-exempt status.
- Electronic Filing Tool: Organizations with gross revenue under $100,000 may file their IRS Form 990-EZ electronically at no charge through the Urban Institute’s eFile program.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Some Pork Projects Survive
The Poughkeepsie Journal reported that Gov. David Paterson's veto pen has yet to end spending for legislative earmarks, state records show.
The state in July signed off on $12.5 million in member items for lawmakers' hometown projects — including $438,000 for a senior center in Queens, $100,000 for a group opposed to a major power line in central New York and $7,500 for the Rochester crime stoppers program.
In all, 609 member items were signed off by the state Comptroller's Office in July, a review by the Journal's Albany bureau found. An additional 57 projects totaling nearly $1 million were approved in just the first few days of August.
The spending comes even after Paterson held marathon sessions last month to personally sign 6,709 vetoes of lawmakers' pork-barrel projects approved in last year's budget, a total of about $190 million. But the vetoes haven't shut off the spending spigot quite yet.
State law allows the money from last year's budget to flow until Sept. 15. So nonprofits and local governments, who were banking on the money before Paterson's surprising vetoes, are making a dash for the cash before it's too late.
"We're hearing from groups all over that they are scrambling right now to get all their vouchers in and work completed," said Ron Deutsch, who heads New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, a group that works with non-profits. "Everyone's in scramble mode right now."
The stakes are high from some groups that rely on the member items to fund programs and, in some cases, to stay in business.
Assemblyman Marc Molinaro, R-Red Hook, said he doesn't oppose Paterson's vetoes of the member items, but the governor should have done it last year — before the groups were counting on the money.
"I have a concern about the governor vetoing dollars that have been awarded and, at the very least, were in the process of being contracted," he said.
Some groups said they have been waiting for reimbursements from member items pledged for their projects last year. Read more here.
The state in July signed off on $12.5 million in member items for lawmakers' hometown projects — including $438,000 for a senior center in Queens, $100,000 for a group opposed to a major power line in central New York and $7,500 for the Rochester crime stoppers program.
In all, 609 member items were signed off by the state Comptroller's Office in July, a review by the Journal's Albany bureau found. An additional 57 projects totaling nearly $1 million were approved in just the first few days of August.
The spending comes even after Paterson held marathon sessions last month to personally sign 6,709 vetoes of lawmakers' pork-barrel projects approved in last year's budget, a total of about $190 million. But the vetoes haven't shut off the spending spigot quite yet.
State law allows the money from last year's budget to flow until Sept. 15. So nonprofits and local governments, who were banking on the money before Paterson's surprising vetoes, are making a dash for the cash before it's too late.
"We're hearing from groups all over that they are scrambling right now to get all their vouchers in and work completed," said Ron Deutsch, who heads New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, a group that works with non-profits. "Everyone's in scramble mode right now."
The stakes are high from some groups that rely on the member items to fund programs and, in some cases, to stay in business.
Assemblyman Marc Molinaro, R-Red Hook, said he doesn't oppose Paterson's vetoes of the member items, but the governor should have done it last year — before the groups were counting on the money.
"I have a concern about the governor vetoing dollars that have been awarded and, at the very least, were in the process of being contracted," he said.
Some groups said they have been waiting for reimbursements from member items pledged for their projects last year. Read more here.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Legislators Get Back Pay! How About You?
The New York Nonprofit Press offered this relevant perspective now that the NYS Budget has been passed:
After finally completing passage of New York State’s FY2010-2011 budget – 125 days late -- New York State legislators have received checks covering back pay averaging $26,500. How about your agency?
According to an article in today’s City Hall, salaries and other monies owed to Assembly Members and State Senators – a total of $7 million – were paid out in full on August 3rd – the day they voted on the final budget bills. Legislators, according to the article, are now catching up on their mortgages and paying off other loans – if not simply dropping the cash into their savings accounts.
By contrast, there are widespread reports that New York State had taken no action to make payments to nonprofit contractors for services provides since April 1st when the new fiscal year began – even when there were existing contracts and, therefore a legal obligation to make payment.
