Blogs

Source: http://www.caseyfamilyservices.org/resources/pubdetail/719/

The Annie E. Casey Foundation/Casey Family Services’ Professional Development and Learning Series is structured to help you and your organization get ahead by providing access to new skills and education that can expand your learning.

In 2011, the Learning Series continues to build on the Foundation’s approach to results accountability by offering training on how to introduce evidence-based practices into your agency programs. We believe a focus on implementing and adhering to evidence-based practice is a strong complement to our results framework, and will accelerate strengthening of local programs and services. We are seeing our emphasis on teaching results accountability starting to pay dividends as more New Haven nonprofits are moving to implement Results-based Accountability (RBA), and reporting improved understanding of program data and performance.

In addition to the training on evidence-based practice, other new topics include an intermediate session on writing federal grants, effective practices in case management, public policy advocacy, and a session on how to work effectively in teams. As you look through this catalog, we hope you see training opportunities that fit you and your organization.

In addition to our workshop series, we will continue the quarterly Lunch and Learn sessions.

Download the 2011 catalog of training sessions for nonprofit leaders (PDF).

All attendees must contact Roslyn Williams at rswilliams@aecf.org to register.

East Rock Village is a nonprofit corporation founded to enable residents over the age of
50 in the East Rock neighborhoods of New Haven, Hamden and North Haven to obtain
the services they need in order to continue to live independently in their homes. The
services we offer include organized activities (social, educational, wellness and
volunteer) and referrals to vetted professional providers of health and home care services.
We are part of a national village movement. See www.eastrockvillage.org and
www.vtvnetwork.clubexpress.com.

We seek an executive director to lead the expansion of the organization –
its membership as well as its member services; to lead in creating a
stable base of financial support; and to assist the board in setting
priorities for the organization. We seek a leader with excellent
organizational and communication skills, entrepreneurial drive and the
capacity to work collaboratively with members, volunteers, board and
staff. The candidate will have the capacity to juggle multiple tasks and
will have relevant nonprofit experience, be familiar with the needs of an
aging population, have a demonstrated record of successful management
experience and sophisticated data based management skills. Empathy,
imagination, good judgment and a sense of humor are also qualities we
seek.

Responsibilities

Membership Services and Program
o Keep members’ need in the forefront and look strategically at
the possibility of improving and expanding services
o Oversee design, marketing, promotion, delivery and quality
of programs and services
o Work with vendors to establish relationships of benefit to
members and the organization
o Recruit, vet and train a corps of volunteers, and manage
volunteers to carry out a variety of programs and functions
o Ensure that services are delivered in a timely and
satisfactory manner
o Maintain a working knowledge of developments and trends
in the field

Fundraising
o With the board, oversee fundraising planning and
implementation, including identifying resources, researching
funding sources, establishing strategies to approach funders,
submitting proposals and administering fundraising records
o With assistance from professionals or experienced
volunteers, oversee writing of grant proposals

Administration
o Hire and supervise paid staff and volunteers
o Maintain the office as the public face of the organization
o With the finance committee and accountant, recommend
yearly budget for board approval and prudently manage
resources in accordance with local, state and federal
regulations
o Maintain accounting and reporting systems and issue
regular financial reports to the board
o With finance committee establish policies and procedures to
safeguard the assets of the organization
o Maintain official records and documents
o With the president and secretary conduct official
correspondence and execute legal documents

Communications
o Assure the organization and its mission, programs and
services are consistently presented accurately and positively
o Oversee all communications including website content,
newsletter, press releases, annual reports, promotional
brochures, and other marketing materials
o Establish sound working relationships and cooperative
agreements with community groups and organizations
o Represent the programs and point of view of the organization
to agencies, organizations and the general public
Board Liaison
o Support operations and administration of the board by
attending and participating in board meetings
o With the board assure that the organization has a long-range
strategy which achieves its mission
o With the board develop job descriptions for board members,
provide regular training for the board and assist in board
recruitment and board evaluation
o Keep the board informed on the condition of the organization
and the factors influencing it
o Provide a self-evaluation to the board annually
Compensation and employment conditions

This is a full-time position with competitive salary and benefits.
We will, however, consider candidates who can make a case for a less
than full-time position. The contract will be for one year from date of
hire with a satisfactory assessment after three months.

