The Impact of the Economic Downturn on Non-Profits and Giving in Greater New Haven

This report from the Community Foundation for GNH summarizes feedback from nonprofit executives, donors, professional advisors and other community leaders taken during the first quarter of 2009. It can be used to inform the public that the crucial services provided by local nonprofits are in danger of being reduced or eliminated and to summarize how The Community Foundation is working to help nonprofits get through this crisis while fulfilling donors' wishes to support the community.

Download the full report at www.cfgnh.org.

Serve on Board of New Haven Sister Cities?

New Haven Sister Cities, a nonprofit organization with ties to six cities abroad, is looking for individuals with fundraising, marketing, and event planning experience and an interest in international relations to get involved on their Board of Directors or ad hoc committees.

Sister Cities specific to New Haven include Amalfi, Italy; Afula-Gilboa, Israel; Hue, Viet Nam; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Avignon, France; and Leon, Nicaragua. With a new strategic plan and an intensive retreat with members from the Washington, DC office of Sister Cities International, the New Haven organization is poised to develop new and enhance existing programs related to educational, cultural, economic and humanitarian relations between the people of New Haven and its foreign partners. For more information or to get involved, call Barbara Lamb at 946-8378 or blamb@newhavenct.net

Registration-by-mail for Connecticut talent interested in Working as an Extra

Grant Wilfley Casting Connecticut satellite office is accepting mailed submissions for Connecticut talent interested in extra work on TV and feature films. You can mail a recent picture and contact information to Grant Wilfley Casting - CT, 123 West 18 Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10011. www.gwcnyc.com/casting.shtml

Yale Center for the Study of Learning, Reading and Attention seeks study participants

Doctors are studying a medication for children who have the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and/or dyslexia. Yale Center for the Study of Learning, Reading and Attention offers free evaluations as part of a clinical research study for children aged 10-16.
Parents will receive a comprehensive written report, recommendations, and monetary compensation. Details: Carmel at (203) 785-4641

CitySeed volunteer opportunities

ONE EARTH Event this Saturday 4/25, 5-7pm
Orchestra New England will perform with the Paul Winter Consort at Yale. Before the concert there is a reception at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies on 195 Prospect St from 5-7pm where we need someone to represent CitySeed at a table and hand out information. A portion of the proceeds from the concert will benefit CitySeed!

2. 18th Annual NAACP Health and Science Career Expo Saturday 5/2, 8:30am-12:30pm.
Participate with over 100 other information and activity booths meant to improve knowledge and awareness of health and wellness issues at the New Haven Field House on 480 Sherman Ave. We need someone to represent CitySeed at a table and handout information.

3. City Farmers’ Market 5/2, 8-2
We need a few good volunteers to come out and help us set up, sell bread/t-shirts/baskets, talk to customers and vendors and break down at the end of the day. We also need volunteers to flier around the City as well in anticipation of our Opening Day of Wooster Square market on May 16.

Please contact me asap if you are interested in helping!
submitted by Nicole Berube, Program Director, CitySeed, Inc.
www.cityseed.org 773-3736 x 302

CT Nonprofits’ LinkedIn Group

CT Nonprofits has started a LinkedIn Group to foster communication and cooperation among our member organizations and provide a professional forum to ask nonprofit peers for advice and resources.In the next few months, we will be creating a Member Center within our web site, through which CT Nonprofits can share exclusive information with all member organizations.

We encourage our members to share freely with one another, as together we are stronger and more effective. Not a member of LinkedIn yet? Get started! Already registered? Join CT Nonprofits' Group!

submitted by Ron Cretaro, rcretaro@ctnonprofits.org

Make Earth Day Smart Growth Day in the General Assembly

1. Contact House and Senate Leadership and ask them to bring the package of Smart Growth Bills to the Floor on Wednesday, April 22.
2. Then, contact your State Senator and your State Representative and ask them to vote YES on the smart growth bills - 6463, 6464, 6465, 6466, 6467, 6588, 6589 and 6595!

Senate leadership's contact information is: http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/Williams.html; http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/Looney.html; http://www.senaterepublicans.ct.gov/contact.html
House leadership can be contacted at: http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Leaders.asp; http://www.housegop.ct.gov/
Find your Legislators at: http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/CGAFindLeg.asp

3. Finally, please take a few moments to thank members of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee for including $50 million in the FY '10 bond package they approved Thursday to provide municipalities incentives for regional cooperation.

submitted by Heidi Green, President, 1000 Friends of Connecticut

Fundraising seminar offered in West Hartford May 5

Creating Sustainable Funding in Economically Challenging Times will be presented byBenevon representative Sarah McCrum on May 5, 9–11 am, at Mandell Jewish Community Center, 335 Bloomfield Ave, West Hartford. There is no charge. www.benevon.com/intros/RegisterHartford050509 or (206) 428-4354.

Annual Writer’s Digest Competition

GRAND PRIZE: $3000 cash and a trip to New York City to meet with editors or agents. A Writer's Digest editor will escort you to meet and share your work with four editors or agents! Plus, you'll receive a free Diamond Publishing Package from Outskirts Press.
Entry Deadline: May 15, 2009.

