COSA Meets
Next Week!
Human Resource Issues in Non Profits - Jan. 26
Join us for an informative morning covering critical issues in Human Resources that are on the horizon for all of our agencies.
Our panel includes Attorney Karina Schrengohst and Associate Attorney Olga Serafimova from Royal, P.C., a boutique woman-owned, woman-managed law firm that exclusively represents employers, in all aspects of labor and employment law. We will also be joined by Carol Fitzgerald, V.P. of Human Resources at Center for Human Development.
Karina will discuss the relatively new sick leave law, offering participants a refresher on its major provisions.
Olga will discuss the proposed amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act regulations for "white collar" exemptions that are expected to take effect later this year and how they will affect non-profit organizations.
Carol will discuss the minimum wage increase and the impact agencies need to consider given that it is scheduled to rise to $11.00 in 2017. She will also share her concerns about the new sick time law and implementing the exempt status changes that are being proposed.
Don't miss it! We meet from 9:00 - 10:30 am on January 26th at Berkshire Children and Families, 220 Rte. 9 - Hadley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
Nonprofits Were Heard: IRS Withdraws Proposal to Collect More Donor Information!
Jan. 12 -MNN Sector News
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced last week that is has withdrawn its November 2015 proposal to collect increased donor information. As you might remember, this proposal encouraged charitable organizations to ask donors to give out their Social Security Numbers and report them along with the amount donated to the IRS. A big thanks to everyone who shared their feedback and concerns with the IRS. Together, our collective voice can have a real impact on policies at the national and local level.
MNN submitted a comment to the IRS, sharing our belief that the proposal created confusion and potential danger for donors, would negatively impact nonprofit fundraising efforts, and could place unnecessary reporting and cost burdens on nonprofits. We also heard from MNN members across the state that they too had let the IRS know they were against the proposal.
According to
The Nonprofit Times, the IRS received roughly 38,000 comments on the amendment, the majority of which expressed concerns over the amendment.
|
Bridge Programs for Teens and their Parents
☼ Teens in Action
:
This 6-week-long group will explore ways to make healthy decisions about sexuality, drugs, alcohol, tobacco and violence. Teens will learn skills to communicate, understand consequences, and build strong self-esteem. Parents of teens are encouraged to participate in the Active Parenting of Teens group on the same day and time. Group forming for March. Pre-registration is required - call Ben Abbott at 413-549-0297 ext. 6514. Dinner and childcare are provided.
☼
Active Parenting of Teens:
T
his 6-week-long group is for parents of teens and pre-teens and will focus on helping parents to understand their children and work actively to guide them towards success in adulthood. Parents will learn skills related to problem-solving, discipline with respect, and family communication. Teens are encouraged to participate in the Teens in Action group on the same day and time.
Group forming for March.
Pre-registration is required - call Ben Abbott at 413-549-0297 ext. 6514. Dinner and childcare are provided.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
Upcoming Events at Human Service Forum
Thursday February 4, 2016 from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM
Delaney House, Holyoke
Professional Development
Thursday February 18, 2016 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Delaney House, Holyoke
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
Some big trends are happening in America for women, and these trends will likely be snowballing in the near future. The first trend: the growing financial muscle of women. The second: women's growing leadership. Add to this mix the upward trajectory of women's role in philanthropy, and you may have the makings of a paradigm shift.
In conversing with Debra Mesch, director of the Women's Philanthropy Institute, and Andrea Pactor, its associate director, I came away with a sense of how forces are aligning, now more than ever, for women to take the lead in philanthropy and beyond, and shape public policy for the common good.
Let's review the case for women's growing financial muscle. "Women are becoming the recipients of a massive transfer of wealth," said Mesch. A quick
review of the numbers: $10-million-plus, women-owned firms increased by 57 percent in 2013. Forty-five percent of American millionaires are now women, and 48 percent of estates worth more than $5 million are controlled by women. In 2013, an estimated 60 percent of high-net-worth women made their own fortunes, and by some estimates, as much as two-thirds of all wealth in the U.S. will be controlled by women by the year 2030.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
Pink in the Rink Cancer Connection Benefit - Jan. 29th
The Amherst College Women's Hockey team will turn the rink pink to support Cancer Connection.
