TOP NEWS
NYN Media Reports - New ratings systems help nonprofits navigate the road ahead: GuideStar and Charity Navigator, two of the nation’s largest charity evaluators, recently rolled out changes to their rating systems that present nonprofits in a more transparent light and encourage them to undertake long-range evaluations. The adjustments come as donors to New York’s nonprofits seek to make more informed choices about where their money goes in the wake of scandals and high-profile implosions, and as nonprofit coalitions struggle to draw attention to an operating climate that has left many local organizations in fiscal distress. Read more.
New facility classification allows better options for city seniors, if built:Mayor de Blasio and the New York City Council recently passed a series of amendments to the city's zoning regulations aimed, in part, at encouraging the construction and expansion of senior housing and elder care facilities, Gotham Gazette reports. Included in the zoning changes which incentivize affordable housing was the creation of a new building category called “long term care facility,” which could have significant implications for the city’s aging population and senior care. Read more.
Alison Bernstein of Ford Foundation dies at 69: Alison Bernstein, who expanded opportunities for learning and tackled challenging social problems as an educator and as an official of the Ford Foundation, died June 30 at her home in East Hampton, N.Y., the New York Times writes. Read more.
Judge tosses bid to block controversial sale of Brooklyn public library: A Brooklyn judge has ruled against petitioners who sought to block the controversial sale and redevelopment of the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, according to the New York Post. The decision comes amid an ongoing probe by both federal and city prosecutors into the sale of the city-owned land - which was awarded to a crony of Mayor de Blasio who offered less cash than two other bidders. Read more.
Too old for sex? Not at this nursing home: Nursing homes in New York and across the country have broached sex as part of a broader shift from institutional to individualized care, according to nursing home operators and their industry groups, the New York Times writes. A senior vice president for public policy and health services for LeadingAge, an industry group that represents more than 6,000 nonprofit elder-care service providers, including about 2,000 nursing homes, said sex would come up more often as baby boomers moved in. Read more.
Less money prompts cuts at World Monuments Fund: For 50 years the World Monuments Fund, a nonprofit organization in Manhattan, has worked to save imperiled historic sites across the globe, but one of its major sources of financing has largely run out, leading the organization to get rid of 11 of its 45 jobs, the New York Times writes. The fund’s president said that the expiration of a 10-year matching donation by Robert W. Wilson, a retired hedge fund founder turned philanthropist, had set the stage for cutbacks. Read more.
Sherman Plaza plan would set 'bad precedent' uptown, critics say:DNAinfo reports that dozens of activists worked the streets in Northern Manhattan over the weekend, collecting signatures from residents in a bid to stop Sherman Plaza in Inwood, the first individual project to be built under Mayor Bill de Blasio's controversial Mandatory Inclusionary Housing rezoning. As of Monday, 475 people had signed the petition, which members of the nonprofit Riverside Edgecombe Neighborhood Association carried as they canvassed. Read more.
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Jump-start your career at MCNY! Join us at our Grad Info Session onThursday, July 21 from 6-8 p.m. at our brand new Financial District campus. Learn how to advance your career and network with faculty and alumni. Fall semester starts Thursday, Sept. 8. Seats are filling up fast!Financial Aid and scholarship opportunities available. RSVP here.
PAYING MORE THAN YOU NEED TO FOR TELECOM SERVICES?
AMS can help nonprofits save money: Review for Billing Errors - Audit invoices against your billing records for discrepancies; Optimizing Existing Plans - Assessing existing plans to optimize utilization without switching carriers; Efficient Services - Explore more robust options available for the same cost; Savings for Organizations - Focus on what really matters, with additional available resources to support your mission. To receive a preliminary complimentary assessment click here.
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NYN BUZZ
New national data on food insecurity reports significant increase in the number of children on Long Island facing domestic hunger:
A new report published by Feeding America, the national hunger relief organization representing 194 food banks across the country describes a 27.2 percent increase in the estimated number of Long Island children experiencing food insecurity, according to Long Island Cares. The report entitled, Map the Meal Gap 2016: Child Food Insecurity in New York by County in 2014 reports 40,360 children in Nassau and 48,670 in Suffolk face food insecurity by not having access to nutritious food on a daily basis. Read more.
Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens receives $50,000 matching challenge grant:
The Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens received a $50,000 challenge grant from two anonymous donors. This challenge grant will match dollar-for-dollar all donations from new and existing supporters for the rest of the year, up to $50,000. The funds raised will be used to provide life enhancing educational and recreational afterschool and summer programs, hire and train committed staff, and maintain a safe and secure facility where children enjoy spending quality time each day.
Lisa Stein joins Lantern Community Services as Chief Operating Officer:
As a member of Lantern Community Services’ Executive Team, Lisa Stein will lead the organization’s fiscal strategy, operations and leasing and compliance, serving over 2,000 supportive housing residents across the city. She was previously at Seedco, where she has been the vice president of work and family supports, providing program management and fiscal oversight for programs around the country. Founded in 1996, Lantern Community Services champions the independence and well-being of New Yorkers who are impacted by or threatened with homelessness.
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ARE YOU THE NEXT LEADER OF YOUR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION?
The Gratz College Master of Science in Nonprofit Management is an accelerated and online graduate degree program designed for the working professional. This practitioner-oriented program emphasizes managerial, development and leadership skills as well as a consideration of ethical and social principles as they apply to real world situations in the nonprofit sector. Midcareer Graduate Fellowships: 45% tuition awarded to working professionals in the Jewish community. MS in Nonprofit Management
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NYN CAREERS
Superintendent of Schools, Greenburgh-North Castle UFSD
Greenburgh-North Castle Union Free School District seeks a candidate who is an effective leader who can enhance the diversity of a 550-student school district, listen to and respect the ideas of others, consistently maintain open and candid dialogue with all staff, students and other members of the Greenburgh-North Castle School District. The candidate should also be a skilled collaborator who will lead and motivate the staff in the implementation of the School District’s strategic plan, and an experienced leader with a successful track record of dealing with children with special need by helping them achieve higher levels of accomplishment through the development of their critical thinking skills. Read more.
ACT Program Director, The Bridge
The Bridge, an innovative and well-respected mental health agency serving adults with serious mental illness, substance abuse, co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders has an exciting opportunity for a Program Director to lead an ACT Program in the Bronx. The Program Director is responsible for clinical and administrative oversight of a multi-disciplinary treatment team. Clinical responsibilities include direct practice and supervision of intake, clinical assessment, treatment planning, medication management and treatment, benefits eligibility, crisis intervention, family support and documentation. Administrative functions include the management of internal and external statistical reporting, billing, petty cash, staff supervision and time and attendance. Read more.
Program Director - Life is Precious (LIP) Program, Comunilife
Comunilife is seeking a Program Director to lead a unique suicide-prevention program at the growing agency. Under the direction of the Chief Program Officer, the Program Director’s duties include the overall management, direction, budgeting and daily operations of a unique, expanding and highly visible after-school, suicide-prevention program operating in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens and serving over 120 Hispanic adolescent girls with mental health diagnoses, all of whom receive mental health treatment in clinics. LIP provides counseling, academic/vocational supports and promotes positive friendships and family relations by offering activities such as computer labs, art/music/dance groups, wellness activities, tutoring, trips and family activities.Read more.
NYN MEDIA CAREERS: To advertise your employment opportunities with NYN Media email lblake@cityandstateny.com. Visit www.nyncareers.com to view all jobs.
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Join the fun at the 15th Anniversary of “Camp Finance.” Hosted by NYCON onOctober 6th & 7th at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz NY, this is an incomparable two-day retreat experience for Executive Directors, Financial Staff, Board Members, Fundraisers, Marketing and Development Staff alike. Keynote Speakers include Vu Le, Nonprofit Humorist from nonprofitwithballs.com and Melanie Herman, Executive Director at the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. Information Online Now.
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POLITICAL BULLETIN by CITY & STATE:
* Faced with a looming teacher shortage, the Board of Regents approved a plan that will expand the pool of educators in New York by nixing a requirement that certified out -of-state instructors pass a state certification exam, the Times Union reports. Read more.
* The New York attorney general says a private medical vendor at the Nassau County jail has repeatedly denied inmates adequate care, which sometimes has deadly consequences and defrauds taxpayers, Newsday reports. Read more.
