Fundraising Summit in New York June 3-4

Event includes sessions on fundraising from grants, sponsorships, individual gifts, and other sources, plus one-on-one mentoring sessions with the speakers. http://cfnps.org/ny2009.aspx

CT Voices Forum - State Budget Options for a Stronger Connecticut

Wednesday, Apr. 15, 2 pm at Old Judiciary Room, State Capitol, Hartford. Forum will explore budget options that can help to keep Connecticut strong and help our families and communities prosper.

• The Role of State Government in an Economic Downturn, Miles Rapoport, Demos
• State Strategies for Balancing Budgets, Jon Shure, Center on Budget & Policy Priorities
• Revenue Solutions to Connecticut's Revenue Problems, Douglas Hall, Connecticut Voices for Children
• Maximizing Federal Revenues, Shelley Geballe, Connecticut Voices for Children
• Panel of Respondents/Panel of legislators

RSVP ldeemy@ctkidslink.org or (203) 498-4240

2009 Summer Institute on Islam, Intercultural Relations and Leadership (SIIIRL). New Haven nonprofit

Pathways for Mutual Respect is a non-political, non-religious, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving relations between the Muslim world and the West by creating opportunities for face-to-face dialogue. Held from June 28-July 17 in New Haven, SIIIRL combines scholarship with leadership training and the opportunity to learn from our core faculty’s decades of combined experience working and living in cross-cultural settings. www.summerinstitute.pfmr.org.

Nonprofit Forum at SCSU April 13

What Nonprofits Need to Know About The Federal Recovery Act will be offered Monday, April 13, 8:30 am–noon at the Adanti Student Center, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven. Forum will address:

• What opportunities are there for nonprofits to access stimulus funding?
• How will state and local governments direct the funds from the Recovery Act?
• Are there areas where nonprofit organizations should advocate for policies and practices that would be needed for the stimulus package to succeed?

Space is limited, and reservations are required at events@cfgnh.org.

submitted by Priscilla (Penny) Canny, Community Foundation for GNH, 777-7089

Pro Bono Partnership offers help with 990 forms

Pro Bono Partnership assists organizations that serve the poor or disadvantaged, or are arts, civic, environmental or conservation groups, and which cannot afford an attorney. They provide legal assistance with/information about:

• documenting executive compensation decisions and other transactions to best establish the Rebuttable Presumption of Reasonableness
• corporate governance and Board operations
• Drafting or revising corporate policies
• lobbying activities
• charitable gaming rules
• PATRIOT Act and other rules applicable to overseas donations
• Renegotiating a lease or contract
• Board fiduciary responsibility/liability
• Reducing staff, or other HR measures to reduce expenses
• mergers or collaborations
• Bankruptcy, wind-down, or dissolution

Details at www.­probonopartnersh­ip.­org or (860) 541-4950

Application deadline extended for Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity

The Community Foundation for GNH has extended the deadline for the Milton Fisher Scholarship application to April 10 by 5 pm. This four-year scholarship is for students who come up with distinctive solutions to problems faced by their schools, communities, or families. It is not a traditional scholarship focused on rewarding academic achievement and financial need but instead rewards and encourages innovative and creative problem solving. Details: www.cfgnh.org or www.rbffoundation.org.

Temporary jobs and volunteer opportunities available at Int'l Festival of Arts & Ideas

Visit their website for details: http://www.artidea.org/view_page.php?id=67

Managing through the economic downturn...

The Council on Foundation’s “Economic Xchange” is a collaborative initiative on how the current economy is impacting philanthropy. There are articles and resources along with areas for folks to comment. www.cofinteract.org/economy.

From Cindy Clair, Arts Council: Managing The Economic Downturn Webinar with helpful worksheets from the Fiscal Management Association and Non-profit Finance Fund: www.signup4.net/Public/ap.aspx?EID=PROG88E and Meyer Foundation Resources www.meyerfoundation.org/economyresources Re: Federal stimulus bill

From CT Voices for Children: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, (AKA the federal stimulus bill), includes critically needed funding that states can use to help stabilize their budgets and stimulate economic growth. A new page on the CT Voices Web site links to many resources that help explain the new law and how states, cities/towns, community organizations, families and others can access and use these funds. One report – under the “Information on ARRA Implementation” section, outlines “Possible Strategies for Funding Quality Rating and Improvement Systems” in early care and education programs. www.ctkidslink.org/federalstimulus.html

From Senator Dodd’s office: Official Connecticut Recovery Initiative info is at: www.recovery.ct.gov. Senator Dodd’s staff put together a guide to the Recovery and Reinvestment Act: http://dodd.senate.gov/multimedia/2009/Sen_Dodd_Recovery_Guide.p

From The National Council of Nonprofits: a series of Special Reports about the economic stimulus bill that became law on February 17, 2009: www.councilofnonprofits.org/stimulus. note: includes "Tips on Grants and Thoughts on Applying for Funds."

submitted by Penny Canny, Community Foundation for GNH, 777-7089

Volunteer opportunities with CitySeed

March 14, 10am-4pm--Volunteers needed to help with Fiesta Latina tasting event at the Peabody Museum. If you are interested in getting kids to try some delicious fruits and veggies as well as doing some simple craft projects in the midst of an exciting festival put on by JUNTA for Progressive Action, please let us know!
Weds, Apr. 1, 8:30 am–1 pm--Volunteers needed for Spring tasting event at Katherine Brennan School Health Fair.