Last week, NYNP reported on several agencies who were already owed as much as $1 million for services provided during this fiscal year. A Division of Budget spokesperson indicated that cash flow problems were standing in the way.
Now that the budget has been passed, when will payments under existing contracts be made to providers? And, how quickly can the state act to process and register new contracts to provide payment for critical services?
Nonprofits have mortgages and loans to pay off too – not to mention the salaries of staff who never stop providing services, budget or no budget.
What’s happening at your agency? Email your comments to editor@nynp.biz.
After finally completing passage of New York State’s FY2010-2011 budget – 125 days late -- New York State legislators have received checks covering back pay averaging $26,500. How about your agency?
According to an article in today’s City Hall, salaries and other monies owed to Assembly Members and State Senators – a total of $7 million – were paid out in full on August 3rd – the day they voted on the final budget bills. Legislators, according to the article, are now catching up on their mortgages and paying off other loans – if not simply dropping the cash into their savings accounts.
By contrast, there are widespread reports that New York State had taken no action to make payments to nonprofit contractors for services provides since April 1st when the new fiscal year began – even when there were existing contracts and, therefore a legal obligation to make payment.
Last week, NYNP reported on several agencies who were already owed as much as $1 million for services provided during this fiscal year. A Division of Budget spokesperson indicated that cash flow problems were standing in the way.
Now that the budget has been passed, when will payments under existing contracts be made to providers? And, how quickly can the state act to process and register new contracts to provide payment for critical services?
Nonprofits have mortgages and loans to pay off too – not to mention the salaries of staff who never stop providing services, budget or no budget.
What’s happening at your agency? Email your comments to editor@nynp.biz.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: 2010 Michael H. Urbach, CPA, Community Builder's Award
Sponsored by the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA)
In recognition of the important role, talents and leadership that a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in New York State can provide as a board member for community-based charities, NYCON and NYSSCPA are pleased to announce the 7th Annual Michael H. Urbach, CPA, Community Builder's Award.
The award is named in honor of the late Michael H. Urbach, CPA, former partner of Urbach, Kahn and Werlin, former NYS Commissioner of Tax and Finance and Chair of the State Employees federated Appeal, and board leader of a number of charities.
Award Criteria & Submission
Candidates must:
In recognition of the important role, talents and leadership that a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in New York State can provide as a board member for community-based charities, NYCON and NYSSCPA are pleased to announce the 7th Annual Michael H. Urbach, CPA, Community Builder's Award.
The award is named in honor of the late Michael H. Urbach, CPA, former partner of Urbach, Kahn and Werlin, former NYS Commissioner of Tax and Finance and Chair of the State Employees federated Appeal, and board leader of a number of charities.
Award Criteria & Submission
Candidates must:
- Be a CPA in good standing and a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants;
- Have served as an Officer on at least 3 different charitable 501(c)(3) community-based nonprofits with service as President/Chair at least once;
- Have demonstrated exemplary board leadership resulting in significant and positive organizational impact including, but not limited to, financial turn-around, growth, and/or organizational re-structuring; and
- Preference will be given to nominees whose board leadership accomplishments have been with community-based charities.
Deadline - August 30th, 2010
Nominations addressing the candidate's qualifications must be submitted in writing and received by August 30th, 2010. Nominators are strongly encouraged to include letters of support from the charities who have benefited from the candidate's volunteer leadership.
Send six (6) packets of nomination materials to:
Urbach Community Builder's Award Committee
New York Council of Nonprofits
272 Broadway
Albany NY 12204
Announcement & Presentation
The 2010 award will be formally presented at the Annual Member Meeting of NYCON slated for the afternoon of September 30th at Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, New York.
The Luncheon will take place during CAMP FINANCE, a two-day retreat that provides the very best in knowledge and skill development sessions for fiscal and management staff, as well as board members. New this year, it has expanded to include the popular "Money for Mission" tracks that will focus on fundraising, marketing, social media, grant making (both government and philanthropic) and more!
