Interested in Micro-lending as Investment?

1. Have you ever thought about micro-lending in the developing world?
2. Have you ever considered making a socially responsible investment?
If you answered YES, join the board and staff of Sostenica (www.Sostenica.org) on March 10 at 3PM at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, 70 Audubon Street, New Haven.
submitted by Lee Cruz, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, 777-7074.

Special Offer from New Haven Symphony Orchestra

The NHSO celebrates the extraordinary talent of its visiting artists, the Trio Johannes from Milan, Italy (Francesco Manara, violin, Massimo Polidori, cello, and Claudio Voghera, piano) performing Beethoven’s monumental Triple Concerto this Thursday, March 1, 7:30pm at Woolsey Hall, Yale University with a special ticket offer. Single tickets normally $10-$65 each will be offered at $10/adult and $5/student (with ID) and are only available for purchase on concert day, 5:30-7pm, at the Rotunda at Woolsey Hall, New Haven.

For more information please call 865-0831 or visit www.newhavensymphony.org.

Columbus House Seeks Program Director

Columbus House operates 2 shelters, various supportive housing sites, transitional housing for men and women, an ex-offender transition program and a strong outreach component.
The Program Director manages all the programs of Columbus House as well as assisting the Executive Director in developing new programs and funding. Job Requirements: min. 4 years related experience and LCSW or equivalent degree; deep commitment to solving tough issues, working with a difficult population and developing a strong staff team. Salary range: $65,000- $80,000 + benefits. Please send resume and cover to Shannon Ramsby, Human Resources Dept, Columbus House Inc., P. O. Box 7093, New Haven CT 06519 or email to sramsby@columbushouse.org.

S-t-r-e-t-c-h your nonprofit mind at Yale's PONPO series

The PONPO seminars are a series of presentations and discussions on international and indigenous non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Their main objective continues to be to map current research in the field. Presentations include both Yale and outside participants, scholars and practitioners. Seminars take place on the Yale School of Management campus in New Haven, and are free and open to the public. The seminar series is sponsored by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies.

Dreams to Realities at Gateway

The Entrepreneurial Center is starting a 10-week training program entitled Dreams to Realities at Gateway Community College (Long Wharf) starting this Thursday evening, March 1. This course is designed for those who are new to business management or self-employment and need a little basic training in management skills. There is no tuition for the course, only a materials fee. For complete details, visit www.entrepreneurialctr.org or contact Sharif Erik-Soussi, Business Advisor for The Entrepreneurial Center & SBA Women's Business Center, University of Hartford, at (860) 768-5667 or Soussi@hartford.edu.

Opening for Director of Friends Center for Children

Director sought for early childhood center to open late spring or early summer and be located at NH Friends Meetinghouse in Fair Haven Heights. Required: BA, five+ years ECE experience; administrative and/or cooperative
experience. Spanish speaker preferred. Friends Center for Children is a new early education
center which will be located at the New Haven Friends Meeting House on East Grand Avenue in
Fair Haven Heights and will serve twelve children ages 3 months-5 years. Send resume/cover
to FCFC, P O Box 311, New Haven CT 06513 or email to michael.anderson@yale.edu.

Spring 2007 Nonprofit Series at Hartford Public Library

Thursday, March 22, 10–noon--WRITING BASIC GRANT BUDGETS
Presenter: Cheryl Murray, Grant Writers Plus
This introduction to creating project budgets for grants will: Define a project budget and its components; Identify responsibilities in preparing a budget; Identify different types of financial information needed; Identify steps in preparing a budget; Identify how a budget is used after the grant is awarded. Attendees will work with a case study for a small project budget from a private foundation. The class will not cover budgets for complex private and government grants, however, the basic concepts covered apply to more complex budgets

Thursday, April 12, 10-noon--NONPROFIT LIFECYCLES: IDENTIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT
Presenter: Bonnie McFarlane, Director of Fiscal Sponsorship & Heather Harker, Director of Consulting and Executive Transitions Services, Third Sector New England, Boston
This workshop will discuss the typical stages of organizational development, or “lifecycles” experienced by nonprofits, offer tips to help move through the stages as smoothly as possible, to identify and avoid the pitfalls of each stage. Participants will learn how to identify which stage or stages their organization is in currently, and what steps they can take to help their move forward.