* The New York Times writes that former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s comments on killings of black men by police represent his trademark “brew of poisonous disinformation” and that hopefully Americans’ impulse to pull together overcomes such divisiveness. Read more.
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NONPROFITS IN THE NEWS
Hundreds of graves discovered at historic N.Y. African-American site:The New York Landmarks Conservancy said specialists using ground-penetrating radar in Staten Island's Rossville A.M.E. Zion Church Cemetery have detected hundreds of previously undiscovered gravesites in an African-American burial ground that dates to the 1830s, CBS and the Associated Press report. The church went to the nonprofit about a year ago asking for help in developing a long-term maintenance and restoration plan for the cemetery.Read more.
Project commits $3 million to build 50 soccer fields in New York: New York City F.C., along with the city, Adidas and the U.S. Soccer Foundation, will build 50 soccer fields in New York City’s five boroughs over the next five years in a $3 million partnership intended to increase participation in the sport and to promote health and social skills among young people in underserved neighborhoods, according to the New York Times. Read more.
Clinton County groups eligible for healthy-project funds: As part of its Healthy Neighborhoods Challenge, In Our Backyards, a nonprofit, civic crowd-resourcing platform, is looking for people with project ideas aimed at making the county greener, safer or healthier, the Press Republican writes. The organization is asking people to submit proposals by Aug. 1 and will select winners, whom it will assist in planning, crowdfunding and bringing their ideas to life. Read more.
Dare2Draw nonprofit looks to expand reach with Kickstarter-funded anthology: A nonprofit based out of New York City, Dare2Draw has been offering mentoring and networking for all comics creators since 2009, according to Comic Book Resources. Now, the program is looking to expand into print with its first mentoring anthology, and has created a Kickstarter campaign to fund its new goals. Read more.
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NYN EVENTS
On Thursday, September 15th, New York Nonprofit Media will host the 2nd annual Nonprofit MarkCon which will bring together marketing and communications executives from nonprofits across New York to discuss how to build a brand. We expect over 200 nonprofit communications, marketing, PR and strategy executives to attend this event. Topics to include: brand transformation, social media, event planning, integrated marketing, data analytics and more. If you are looking to reach nonprofit executives pleaseclick here.
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SECTOR FOCUS: Environmental Nonprofits
Stormwater is new challenge to city’s clean water plans: While stormwater is a common problem for every city across the country, what's unique about New York is the amount of time that is taking to effectively tackle it, City Limits writes. Portland, Chicago and Philadelphia are among the cities that focused on this problem years ago. Doing so requires resources, technical capacity and also a mentality shift through which people realize the effect of stormwater and are willing to pay their fare share. Read more.
Designing an active, healthier city: The nonprofit Center for Active Design has played a role in assisting developers and planners embrace “active design” to solve the problem of increasing obesity, the New York Times writes. The approach is part of a global movement to get urbanites onto their streets and enjoying their surroundings on foot, bike or public transport. Read more.
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TODAY’S GOVERNMENT SKED
11 a.m. - “The Capitol Pressroom” features Soffiyah Elijah, former head of the Correctional Association of New York state and an attorney, Anne Reynolds, the executive director of the Alliance for a Clean Energy New York, Jessica Azulay, program director for the Alliance for a Green Economy, and Chad Shearer, director of UHF’s Medicaid Institute, WCNY.
11 a.m. - Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams announces Operation Safe Shopper, a partnership between local civic organizations and the New York City Police Department which funds the deployment of security technology in neighborhoods across Brooklyn to assist with the investigation of local crimes, Albany Bakery, 339 Albany Ave., Brooklyn.
12 p.m. - City Councilman Antonio Reynoso and the Broadway Triangle Community Coalition rally for fair and equitable public housing in the Broadway Triangle, City Hall steps, Manhattan.
6 p.m. - State Sen. Jesse Hamilton, Public Advocate Letitia James, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and others attend “Unity in the Community” walk in memory of the victims of shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas, 77th Police Precinct, 127 Utica Ave., Brooklyn.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Kevin M. Meade, Executive Director of the Community Resource Center for the Developmentally Disabled, Inc.!
To see your birthday mentioned, click here.