Employee Compensation Follow Up

If you haven't checked up on the previous post of a ED's questions about setting compensation and developing policies, the post has drawn some responses. Read the post here. Also, take a look at this Philanthropy Journal article by Linda Lampkin, the research director at ERI Economic Research Institute. She discusses some general thoughts on what to keep in mind when setting employees' salaries, and more importantly, the new requirements for the revised 990 regarding nonprofit executive director compensation. ERI Economic Research Institute, which provides salary surveys and cost-of-living comparison data for both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, is a possible resource for your nonprofit.

Job Posting

OTSEGO 2000, Inc., a regional environmental nonprofit organization with professional staff and an exceptional 27-year record of accomplishments, seeks chief executive with outstanding leadership, communications and fundraising skills to take it to the next level. The enthusiastic successful candidate must be prepared to apply entrepreneurial thinking and skilled follow-through to support the organization’s innovative approach to protecting the Otsego Lake Region and its environs.


The Otsego Lake region is a mosaic of many small and picturesque communities. It features irreplaceable resources, including Otsego Lake, the Glimmerglass Historic District and the Route 20 Scenic Byway. OTSEGO 2000 strives to work with local communities and organizations to provide a high quality of life for their residents and visitors. Leading this 501(c) (3) with the challenging mission of fostering vibrant communities while protecting cultural landscapes and directing and integrating staff activities in the following areas: community planning and development with a focus on historic preservation planning; environmental protection, educating constituencies about the rich history and importance of the Otsego Lake region; and oversight of economic development initiatives that OTSEGO2000 sponsors (e.g. Cooperstown Farmers’ Market).


OTSEGO 2000, Inc.’s office is located in Cooperstown, New York, on Otsego Lake in beautiful Otsego County. Compensation is competitive, commensurate with experience, and includes healthcare and other benefits. For more information about OTSEGO2000 and its programs visit http://www.otsego2000.org/.



For full details of position, contact admin@otsego2000.org
The closing deadline for the receipt of applications and nominations is November 1, 2008

LAEA November 12th Program Meeting Announced

Building on the conversation from the previous Media Panel Program, the Leatherstocking AEA November 12th Program will feature Brad Horn, Senior Director of Communications and Education at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He will speak to: how to get the media's attention/response; how to cultivate and build relationships with the media; how to deal with negativity in the media; and evaluating and tracking your impact in the media. The meeting will also include networking time for organizations to discuss their individual challenges and successes.

Location: Denny's, 4979 State Highway 23, Oneonta, NY 13820
Time: 8:30am-10:30am
Cost: Breakfast off the menu (paid for individually)

REGISTER HERE

BIO:
Brad Horn is senior director of communications and education for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Horn oversees all internal and external communications, community relations, media relations, special events, publications and promotions, advertising, artifact acquisition, visitor services, photography, public programs, club relations and the Museum’s Web site. He also oversees the Institution’s internship program and education department.

Horn joined the non-profit, educational institution in February 2002 as director of public relations, previously overseeing the day-to-day media relations, publications and club relations efforts.

Horn began his career in baseball in 1995 with the Texas Rangers Baseball Club and has held a number of positions in sports public relations including assistant director of public relations with the Texas Rangers (1998-2000), communications manager for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) at Indianapolis Raceway Park (2000-2002) and as director of media relations for the minor-league Fort Worth Fire hockey (1995-1997).

Horn was named a “Top 15 to Watch” among public relations professionals by PRNews in June 2005. He also received a “30 under 30” recognition from PRWeek in 2005.

Horn will receive his master’s degree at Syracuse University this fall in communications management. A native of Houston, Texas, Horn received his bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from Texas Christian University.

Local Event: Networking Meeting October 29th

Patti Timoney, Executive Director for Catskill Rural AIDS Services would like to pass on the following news that Positive Partners of Delaware and Otsego Counties, a group of individuals & organizations sharing resources for HIV/AIDS education and services, is expanding to include Schoharie County and will be holding a networking breakfast on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 from 9 am to 11 am at the Broad Street Grill in the Clarion Hotel, 55 Market Street, Oneonta. The purpose of the breakfast is to provide information and encourage community involvement. All organizations that provide services to people with HIV/AIDS are encouraged to attend along with all other human service organizations. There will be a presentation on the HIV Care Network. Organizations wishing to address the group will have the opportunity to do so and there will be a table for information sharing. The breakfast is free and reservations can be made by calling Catskill Rural AIDS Services at (607)436-9554.

Executive Director Compensation

The question here was asked recently:
Our board is in the process of incorporating some new policies and wants to include a written policy on determining Executive Director compensation. Can you point me in a direction to identify how a small non-profit makes those determinations and/or do you know of another agency about our size that might be willing to share their written policy? Any suggestions are welcome!

Finding info on this topic is challenging. There is plenty of information regarding reporting compensation, especially related to the new 990. GuideStar has an article posted, IRS Changes Requirements on Reporting Nonprofit Executive Compensation, by Linda M. Lampkin at ERI Economic Research Institute. The main points to keep in mind regarding compensation with the new 990 are:

• Review and approval by the board
• No person with conflict of interest involved in compensation decisions
• Comparable data (salaries for like jobs in like enterprises under like circumstances) collected and used to make decisions
• Documentation of decisions when they are made

These are good points for any executive director compensation policy. Charity Goverance Consulting, LLC has posted some articles and feedback about nonprofit director compensation that may helpful too. If anyone would like to offer their own feedback or share a policy, please let us know.

Other nonprofit blogs are a great resource for exploring this ongoing conversation. Here is one example of a post link from Kristen Denzer's Nonprofit SOS blog that discusses what qualifies as too much regarding compensation.

Next Program: Media Tips and Tools

The Steering Committee had a recent conference call to discuss the next program set for Wed, November 12th. Program topic ideas had been put forward by Group participants, such as a program focusing on strategic planning and SWOT analysis to a working session to identify nonprofit needs and divide Group participants by these needs to help formulate solutions. But the conversation came back to the success of the previous media panel discussion, and the need for a follow up session.

The media panel offered participants a big picture conversation from regional media businesses. The information was great, but the Steering Committee found themselves asking how do we take the next steps? How do we respond to the media panel's suggestions? What are the tips and tools to working with the media and getting your message out? Maybe you have your own questions, which we would love to hear. The Committee is planning the Nov 12th program to focus on the how to of working with the media, the tips and tools, and participant sharing of examples of success. More details will follow soon. Register now!

Bringing the Power of Nonprofits to the People through Big Media

A recent article relates a how the Houston Chronicle, utilizing technology from good2gether, has launched the Do Good Channel on Chron.com. good2gether is a CCSNYS partner, and Founder/CEO Greg McHale was the recent keynote speaker at our Money for Mission conference. For those of you wondering where you access the Do Good Channel from the newspaper's homepage, click on the Hurricane Ike Victims Need Your Help button on the right rail. As you can imageine, the development of this resource is a huge success for nonprofits. It validates nonprofits as essential resources and sources of information for everyday readers. A win-win for everybody, nonprofits gain tremendous exposure and the Houston Chronicle has more content and resources to provide their readers.

Our recent media panel program has opened a new door between nonprofits and our regional media. Does our future have the possibility of a Do Good Channel in The Daily Star or Press & Sun-Bulletin? Or how about a video channel for nonprofits with News Channel 34? Let's bring this idea to the attention of our media, and show how we can make this a win-win for us all.