NY ranks last in volunteerism

The Albany Business Review reported that New Yorkers are not very beneficent when it comes to giving their time. Not at all.

In fact, the Empire State ranks 51st out of 50 states and Washington D.C. when it comes to volunteering, according to the annual Volunteering in America report.

Nationally, however, about 1.6 million more volunteers served in 2009 than in 2008, making this the largest single-year increase in the number of volunteers since 2003, when data was first collected for the study. The report is produced by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a government-sponsored nonprofit. Higher unemployment rates also increase volunteerism.

Nationwide, a total of 63.4 million volunteers contributed 8.1 billion hours of service in 2009, an estimated dollar value $169 billion. Overall, the volunteering rate increased in 2009 to 26.8 percent, up from 26.4 percent in 2008.

Volunteering data used in the annual report is gathered through the Current Population Survey, conducted monthly by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Volunteers are defined as individuals ages 16 and over who perform unpaid activities for or through an organization.

The study showed that 2.9 million, or 19 percent, of New York residents volunteered in 2007-2009, compared with the national average of 26.8 percent. The Capital Region fared better, but still placed in the lower half of the rankings. It ranked 44th out of the 75 mid-sized cities that were studied for the report, with 27.1 percent, or 200,000, of its residents volunteering.

Compared with other mid-sized cities in New York, the Capital Region placed behind Binghamton, ranked 30th, and Poughkeepsie, ranked 41st, and ahead of 71st-ranked Syracuse. Nationally, Provo, Utah, ranked first among mid-sized cities and El Paso, Texas, was last. Utah was the top state for volunteerism.

Volunteers in New York contributed 405.5 million hours, or $8.5 billion worth in service from 2007-2009.

Read more: New York dead-last in volunteerism - The Business Review (Albany)

Franklin Stage Company 2010 Performance Season

Schedule

Jim Mullen
"The Real Housewives of Delaware County"
FSC's resident raconteur delights again with a new show.
Friday July 9 at 8pm & Sunday July 11 at 3:30pm

15th Annual Treadwell Stagecoach Art Run
Artworks on exhibit by Charlie Bremer and Edmond Rinnooy Kan
Saturday July 10 & Sunday July 11, 10am-5pm

Andy Stein
Famed Prairie Home Companion regular!
"For a classically trained violinist, Andy Stein has been so thoroughly
subverted by a succession of other musical styles that he has become, to twist Ellington's phrase, 'beyond category.'" - NY Times
Performing with internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist Matt Munisteri
Saturday July 17 at 8pm

Mettawee River Theatre Company
"The Woman Who Fell From The Sky"
An Iroquois creation story vividly told with puppetry, masks and live music,
performed by this renowned company on the Franklin Central School playing field
Audiences invited to bring their own picnic from 5pm
Rain location: Chapel Hall
Friday July 23 at 8pm

TS Eliot's "The Cocktail Party"
A rehearsed reading of this extraordinary comedy,
directed by Patricia Buckley, featuring Johana Arnold, Camilla Enders, Peter Gaitens, Charlie Kevin, Carmela Marner, Hugh Timoney and Ed Vassallo
Sunday August 1 at 4pm

Chuck D'Imperio
"Sidney Stories: My Town is a Cathedral"
FSC welcomes back hilarious and poignant story-telling
from WDOS radio's "Big Chuck"
Sunday August 22 at 5pm


Pooh Kaye
An evening of dance and multi-disciplinary arts curated by and featuring the much lauded choreographer, dancer and video artist
Saturday August 28 at 8pm

Mosaic Winds
Come inside Chapel Hall during the Franklin Farmers' Market and hear the rich strains ofthis classical woodwind quintet:
Heather Kriesel on flute, Kathy Karlsen on oboe,
Jeff Barker on french horn, Melinda Lewis on bassoon, and
Franklin Central School's beloved band conductor and music teacher
Carol Smith on clarinet
Sunday August 29 at 12:30pm & 1:30pm

Julian Fleisher
Jazz singer, songwriter, actor Julian Fleisher
returns to Chapel Hall for a sensational musical evening with his band
"A New York nightclub supernova." - LA Times
"Exemplary, sterling and delightful." - Billboard
Saturday September 4 at 8pm

Tom Morgan
"More Tales from the Empire"
a sequel to Morgan's dynamic and touching 2009 debut solo play
Saturday September 18 at 8pm & Sunday September 19 at 2pm


All events are
Admission Free (donations gratefully accepted)
reservations recommended: email reserve@franklinstagecompany.org or call (607) 829-3700


If you come to a performance, you can eat in Franklin!!
The Beehive Restaurant and Home Town Pizza have both reopened.
The Beehive is open seven days a week, and for dinner on Fridays & Saturdays.
Home Town Pizza is open Wednesdays-Saturdays til 8 and Sundays til 6.

