Blogs

No power,  no water at your house?

A. If you have a water tank you have upwards of 50 gallons of potable water in your basement.

1. Turn of the pilot so the water heater does not burn out.

2. Open a facet at the highest level of your home so air can get into the system

3. Take water from your water tank through the faucet at the bottom of the tank, once you drain it do not for get to shut the Faucet off.

4. Remember, no hot water until you start the water heater up again.

B. Auto parts stores sell DC to AC converters for your vehicle. Purchase the best one available, it will come with instructions. You should be able to run a well pump with the generated electricity or keep a few lights on. WILL not sever as a generator for the house. PLEASE BE MINDFUL of where the EXHAUST of the vehicle is going.

Sample of this item: http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-PV150-Portable-Inverter/dp/B0000AI0OE/ref=sr_1_6?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1314628737&sr=1-6

FIRST BE SAFE.

Immigrants and refugees will receive help in studying for the U.S. Citizenship Test.  Curriculum includes lessons on U.S. history, civics, and government, and will prepare participants to take the citizenship exam.

Wednesday evenings (beginning August 17th), 6-8 pm

NH Public Library, 133 Elm Street.

Classes are free and open to all.  Please spread the word!

This program is a collaboration between IRIS- Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, and the New Haven Free Public Library.  For questions, call the library at 946-8130 x 381.

IRIS is looking to fill the FT position of Refugee Education and Youth Services Program Coordinator.

Summary

IRIS- Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (www.irisct.org) welcomes and resettles approximately 200 refugees each year-- people fleeing persecution in their home countries who are invited to come to the United States. They come seeking safety, freedom, peace, and opportunities. IRIS is responsible for welcoming them warmly, helping them learn about their new home, and helping them become self-sufficient. IRIS seeks a Refugee Education and Youth Services Coordinator who will be responsible for ensuring that the refugee children and youth (from birth to age 18) participate in relevant educational and enrichment programs.

Responsibilities include:

-Enroll all new refugee children in school and ensure they have school supplies and uniforms.

-Orient refugee parents and children to the educational system in the U.S. 

-Support and mediate the relationships between parents, childcare providers, school systems, teachers, and administrators by assisting parents in building effective relationships.

-Coordinate after-school activities and tutoring, and in-school tutoring sessions.  Supervise paid and volunteer tutors.  Purchase necessary snacks, supplies, and equipment.

-Help students and families understand the schooling options they are eligible for, including magnet schools.

-Supervise the IRIS Early Learning Program, an onsite childcare program for children ages 1-4 whose parents are in the IRIS English class.

-Maintain IRIS’s relationship with current community partners.  Through networking, outreach, and research, find and implement ways to improve IRIS’s Education and Youth Services Program by forming relationships with other community agencies.

-Work with Volunteer Coordinator to train and coordinate volunteers to serve as tutors and to provide transportation and language interpretation for activities, as necessary.

Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in related field or equivalent professional experience.

- Experience working with immigrants or in social services strongly preferred.

- Strong commitment to serving immigrants is required.

- Driver's license and ability to drive clients in personal vehicle.

- Ability to handle multiple projects concurrently and meet deadlines.

- Strong attention to detail.

- Excellent organizational and time management skills.

- Strong work ethic; initiative and ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team.

- Good interpersonal skills including the ability to work with diverse groups of individuals.

- Excellent, effective written, verbal, and presentation skills.

- Computer and internet proficient with solid understanding of computer systems and applications.

To apply, please email a resume and cover letter to Kelly Hebrank, Deputy Director, at khebrank@irisct.org

Application closing date: August 31, 2011

TELLING YOUR PROGRAM’S STORY

http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/publications/library/pdf/success_story_workbook.pdf

"The purpose of this workbook is to help public health program administrators understand what a “success story” is, why it is important to tell success stories, and how to develop success stories. This document is intended to be used by program managers/coordinators in order to provide steps they can use to systematically collect and create success stories that highlight their program achievements."

http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/publications/library/pdf/success_story_workbook.pdf

Three Full Scholarships Available

Due to multiple philanthropic support, (three) full scholarships are remaining for next week’s Facing Change Executive Director Summer Retreat for Greater New Haven area nonprofits. If you are an Executive Director of a Greater New Haven nonprofit and would like to apply for the scholarship please contact Linda Friedman at linda.friedman@uconn.edu or 860-486-9318.

Individual days can be attended if a director cannot make the complete retreat. Please forward if you know of a colleague who may have interest.