To apply
Send your resume and a cover letter that addresses how your
skills and experience meet East Rock Village’s mission and needs,
together with names and contact information for three local references by
email to info@eastrockvillage.org (preferred) or by mail to: Search
Committee, East Rock Village, 291 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT
06511.

The International Festival of Arts & Ideas is pleased to announce its Winter/Spring 2011 Fellowship Program. 

Specifically designed for high school juniors and seniors, the Fellowship Program provides exposure to careers in the arts, as high school students prepare to pursue college and/or enter the workforce.  The program combines instruction in critical writing and nonprofit, with opportunities for job shadowing and hands-on work experience around Festival events.  It is our belief that the arts contribute to the overall vitality and connectedness of our community and that exposure to the arts by our young people is especially critical to their future success.

Click here for program information and an application form.  Given current funding, we are only able to offer the Fellowship to six (6) students for the Winter/Spring 2011 program.

For more information, contact Dawn Gibson-Brehon at dgibson-brehon@artidea.org, 203.815.2926/cell.

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the region's largest grantmaker and permanent charitable endowment, is seeking a qualified candidate for an entry level administrative assistant position in the Grantmaking Department. The Community Foundation’s mission is to create positive and sustainable change in Greater New Haven by increasing the amount of and enhancing the impact of community philanthropy. The deadline for applications is January 21, 2011.
 

Title: Administrative Assistant (AA)

Reports To: Director of Grants & Scholarships

Position Summary:
This position supports several grantmaking processes, as well as other responsibilities as assigned.
Core Responsibilities:
 • The AA will be part of, and support, a team of grantmaking professionals in the execution of department goals;
 • The AA will provide service to multiple Foundation audiences and communicate through various methods, including phone, email, and written communications;
 • The AA will support internal and external meetings and events, including scheduling, attending, providing logistics, managing reservations, and recording, as required;
 • The AA will use state of the art technologies, including data entry into The Foundation’s relational database, FIMS;
 • The AA will be called upon for collaboration with all Foundation staff members;
 • The AA will be assigned special projects;
 • The AA will support the reception area accountabilities, as needed;
 • The AA will provide administrative duties, as needed.

The Ideal Candidate will have the following qualifications:
 • Demonstrated administrative and data entry skills and highly skilled in technology and office software including; Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel;
 • College degree;
 • Demonstrated experience working in a fast-paced environment, with positive customer service expectations and with diverse populations;
 • Individual should be self-directed and a team player;
 • Attention to detail, ability to track schedules, organize meetings, generate reports, and produce presentations;
 • Demonstrated ability to direct and participate in teams;
 • A commitment to an inclusive environment;
 • Excellent written and oral communication skills;
 • Superior organizational skills and eagerness to multitask.

Please submit letters of interest, resumes and other supportive documents via email to Denise Canning, Grants Manager, at dcanning@cfgnh.org by Friday, January 21, 2011.

Source: http://www.courant.com/business/hc-ct-virgin-mobile-free-wireless-pho20110105,0,264505.story

Virgin Mobile USA is offering free wireless phone service to more than 107,000 needy Connecticut residents.

Virgin's Assurance Wireless service is available to residents who already qualify for Medicaid, food stamps, Section 8 housing, or one of a dozen other state and federal support programs, officials say. Under the universal access program, recipients get a cell phone and 250 free minutes of wireless voice service a month, said Virgin Mobile spokesman Jack Pflanz.