April 25, 10–noon--STARTING A NONPROFIT: MYTHS AND REALITIES
Presenter: Priya Morganstern, Director, Nonprofit Pro Bono Initiative
Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of forming a nonprofit organization and seeking tax-exempt status, how to know when your group is "ready" for that big step, and the nuts and bolts of the process. The speaker will also discuss the best structure for a new organization (members? no members?), the obligations of the Board of Directors, conflicts of interest concerns, and various other filing and compliance issues.

Tuesday, May 8, 10–noon--NONPROFITS AND VOLUNTEERS - LEGAL ISSUES
Presenter: Priya Morganstern, Director, Nonprofit Pro Bono Initiative
What is a volunteer? Do employment laws apply to volunteers? What liability does your organization have for the acts of volunteers? What state or federal laws protect your organization and/or its volunteers? Can your volunteers be covered by insurance? Are there special forms or agreements you should use with your volunteers? This program will cover these and other issues related to the management volunteers.

Thursday, May 17, 10–noon (Part 1) and Thursday, May 24, 10-noon (Part 2)--RE-IMAGINING FUNDRAISING FOR NONPROFITS
Presenter: Jane Lennox, Lennox & Associates
Plan to attend both sessions. In this two-part workshop you will learn: How answering just 8 key questions will unlock your fundraising potential; How to use a truly simple method to get any Board engaged in and excited about fundraising. Guaranteed! Why not having conventional development and marketing programs is more of an opportunity than a problem, and what you should be doing instead of trying to create the old models. How your fundraising program can become an expansion of your mission-driven service programs rather than competing with them for funds and staff.
Part 1: Out with the Old. The big changes in the nonprofit sector and how they affect your revenue producing strategies. In with the New. The most promising new revenue generating models for small and mid-sized nonprofits.
Part 2: New Twists on Old Techniques. How to incorporate the best features of an annual fund, capital campaign, planned giving, signature event, corporate sponsorships, giving circles, e-philanthropy, etc. into a simple single program that you really can implement. We Love Fundraising. Engaging the Board in their fundraising program

Some fees apply. Registration required: in-person, online (www.hplct.org/register), or by calling 860-695-6295.
THIS WORKSHOP WILL ALSO BE OFFERED AT THE NEW HAVEN PUBLIC LIBRARY ON SEPT. 27, 2007. SAVE THE DATE!

Note: Can't make these dates? I'm negotiating to bring these workshops to New Haven. Stay tuned!

Job Opening at CT Fund for the Environment

The Connecticut Fund for the Environment, including its program, Save the Sound (CFE/Save the Sound), is seeking an Outreach Director to lead expanded outreach program. Candidates must have excellent communications and inter-personal skills, a bachelor's degree or higher, and at least three years experience with environmental efforts and/or leading campaign efforts. Organizational, computer, recruiting and public presentation skills are essential. Letters of interest and a resume should be submitted, by March 16. See http://cfenv.org/jobs/outreach.htm for full job description.

Learn English for free at Wilson Library

Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven offers English as Second Language (ESL) classes at the Wilson Branch Library, 303 Washington Ave. on Saturday mornings, 10-12. Full information: 946-6541.

Basic Computer Classes offered in Spanish

Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 pm, beginning on March 7, basic computer and internet skills will be taught in Spanish at the Wilson Branch Library, 303 Washington Ave. , New Haven. There is no charge. Please call Cristian at 945-2228 for more information.

Community Foundation for Greater New Haven Pre-Application Sessions

Nonprofit organizations serving The Community Foundation’s 20-town region are invited to attend one of three information sessions that will include
- A description of the responsive grant pre-application process
- Tips on how to write a good pre-application
- The pre-application deadline and timeline of the review process
- A presentation by CT Nonprofits
- Other resources available to nonprofit organizations

Please choose one of the following sessions:
Derby: Wednesday, February 28, 1:30-3pm at Derby Neck Library, 307 Hawthorne Ave.
Guilford: Friday, March 2, 10:45am to 12:15pm at Nathanael B. Greene Community Center,
32 Church Street
New Haven: Friday, March 2, 1:30-3pm at New Haven Free Library, 133 Elm St.