The women will use their regular season NESCAC conference game vs. Williams College to raise money in support of Cancer Connection. The team will be wearing their special Pink in the Rink jerseys and Cancer Connection staff will be on-hand to share information about our free services and programs for those in attendance. Throughout the evening there will be special fundraising opportunities. Past events have included a bake sale, a "Chuck-a puck" and an amazing silent auction.
Join us at the
Orr Rink at Amherst College to cheer on the Women's team as they play for bragging rights against their old rival, Williams, and to help raise funds to support our center.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
Amherst Survival Center's
Souper Bowl Sunday
Donation shortages at local food pantries, including the Center's, are particularly problematic in the winter months after the holidays.
Souper Bowl Sunday gives us an opportunity to restock our food pantry's soup shelves! Here is how you can help:
Hosting a Super Bowl party at your home or business?
- Let your friends, family, employees and co-workers know you'll be collecting non-perishable cans of soup and checks/cash
Going out to watch the game?
- Ask the sports bar or party to host to hold a SOUP drive
Want to engage your place of worship?
Let your place of worship know about Souper Bowl Sunday and collect food weekly leading up to February 7th!
The Amherst Survival Center Food Pantry will weigh and publicize all Souper Bowl donations! To arrange a time to deliver the collected food to the Amherst Survival Center, cal us at 549-3968 ext 102 or contact Baer at
baer@amherstsurvival.org
|
2016-2017 DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps
Program RFP
Building on 19 years of successful DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps programming, the DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps program seeks schools and agencies interested in hosting dedicated AmeriCorps Members who will perform services to inspire the self-efficacy, autonomy, belonging and personal learning aspirations of young people in the Pioneer Valley (5-25 years old). For 10 months each academic year, AmeriCorps Members serve 35 hours a week on site, using creative activities, motivational interviewing and positive youth development practices in roles such as teachers, mentors, youth workers and service-learning coordinators.
AmeriCorps Members receive a living allowance, professional development, health insurance, childcare benefits if applicable, and, upon successful completion of the program, an educational award to fund higher education or to pay back student loans. Agencies and schools that can ensure a rewarding experience for the Members while supporting DSAP objectives are encouraged to apply.
DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps provides orientation and weekly training for the Members, as well as ongoing support of the Site Partners. DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps partners should provide a compelling full-time service opportunity for Members to serve youth. They should offer appropriate site-specific training, provide ongoing Member supervision, help raise and maintain community awareness of the DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps Program, and meet our cash contribution requirement ($9,000 match for each member per service term).
To request an application or more information, please contact: Matt Ashby, DS AmeriCorps Director
196 Federal St. Greenfield, MA 01301 mashby@dialself.org
If you have questions, feel free to call (413) 774 7054 x106.
|
40 Under 40: Young Leaders Who Are Solving the Problems of Today - and Tomorrow
Chronicle of Philanthropy Jan. 5
Philanthropy has long suffered the reputation, rightly or wrongly, that it is a stuffy, formal field of conservative approaches. No more. The nonprofit world today is getting pulled in all directions by a host of new ideas about how work for the common good can be carried out and financed.
Andrew Carnegie, considered one of the great innovators of modern philanthropy, was 76 when he started his pioneering private foundation in 1911. Today, many of the people behind the nonprofit world's boldest ideas are a whole lot younger. The founder of Giving Tuesday, Henry Timms, is 39. The rebel philanthropist Mark Zuckerberg is 31. And of the three women behind the Black Lives Matter movement, the oldest is 34.
The people under 40 to watch are trailblazers crafting innovative new approaches to entrenched problems. In their work today, we get a preview of what the future might hold.
|
|