Virgin Mobile USA is one of the prepaid wireless units of Sprint Nextel. With unemployment in Connecticut at 9.1 percent, "people need to be connected if for no other reason than to be able to apply for and obtain a new job," said Grace Boehm, director for Assurance Wireless. Pflanz said Virgin's universal cell phone access program is a continuation of one started in the 1980s during the Reagan administration which required the old phone companies to make landline service universally available to everyone, including the needy. Virgin's program, which began in four states several years ago, has since expanded to 19, including Connecticut. The estimate of the size of Assurance's Connecticut market is based on the number of residents qualified to receive food stamps, Pflanz said. Customers eligible for Assurance Wireless include those who participate in Medicaid (Title 19), Food Stamps/SNAP, State Administered General Assistance Program, Section 8 Housing, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Child Care Certification, State Supplement to the Aged, Blind or Disabled, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Connecticut Energy Assistance Program, Energy Assistance Program, State Appropriated Fuel Assistance Program, Refugee Program, Personal Care Assistance Program, Rental Assistance Program, Eligible Individual living on Native American Tribal Lands, Transition Child Care or ConnPACE.

Eligible residents can apply for Assurance Wireless by calling (toll-free) 800-395-2171, or visiting www.assurancewireless.com.

Source: http://www.courant.com/business/hc-ct-virgin-mobile-free-wireless-pho20110105,0,264505.story

Christian Community Action is currently recruiting for our Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI). PLTI enable parents and other members of the community to become leading advocates.

Attendees are offered three phases of training:

• a retreat on Saturday, January 22, 2011
• a nine week course on leadership, understanding personal history and its impact on perception
• a ten week study of politics, policy and media with a community project to practice your new skills within a community framework.

Classes are free and will be held on Tuesday evenings from 5:30- 9:00pm at St. Raphael's Hospital beginning January 25th, 2011. Children ages 5-12 may participate in the Children's Leadership Training Institute. Dinner is provided.

For more information or to fill out an application , please contact Merryl Eaton (203) 777-6072 or meaton@ccahelping.org.  

This post is made on behalf of Ron Cretaro, Executive Director of Connecticut Association of Nonprofits, Inc. You may contact Ron at rcretaro@ctnonprofits.org to discuss it further.

Nonprofits & the Promise of Dan Malloy

by Ron Cretaro

In  March, 2000, at the urging of Patrick McAuliffe*, then Executive Director of CT Renaissance, and the assistance of the office of then Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, more than 150 local nonprofits gathered at the Rich Forum in Stamford sponsored by CT Association of Nonprofits (CT Nonprofits) and the Fairfield County Community Foundation.  Mayor Malloy had invited the Mayors and First Selectmen from surrounding Fairfield County towns to join us as well as then Congressman Christopher Shays and Rick Hobish, CEO of Pro Bono Partnership.  For Connecticut Nonprofits, we had only recently changed our mission and name and were eager to introduce ourselves to a greater cross-section of nonprofits in Fairfield County.  While I do not specifically remember every word uttered that day, I do distinctly recall the genuine value and appreciation of nonprofits articulated by the Stamford Mayor.

In 2002, at the request the CT Nonprofits, Mayor Malloy joined Hartford Mayor Perez in issuing a joint Letter to the Editor during the holiday season lauding the efforts of nonprofits and the role they play in our communities.  The letter was published both in the Hartford Courant and Stamford Advocate.

Then in 2003, the CT Nonprofits Annual Conference featured James Carville, consultant and advisor to former President Bill Clinton.  Little noted was the afternoon speaker, Stamford’s Mayor who spoke on the relationship between nonprofits and municipalities. A number of towns under fiscal stress in Connecticut had attempted to compel nonprofits to pay property taxes where previously exempt. Mayor Malloy had held fast in Stamford on behalf of nonprofit organizations.

Fast forward to 2008, again Ct Nonprofits Annual Conference was keynoted once more by Stamford’s longest serving Mayor Dan Malloy. Mayor Malloy had established an impressive record of making Stamford into a flourishing city while engaging nonprofits in the process. Among the initiatives nonprofits found themselves partnering with local government included affordable housing, charter schools, early childhood education, senior/elderly services, substance abuse treatment & prevention, the arts and culture, among others.