Please RSVP your attendance at least two days prior to the meeting by calling Denise Canning at 777-7076 or by visiting www.cfgnh.org.

Annual Olin-Yale-Bayer New Haven Public School Science Fair Needs Volunteers

The New Haven Public School Science Fair is looking for enthusiastic volunteers with an interest in science and technology to serve as judges for this important event. Preliminary judging is 5-7pm on Monday, March 12, at Yale University Commons. Finals are 9am-noon on Tuesday, March 13. Meals are included for the judges. Show your support for New Haven Public School students and volunteer as a judge! Please contact Maureen Coelho, Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program (CPEP), at coelhom@cpep.org or call 860-769-5284 x14.

13th Annual Twenty Noteworthy Women Awards

Deadline for nominations has been extended into next week. Please consider nominating a deserving woman who is noteworthy in many ways. Perhaps she has overcome odds to be a successful entrepreneur; or worked her way up the corporate ladder to become CEO; or started her own successful business; or made an impact on her industry. New Haven Business Times sponsors the Twenty Noteworthy Women Awards Recognition Breakfast as a forum for Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit DVSGNH. Attendees of the breakfast are asked to bring items from the organization's wish list (see www.dvsgnh.org).

For details, please contact: Jennifer Frey, New Haven Business Times, 483-1700 x301 or
jenfrey@ctbusinesstimes.com.

Jobs open at Youth@Work Partnership

Youth@Work Partnership seeks qualified candidates for the following positions: F/t Program Manager (http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dhrs4hrm_4dwzdsc );F/t Program Associate (http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dhrs4hrm_5fsgbtt) ; 2 P/t Placement Associates (http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dhrs4hrm_6hqjkf5). Send resumes to Personnel Department, Workforce Alliance, Inc.560 Ella T. Grasso Blvd., New Haven, CT 06519, or email to info@workforcealliance.biz Applications will be accepted until 2/21/07.

Reading is a Ball with the Harlem Globetrotters!

Kids 6-11 years old can enter to win a grand prize to meet a Harlem Globetrotters player, plus receive an autographed basketball and 4 tickets to see the Globetrotters in action at Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard on Friday, Feb. 23! Twenty-five second-place winners will receive 2 tickets to the 2/23/07 show!

Download the Globetrotters Basketball Entry Form--fill it out--and make sure it arrives by noon on Monday, February 7 at WTNH Marketing, 8 Elm Street, New Haven, CT 06510.

Participating CT Libraries include:

BRANFORD - James Blackstone Memorial
CHESHIRE - Cheshire Public Library
DERBY - Derby Public Library
EASTON - Easton Public Library
ESSEX- Essex Library Association
KILLINGWORTH- Killingworth Public Library
MADISON- Scranton Memorial Library
MERIDEN- Meriden Public Library
NEW FAIRFIELD- New Fairfield Free Public Library
NEW HAVEN New Haven Free Public Library
OXFORD - Oxford Public Library
STRATFORD- Stratford Public Library
WATERBURY- Silas Bronson Library
WOLCOTT - Wolcott Public Libary

Complete details at http://wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=1113518&nav=menu29_12.

United Way of Greater New Haven RFP

UWGNH is pleased to announce that it will invest $1.5 million in the community for the period of July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008 through a competitive application process. A letter of intent to apply must be submitted by March 8, 2007 at 4 pm. Application deadline is 4 pm March 15.

Funding requests must align with UWGNH’s identified community priority areas, long-term goals, and desired results (see the RFP for a full list). Funding is available to organizations that serve people in one or more of the towns in our region (Bethany, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, West Haven, and Woodbridge).

Please visit www.uwgnh.org or contact UWGNH at 772-2010 for eligibility criteria, funding priorities, and instructions about how to submit a proposal. The actual application must be completed online by registering with and using eCFund, UWGNH’s web-based application tool.

submitted by
Jan McCray Price
Community Impact Associate
United Way of Greater New Haven
jmccrayprice@uwgnh.org