Call The Beehive at 607-829-2996 or Hometown Pizza at 607-829-2911

Franklin Stage Company hosts the Franklin Farmers' Market
every Sunday through Columbus Day weekend
on the lawn at Chapel Hall, 10am-2pm

Come explore Franklin on the weekends -
antiques, fresh produce, dining & performance!

June 30th Program: Online Tools for Volunteer Management and Communication

Continuing the ED Group's focus on volunteer management, the June 30th program meeting will held in a computer lab and focus on various online tools that will help manage and support volunteers, including board members, general volunteers and interns. Come join in this facilitated discussion and demonstration of potential tools for your nonprofit to put in place, and share your own ideas. Proposed topic areas include:

•Communication
•Evaluation and feedback
•Volunteer recruitment (signing them up)
•Orientation and training
Something missing you would like to see? Let us know!

Date: Wed, June 30th, 2010
Time: 9:00am - 10:30am
Cost: Free
Location: To be announced (SUNY Oneonta computer lab)

REGISTER HERE

Presentation by the Attorney General's Office for Nonprofits: June 17 in Delhi and Oneonta

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's Charities Bureau, in partnership with the United Way of Delaware & Otsego Counties, will be conducting workshops on Registration and Reporting requirements for not-for-profit organizations as follows:

• Thursday, June 17, 2010, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Delaware County Public Safety Building, 280 Phoebe Lane, Delhi
• Thursday, June 17, 2010, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Foxcare Center, 1 Foxcare Drive, Route 7, Oneonta

The goal is to provide not-for-profit organizations with information on how to register and stay current with their filing requirements with the Attorney General's Charities Bureau. This is an effort to educate charities throughout the two counties so they can avoid any pitfalls, as well as to show them how they can check their registration status in order to be sure they are up to date. It is being presented free of charge. Please rsvp 607-721-8771 to reserve a seat.

Who Takes Minutes for the Board and Executive Committee Meetings?

Hello Friends!

If you have a minute I could use your advice. Most of you either participate on a volunteer board or lead a volunteer board. Who takes minutes for you at Board and Executive Committee meetings? Does a staff person take them? Do you have a volunteer Secretary position as an officer role of your board? Do any of you have a person named as a recorder that is not part of the board?

We are looking to for someone to record minutes for the Board and Executive Committee and are seeking the best way to do this. If you have a job description that you are willing to share I would appreciate it.

Thanks for your good advice and input.

Terry

Theresa Capuano
Executive Director
United Way of Delaware/Otsego Counties
UwayTF@stny.rr.com
31 Maple St.
Oneonta, NY 13820
607-432-8006

Soccer Hall of Fame Cited as Example at Strategic Alliances & Partnerships Forum

The blog, Done by People, by Joe Brown, Principal and Founder of Slope Resources, LLC, offered the following recap of the "A Conversation with NYS Comptroller Thomas P. Di Napoli and Panel Discussion on Strategic Alliances & Partnerships."

On Monday, I had the opportunity to attend a highly informative and engaging forum which brought together government and nonprofit representatives to discuss the topic of strategic alliances and partnerships among nonprofit organizations. While the discussion focused on New York State’s nonprofit sector, the challenges, considerations, and ideas discussed are applicable to organizations nationwide. In the absence of a video or audio recording of the session, I wanted to share this detailed recap and my impressions of the session.

The event was sponsored by the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region and the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) and held at the headquarters of New York State United Teachers (very nice digs, by the way) in Latham, New York, a few miles northeast of Albany.