Saturdays, 8am-2pm--volunteers needed to help out at Farmers’ Market in Wooster Square.

Contact: Nicole Berube, www.cityseed.org or 773-3736 x 302.

Al Savard Memorial Poetry Contest

Open only to Connecticut poets and free for CT Poetry Society (CPS) members. Submissions of 3 max. unpublished poems, any form, 40 lines max. each , by April 30 (postmark). Prizes of $150, $75, and $50. Send two copies of each poem, one with complete contact info and one with NO contact info, both marked Savard Contest. Include SASE for results only (no poems will be returned). Winning poems must be submitted by disc or electronically following notification. $10 fee for up to three poems, checks payable to CT Poetry Society. Winning poems will be published in Long River Run II. Send entries to Al Savard Poetry Contest, CPS, PO Box 270554, West Hartford CT 06127.

Free Entrepreneurial Education Workshop Series at SCSU Begins March 24

Dates: March 24, 26, 31 and April 2 Time: 6–8 pm
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Southern CT State University and the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce are offering a free series of workshops to help individuals who are considering starting a business, own a business or those who are just curious.
March 24: Entrepreneurial Self-Assessment: Do You Have What It Takes?
March 26: Starting Up: A Step-By-Step Guide On How to Start a Business in Connecticut
Learn about options for business structure (i.e. Sole Proprietorship, LLC), insurance, tax considerations, state and city agencies, and financial assistance.
March 31: Writing a Business Plan
April 2: Fundamentals of Running A Small Business

Details: www.gnhcc.com/docs/2009entrepreneurialworkshopseries.pdf

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson presents public lectures beginning March 24

Robinson’s theme for the lectures is “Absence of Mind: the Dispelling of Inwardness from the Modern Myth of the Self.” Her most recent novel, Home, is currently a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Awards. Her previous novel, Gilead, won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the 2004 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Housekeeping was also nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. In addition to her novels, she is also the author of two books of nonfiction, Mother Country and The Death of Adam. She teaches at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

The 2009 Dwight H. Terry Lectures are free and open to the public, and will be held on March 24, 26, 31 and April 2 at 4:30 pm in 102 Linsly-Chittenden Hall, 63 High St., New Haven. A reception follows each lecture. Details at 432-2317 .

Apply for Volunteers For Peace Scholarships by March 16

VFP Scholarships are available to volunteers who would like to participate in either a US or an international voluntary service project.

VFP scholarships are intended for volunteers who are not normally able to participate in international voluntary service projects. We encourage underrepresented social and economic groups to apply. Details: http://www.vfp.org/scholar.html#basic

CT Association of Nonprofits Workshops for Small and Mid-size Nonprofits

Building & Sustaining Your Nonprofit location: NEW HAVEN
If you are a small nonprofit organization and you want to enhance your knowledge of what it takes to build a solid organizational foundation, this workshop is for you. We will cover the basics of building a board, budgeting, operational planning, marketing, and fundraising–all the building blocks your nonprofit organization needs. At the conclusion of this workshop you will have tools, templates, and references for taking the action steps to effectively structure your nonprofit organization and enhance your ability to achieve the mission.

Trainer: Martey Rhine Wednesday, March 11 9 am-noon Code: BS
Member: $60 / Non-member: $100 Marlin Center Building, New Haven

Fundraising for Small Nonprofits location: HARTFORD
Focus on how organizations can create and build support from individual donors. Topics will include: trends in philanthropy and their impact on small nonprofits; developing a case for support; basics of how to raise money by mail, phone and on-line; asking for gifts in person; donor cultivation and stewardship and the Board’s role in fundraising. Participants will role play a “big ask,” and brainstorm solutions to the group’s most daunting fundraising challenges.

Trainer: Kathy Frederick Friday, March 20 9 am-noon at CT Nonprofits Office, Hartford
Code: FSN2 Member: $60 Non-member: $100

Special Offer! 2 for 1 Admission: Bring a colleague for FREE!
Reserve today by completing a registration form or email mberardi@ctnonprofits.org

Literacy Volunteers of GNH request office furniture donations for new location

Literacy Volunteers will be one of the groups to share a Literacy Center space at Science Park soon, and they need some furniture, specifically a large conference table and chairs, tutoring tables and chairs, computer desks and bookcases. If anyone would like to donate used furniture and equipment in good condition, please contact Doss Venema, Executive Director, at 776-5899.