Wed. August 3:          Leadership and Planning in Times of Scarce Resources

Thurs. August 4:         Effectively Communicating in Times of Change

Fri. August 5:              Building Strategic Alliances in Stressed Environments

Fri. November 4:        Three months later: Assess, Adjust, and Move Forward

Special Panel updates:

Social Enterprise—New Forms of Income (Thursday, August 4)

Change comes in many forms…specifically in the field of Social Enterprise, the newest revenue producing strategy for the sector.  Learn from a panel of peers who already engage in social enterprise ventures as well as resource experts in this exciting new field. With:

• Tod Van Kirk, Director of Organizational Development, Vista Ventures
• Michelle Cote, Board Member of ReSet
• Kelly Ramirez, Executive Director of Social Venture Partners of RI

Shared Services—The New Norm (Friday, August 5)

Money tight? Find efficiency, greater impact and revenue through the practice of shared services. This panel will provide examples and strategies for those wanting to create back office integration as a means of saving money. With:

• Deb Heinrich, Nonprofit Liaison to Governor Malloy
• Ron Cretaro, Executive Director of the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits

New Life Corporation is a small 501(c)(3) organization based in New Haven Connecticut. Its mission is to improve the economic security of low and moderate-income families living in Greater New Haven through a combination of financial education and asset-building services. We currently have two opportunities for the Greater New Haven area, that being of a Financial Services Program Manager and a staff Grant Writer to work with our development team.

Please see the links below if you are interested, or know of individuals whom may be.

Financial Services Program Manger & Grant Writing RFP

Child Trends Research Update:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/What-Works-in-Early-Language-and-Literacy.html?soid=1101701160827&aid=HIIaG3mu1Kc

http://www.luminafoundation.org/publications/A_stronger_nation.pdf

Based on an analysis conducted by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, a much larger proportion of jobs in the U.S. will require higher education — even in the near term. This analysis — Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018— shows that fully 60 percent of jobs in the U.S will require postsecondary education by 2018 — well before the target date for Lumina’s “audacious” goal.  For better or worse, the Great Recession is putting the relationship between higher education and the economy into stark relief, and we are making the connections between economic forces and higher education attainment. 

Two simple facts point to the nature of this key relationship. The first is that college graduates are employed at much higher rates than are non-college graduates. Today, while overall unemployment rates are hovering around 10 percent, only 4.5 percent of college graduates are unemployed.  It has become clear, not just to economists, but to millions of Americans, that completing some form of higher education is the best insurance against unemployment. 

Data on wages are even more telling. Of course, it is well known that college graduates make more money than those who have only completed high school, who in turn make more money than high school dropouts.  Frankly, that doesn’t prove much; in a tight employment market, employers can be expected to favor those with credentials over those without. What is less well understood is that the gap in earnings between these groups is growing. Even in this job market, employers are paying an increasing premium for college graduates. This same phenomenon is occurring in 29 of the 30 most developed countries.3 This is not a coincidence.   

What is happening has been documented in Help Wanted and other reports: Employers increasingly depend on the skills and knowledge of their workers, and they are paying a premium to get those skills. Meanwhile, the well-paying, low-skill jobs that American industry used to provide in abundance are disappearing quickly. What is left, as documented by MIT economist David Autor,4 is a stratified job market in which jobs are either high-skill/high-wage or low-skill/low-wage. In this economy, workers with jobs in the former category are in the middle class or above; those with jobs in the latter category are the working poor. Just as importantly, the only route between the two strata is through education to obtain the skills and knowledge the global marketplace demands.

http://www.luminafoundation.org/publications/A_stronger_nation.pdf

This is a part-time position, averaging 19 hours per week. 

The position would work closely with, and report to, the IRIS Executive Director.

Summary and Position Responsibilities

IRIS- Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (www.irisct.org) welcomes and resettles approximately 200 refugees each year— people fleeing persecution in their home countries who are invited to come to the United States.  They come seeking safety, freedom, peace, and opportunities.  IRIS is responsible for welcoming them warmly, helping them learn about their new home, and helping them become self-sufficient.  IRIS seeks an individual with grant-writing and fundraising experience to join us as the Grants and Development Coordinator.  The Grants and Development Coordinator manages grant research, writing, and reporting; plans, implements, and manages fundraising events and campaigns; and cultivates donor relationships.

Responsibilities

Grants:

-          Research new grants 

-          Write and submit effective letters of inquiry and proposals to federal, state, and local governments, foundations, and corporations

-          Manage and update IRIS’ grants and reporting calendar and files

Reporting:

-          Working with program staff and management, prepare and submit interim and final narrative and statistical reports as requested by funders

Fund Development:

-          Coordinate semi-annual financial appeals, including writing the appeal letters and thank you letters

-          Plan and implement donor cultivation activities

-          Identify, research, and cultivate prospects for individual gifts, in coordination with the IRIS Executive Director

-          Develop strategy to encourage planned giving

-          Manage IRIS’s donor database, maintained in GiftWorks

Event Management:

-          Plan and coordinate fund-raising events (including IRIS’ annual Run for Refugees and World Refugee Day Celebration)

-          Secure corporate sponsorships and in-kind contributions for events

Qualifications

-          Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent professional experience. 

-          A minimum of three year’s professional experience including successful proposal writing and grants management.

-          Experience working with immigrants or in social services strongly preferred. 

-          Strong commitment to serving immigrants is required.

-          Ability to handle multiple projects concurrently and meet deadlines.

-          Strong attention to detail.

-          Excellent organizational, management, and analytical skills.

-          Strong work ethic; initiative and ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team.