In honor of the late Harold Mandel, a certified public accountant who worked for Urbach, Kahn & Werlin in Albany, NY and retired in West Palm Beach, FL, the 2010 Urbach Honoree has the privilege to award three (3) nonprofit executives of their choice Camp Finance scholarships in Hal's name. In 2009, Mr. Mandel's family accepted a posthumous Michael H. Urbach, CPA Community Builder's Award in his tribute.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Security and Risk Management Training for Cultural Organizations
Theft of historical documents plagues records repositories. With careful planning, awareness of warning signs and proactive security solutions, organizations can reduce the window of opportunity for historical record theft. Archival security expert Mimi Bowling will provide an interactive curriculum on archival security, preparing participants to take immediate action to strengthen their local security programs. Participants will receive a certificate upon completion. There is no cost.
Topics include risk awareness; insider theft; facility design and security technology; security of information systems; working with vendors and contractors; research room management and design; developing institutional security policies; procedures and post-theft response; additional topics as requested by participants.
Representatives of NY¹s historical records community, including archives, governments, libraries, museums, historical societies, schools and non-profits will be given first priority. Additional seats are available for security personnel and law enforcement representatives working with these organizations. Out-of-state representatives and others interested in the
topic are also encouraged to register.
September 13, 2010 (Monday)
Ontario County Safety Training Center
Canandaigua, Ontario, NY
September 14, 2010 (Tuesday)
Erie 1 BOCES
West Seneca, Erie, NY
October 4, 2010 (Monday)
Utica Public Library
Utica, Oneida, NY
October 5, 2010 (Tuesday)
Roberson Museum and Science Center
Binghamton, Broome, NY
March 7, 2011 (Monday)
Historic Huguenot Street
New Paltz, Ulster, NY
April 11, 2011 (Monday)
Crandall Public Library
Glens Falls, Warren, NY
April 18, 2011 (Monday)
Town of Massena
Massena, St. Lawrence, NY
Metro NYC Region and
Long Island Region
Spring 2011
TBA
To register, please email Bturner@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-473-0130. Early registration is encouraged and appreciated; only 25 seats available.
Workshop have been made possible by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the New York State Historical Records Advisory Board, and the New York State Archives.
Brittany Turner
Project Assistant
"Lessons from a Theft: Bringing Security Tools and Knowledge to New York's
Historical Records Community"
NYS Archives
CEC, Room 9D58
Albany, NY 12230
(PH) 518-473-0130\
(FX) 518-486-1647
Topics include risk awareness; insider theft; facility design and security technology; security of information systems; working with vendors and contractors; research room management and design; developing institutional security policies; procedures and post-theft response; additional topics as requested by participants.
Representatives of NY¹s historical records community, including archives, governments, libraries, museums, historical societies, schools and non-profits will be given first priority. Additional seats are available for security personnel and law enforcement representatives working with these organizations. Out-of-state representatives and others interested in the
topic are also encouraged to register.
September 13, 2010 (Monday)
Ontario County Safety Training Center
Canandaigua, Ontario, NY
September 14, 2010 (Tuesday)
Erie 1 BOCES
West Seneca, Erie, NY
October 4, 2010 (Monday)
Utica Public Library
Utica, Oneida, NY
October 5, 2010 (Tuesday)
Roberson Museum and Science Center
Binghamton, Broome, NY
March 7, 2011 (Monday)
Historic Huguenot Street
New Paltz, Ulster, NY
April 11, 2011 (Monday)
Crandall Public Library
Glens Falls, Warren, NY
April 18, 2011 (Monday)
Town of Massena
Massena, St. Lawrence, NY
Metro NYC Region and
Long Island Region
Spring 2011
TBA
To register, please email Bturner@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-473-0130. Early registration is encouraged and appreciated; only 25 seats available.
Workshop have been made possible by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the New York State Historical Records Advisory Board, and the New York State Archives.
Brittany Turner
Project Assistant
"Lessons from a Theft: Bringing Security Tools and Knowledge to New York's
Historical Records Community"
NYS Archives
CEC, Room 9D58
Albany, NY 12230
(PH) 518-473-0130\
(FX) 518-486-1647
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