Recruiting for Cancer Participation Study

American Cancer Society is recruiting 500,000 adults ages 30-65 across the U.S. and Puerto Rico to participate in Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). Looking for individuals who have never been diagnosed with cancer and are willing to make a long-term commitment to the study. Enrollment at the Hamden/North Haven Relay for Life: Saturday, June 27, 3-7 pm, Quinnipiac University. www.cancer.org/cps3, cps3@cancer.org, or (888) 604-5888.

New Haven Mayor's Community Arts Grant Program underway

This grant program is designed to support the community with financial, marketing and technical assistance for arts and cultrual programs, projects and events in New Haven neighborhoods. 2009 guidelines are available at the Office of Cultural Affairs, 946-7172.

Intent to apply form is due by May 1.
Grant overview programs will be held at each of New Haven's five library branches as follows:
May 4, 5pm at Fair Haven Branch, 182 Grand Ave.
May 5, 5pm at Wilson Branch, 303 Washington Ave.
May 6, 5:30 at Downtown Library, 133 Elm St.
May 7, 5pm at Mitchell Branch, 37 Harrison St.
May 12, 5pm at Stetson Branch, 200 Dixwell Ave.

It’s Your Money Too!

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, enacted in February) provides billions of dollars of federal help to businesses and state and local governments to help stimulate the economy and pull our state and nation out of the current recession. It also provides billions of dollars of help for Connecticut residents.

Read Shelley Gaballe's summary of key ARRA provisions that could help families and individuals at www.ctkidslink.org/publications/fed09familiesbenefitstimulusbill.pdf.

New Haven Restaurant Week is about more than food...

There are a lot of cultural events and retail specials taking place during New Haven Restaurant Week (April 19-24. You can download a full listing at http://www.infonewhaven.com/349549.

Recession-proof Fundraising workshops for the nonprofit professional

Coordinated by the Community Foundation for GNH, Casey Family Services, and Empower New Haven, these FREE workshops are designed to have a cumulative impact on the organization’s ability to plan and implement a successful fundraising strategy.

In order to gain maximum benefit from the program, participating organizations must agree to attend all the workshops in a series with at least one other person from their organization. For experienced nonprofits, board member participation will be required. To apply for admission: http://www.caseyfamilyservices.org/. Applications due by April 15. Successful applicants will be notified no later than April 20.

Rediscovering Historic New Haven series at New Haven Museum starts April 15

And continues Wednesdays, April 22, 29 & May 6 & 13 at 5:30pm.

The series involves a cast of civic personalities and experts–architects, archivists, planners, professors, foundation heads, museum scholars and our own staff—in a multi-dimensional exploration of little known and familiar treasures that make New Haven the best cultural tourism value in the northeast.

April 15: My Favorite New Haven Treasure: Tag team picture show presentation with: Will Ginsberg (Community Foundation of Greater New Haven), Michael Morand (Yale Office of New Haven and State Affairs), Matthew Nemerson (Connecticut Technology Council), Peter Newman (Newman Architectus, LLC), Allan Plattus (Yale School of Architecture), & Judy Schiff (Yale University Archives). James O’Gorham will be on hand to sign his new book on New Haven architect Henry Austin. PLUS Architectural Book Fair, with about 200 rare, deluxe, and out-of-print books on architecture.

Apr. 22: Project Pipeline: Visualizing New Haven’s Archival Treasures by Jessie MacLeod, New Haven Museum

Apr. 29: New Haven Art, A History by William Hosley, New Haven Museum

May 6: Destination City: New Haven as Urban Heritage Park, with Bill Hosley, New Haven Museum

May 13: Made in New Haven, Conversations About Industry & Invention with Bill Brown (Eli Whitney Museum), Carolyn Cooper (Research Affiliate, Yale Economics Department), Dean Nelson (Museum of Connecticut History)

Details: 562-4183 x11 or www.newhavenmuseum.org. $5 contribution requested per program

grant opportunity for photographers--and nonprofits!

Getty Images Grants for Good program will award two photographers $15,000 each to cover costs associated with creating compelling imagery to raise awareness about the issues and work of a nonprofit they admire. Details: http://imagery.gettyimages.com/getty_images_grants/overview.aspx?grant=good#good

No-brainer commuter savings plan

Employer: Would you like to help your employees save on their taxes ... AND save money on your payroll taxes, as well?The stimulus bill signed into law Feb. 17th nearly doubles the amount commuters can save on the cost of public transit and vanpooling --up to $1000 annually!! The law raises the amount of pretax income that commuters enrolled in an employer-sponsored Commuter Tax Benefit program can deduct from their gross income--from the previous $120 per month to $230 per month.

Workers can deduct another $230 per month for eligible parking expenses. Plus, companies that offer the benefit will save an additional $100 per employee in payroll taxes annually. The Commuter Tax Benefit is a federal program that allows commuters to pay for a portion of their commuting expenses with pre-tax dollars. This results in a tax savings for commuters and a reduced taxable payroll for employers. www.metropool.com/benefits/benefits_ts.html

submitted by Lee Cruz, Community Foundation for GNH

guide to Public Service and Social Justice in New Haven and Beyond

Last Wednesday I attended the City Wide Youth Coalition at Gateway CC. A very interesting publication I picked up was a guide to Public Service and Social Justice in New Haven and Beyond. This is put out by Dwight Hall at Yale. Unfortunately they ran out of the printed version but it is available online at http://dwighthall.org/docs/fall08guideforweb.pdf

ssubmitted by Seth Godfrey, New Haven Free Public Library, sgodfrey@nhfpl.org