-          Good interpersonal skills including the ability to work with diverse groups of individuals. 

-          Excellent, effective written, verbal, and presentation skills.

-          Computer and internet proficient with solid understanding of computer systems and applications.

-          Experience using GiftWorks database software a plus.

 To apply, please email a resume and cover letter to Kelly Hebrank at khebrank@irisct.org

Application closing date:  June 30, 2011

RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication) is a web feed used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format. We've added several RSS feeds that provide information for non-profits to the home page of GNH Community.

If you find a useful website or blog let us know. Thanks.

First and foremost, Twitter and Facebook are communications networks.  That is to say that the primary actions that take place are the posting and reading of messages, pictures, etc…  To date these channels haven’t proven themselves to be majors centers of fundraising activity.  In fact, a recent web usability study from the Nielsen Norman group has confirmed that people look to Facebook as a secondary engagement point behind a non-profit’s full website. 

This confirms that people use Facebook and Twitter to promote the “social benefit” part of the giving process.  So, its important to understand the context of social media and realize that it is preferable to have messages like, “I just gave and so can you”, rather than messages simply showing that someone has “liked” an organization.   Peer behavior can be a powerful force, so make sure your tools encourage social messaging after a donation takes place.

For more information about creating content on Facebook for your non-profit, there are some great resources available athttp://www.facebook.com/nonprofits.   For information about how KIMBIA integrates donation forms and messaging directly into Facebook, email us at info@kimbia.com ... http://trust.guidestar.org/

2011 Request for Proposals and Application:

Arbor%20Brothers%202011%20RFP%20and%20Application.pdf

From the National Center for Family Literacy:

Thinking about college can be a daunting experience for families. To help get the conversation started, NCFL's new online resources will inspire Hispanic families to start talking about college as a reality.  

Suite of resources:  

• En Camino: Educational Toolkit for Families offers five online modules with activities for Spanish-speaking families to help increase their investment in and pursuit of educational opportunities. These modules are available in both English and Spanish.
• On Our Way: Program Instructional Guide includes instructional activities that intergenerational literacy programs can implement with families and adults in their programs.
• Turning Points: A Case Study of Family Literacy - Community College Partnerships offers descriptions of exemplary postsecondary educational transition partnerships between family literacy programs and community colleges, including successful programs in Lake City, Fla., Louisville, Ky., and Providence, R.I.
• Promoting Postsecondary Educational Success for Adults and Families - A Practical Partnership Guide is an examination of what makes a literacy program - community college transition partnership work.
• Family Literacy: A Valuable Gateway to Postsecondary Education examines the impediments to attaining a postsecondary education and how literacy programs can help with the transition and increase college graduation rates for nontraditional students.

This project is supported by MetLife Foundation. To learn more about this initiative, read the recent joint press release. 

Elm City Cycling is conducting a city-wide bicycling Survey. It takes less than 10 mins to complete this survey. If you or people you know use a bicycle to get to work, run errands or just for fun please fill out this survey and share the link with a friend. 

Position Available: Court Coordinator/Mediator

Position Summary:   The Court Coordinator coordinates the adult court mediation program in G.A. Court No. 23 and supervises the court juvenile court mediation program.

Supervision received: Reports to the Associate Executive Director

Supervision exercised: Adult and Juvenile Court Mediators

Core Duties:

• Coordinates the adult court mediation program in G.A. Court No. 23, including court coverage and overall case selection, referral and management
• Maintains regular contact with court personnel, including Judges, State’s Attorneys, Public Defenders, Victim Advocates, Bail Commissioners and others, as needed
• Works in court on a regular basis each week, engages in on-site mediations and conciliation, and trains and supervises other court staff
• Conducts case development for court referrals
• Assists with outreach and public education
• Prepares agenda for and facilitates monthly court team meetings
  • Prepares monthly adult mediation program reports for CSSD
  • Oversees adult court record keeping and mediation case data entry
  • Provides technical assistance to other court mediation programs
  • Communicates with supervisors, peers, or subordinates by providing information by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person which includes conducting or attending staff meetings, consulting with managerial or supervisory personnel or dictating correspondence
  • Works to establish positive working relationships with co-workers
  • Communicates clearly and respectfully with colleagues in identifying and resolving conflicts while using the mediation model
    • Works to establish positive working relationships with coworkers

• Other duties as required by the Executive Director and/or Associate Executive Director

Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Knowledge and a high level of experience in practicing mediation and facilitation
• Skill in reading comprehension to understand work related documents
• Effective communication skills both written and oral
• Skill in active listening and able to understand different perspectives
• Skill in establishing and maintaining constructive and cooperative working relationships using interpersonal skills

Education and Experience:

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Received a minimum of 32 hours of  mediation training and have at least one year of experience in mediation, highly desirable.

Please send resume and letter of interest to: Kathleen Benoit, Office Manager, Community Mediation, Inc.,

32 Elm Street New Haven CT 06510  or e-mail same to kathy@cmediation.org

All resumes must be received by Friday, June 10, 2011