So what can nonprofits expect from a Malloy administration One of the first policy statements issued by the Governor-Elect, even prior to his official campaign announcement for Governor in 2009, was related to health & human service nonprofits and particularly those that contract with State government. Recently, six nonprofit & philantrhopic leaders, all but one a member of CT Nonprofits, were appointed to either the Transition team or Policy Work Group chairs. In addition, all of CT Nonprofits member Executives have been sent an invitation to the Swearing In Ceremony of our new Governor at the State Armory on Wednesday by the Malloy Inaugural Committee. Further, within the past week two nonprofit Executives have been selected to be Commissioners in the newly formed Cabinet.  We may see others.

The Malloy family including the Governor-Elect’s brother, a local insurance agent, sister-in-law and other family members have been or continue to be either employees or board members of local nonprofits. The First Lady-in-waiting has been an Executive of a nonprofit sexual assault crisis & counseling program for more than a decade.

The challenges facing a new Malloy administration are daunting, not withstanding having to balance a budget projected to be $3.5 billion out of balance.  Connecticut is the state with the highest per capita budget deficit in the nation. Governor-Elect Malloy has promised that he will protect the safety net and he has mentioned that all tax expenditures or exemptions are on the table except for charities and education. He has also stated that the budget will not be balanced solely on spending cuts and that he will entertain new revenues. Yet, invariably with expectations held high by the nonprofit community, there will be disappointment. Yet, if the past is prologue, nonprofits will have a prominent role in creating solutions.

Nonprofits, regardless, will continue to do the heavy lifting in keeping our communities safe, healthy, and whole.  They will do more with less for a while longer but not indefinitely. Nonetheless, nonprofits will feel like there will be someone in the Governor’s office who will be attentive to their issues and concerns.  Someone who has spent a career learning about them, understanding them and supporting them.

*Patrick McAulliffe, the Executive Director of Connecticut Renaissance died in 2008.

Thank You New CT Nonprofits Members

New members joined between Jan 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010

A Better Way Foundation ● Achieve Hartford! ● Ash Creek Conservation Association, Inc. ● Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition ● Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust, Inc. ● Children's Educational Opportunity Foundation of Connecticut, Inc. ● Community Action Agency of New Haven ● Connecticut Bar Association ● Creative Living Community of Connecticut ● CT News Project, Inc. ● Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County ● Durham Volunteer Ambulance Corp ● East Haddam Youth & Family Services ● Fairfield County Chorale, Inc. ● Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools ● Generations Family Health Center, Inc. ● Green Street Arts Center of Wesleyan University ● Greenwoods Counseling Referrals, Inc. ● Hartford Communities That Care ● Hartford Food System ● Hartford Stage Company, Inc. ● Home To Home Foundation Inc ● Horizons National Student Enrichment Program ● Hudson Country Montessori School ● Junior League of Stamford-Norwalk, Inc ● Justice Resource Institute ● Klingberg Family Centers ● Little Hearts, Inc. ● Love146, Inc. ● May Institute, Inc. ● NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut Foundation ● New Connections, Inc. ● Public Library of New London ● S.W.E.E.T Potato Society, Inc ● The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling & Education ● The Exchange Club Center for Prevention of Child Abuse of Southern CT, Inc. ● The Intensive Education Academy, Inc. ● United Action Connecticut, Inc. ● Vision of Faith Outreach Ministry Inc ● West Haven Emergency Assistance  Taskforce ● Women's Mentoring Network, Inc.

Balancing budget, meeting needs of poor will tax Malloy

Read a recent New London Day article by Ted Mann

http://www.theday.com/article/20101226/NWS12/312269860/1018

 “What we have before us are some breathtaking opportunities disguised as insoluble problems”.

                     John W. Gardner

Welcome 2011!