Karen Bilowith, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, presided over the session. The approximately 75 attendees included representatives of various nonprofits, including arts, cultural, health, and human services organizations, as well as a number of funders and consultants (including yours truly). Following Ms. Bilowith’s welcoming comments, New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez provided brief opening remarks. Ms. Cortés-Vázquez assured the attendees that “most in government” recognize the importance of the nonprofit sector and rules and regulations pertaining to the sector should not be so onerous as to provide disincentives for staff, board members, and volunteers to participate.

I’m from the government, and…
Ms. Cortés-Vázquez then introduced the session’s keynote speaker, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The Office of the State Comptroller has responsibility for the review, approval, and payment of the state’s contracts with nonprofit organizations. Mr. DiNapoli noted the importance of the nonprofit sector to the state and its economy, citing 2006 statistics that the state’s approximately 24,000 nonprofits reported revenue of $133 billion and employed nearly 1.2 million people, or 17% of the state’s workforce. He quantified the state’s contractual bonds with the sector as consisting of nearly 31,000 active contracts totaling $14.6 billion, as of June 2009. Read more here.

The balance of the session was devoted to presentations and discussion by a panel consisting of:
■Doug Sauer, who has served as Chief Executive Officer of New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) since 1980. NYCON’s membership represents approximately 1,600 charitable nonprofit organizations across New York State.
■Cristine Cioffi, who is a partner in the law firm of Cioffi • Slezak • Wildgrube P.C., but spoke primarily in her role as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Ellis Medicine, an organization which resulted from the recent merger of three nonprofit hospitals in Schenectady County.
■David W. Palmquist, who as Manager of the New York State Museum’s Chartering Program, oversees the chartering of museums, historical societies, and similar cultural organizations with educational purposes across the state.
The panelists responded to questions posed by Ms. Bilowith, as well as several questions from audience members.

Doug Sauer
While all three of the panelists presented interesting perspectives on the potential of various collaborative models for nonprofit organizations, I was particularly impressed by Mr. Sauer’s insight and candor on a number of fronts. Early in his presentation, he discussed the recent proliferation of nonprofits, describing the creation of thousands of new organizations each year, many of which are not active, and the resultant saturated environment. (I was reminded of a recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, which noted that the number of nonprofit organizations nationwide has increased by 90% to 1.2 million since 1996). Read more here.

David Palmquist
Mr. Palmquist spoke to different forms of nonprofit collaboration and alliances from the perspective of museums and other cultural and historical institutions, for which his office has oversight. I found it interesting to learn that New York is the only state in which such organizations are chartered as educational corporations charged with protecting the public trust, rather than general nonprofit corporations. According to Mr. Palmquist, this fact has placed his office “in the driver seat” with regard to controlling and rationalizing the creation of new organizations. He noted that the state’s unique treatment of educational corporations made organizational changes easier than for other nonprofit corporations.

Other interesting facts offered by Mr. Palmquist were that performing and fine arts organizations may be eligible for and could potentially benefit from state chartering as educational corporations, and that recent regulatory changes meant that a “museum” no longer necessarily referred to a physical facility, but to an institution, opening up the possibility of “museums without walls” (citing the example of the National Soccer Hall of Fame). Read more here.

NYS Unemployment Insurance Fraud Prevention June 8th

NYS Unemployment Insurance Fraud Prevention

The NYS Unemployment Insurance Fraud Prevention seminar will be held Tuesday, June 8, 2010, Workshop: 9:00 to 10:30 AM
at Morrisville State College Norwich Campus' Community Room

Protecting the integrity of the unemployment insurance program is a responsibility that NYS Department of Labor takes seriously. This seminar will focus on the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of those who defraud or attempt to defraud the unemployment insurance program.

Thanks to the seminar's sponsors this is a Free Seminar - To make reservations, call NYS Department of Labor at (607) 432-4800 ext. 103,
or by email: alan.sessions@labor.ny.gov

This seminar is a joint venture of the NYS Department of Labor, Chenango JSEC, Commerce Chenango, CDO Workforce New York, Morrisville State College Norwich Campus

Alan Sessions, Business Services Rep.
Dept. of Labor & CDO Workforce
12 Dietz St., Oneonta, NY 13820
607-432-4800, Ext. 103
alan.sessions@labor.state.ny.us
http://www.cdoworkforce.blogspot.com