The Nonprofit Symposium held Jan. 15 by the newly created Florida Nonprofit Alliance was time very well spent and I was sorry so few of the local nonprofits attended. FNA is the newly created statewide nonprofit advocacy organization. There are 36 other states that already have a statewide organization recognized by the National Council of Nonprofits and Florida is finally getting our own. It’s ridiculous we haven’t been one of the national leaders. This statewide alliance is going to have a huge impact on all nonprofits in Florida and I strongly urge you to check them out at www.flnonprofits.org and follow what they are doing. Better yet, get involved and make it all happen.

Robert Eggers, author, entrepreneur and nonprofit leader, was the opening speaker and talked about the importance of FNA. He reminded us we have a vested interest in coming together to talk about what the sector contributes. Eggers said individual lives are always important, but what the FNA is trying to do, in partnership with the 36 other state associations, is about big audacious change.

He said those of us working in nonprofits are really in the courage business. I loved that. He continued by saying he sees three groups of nonprofit folks. Those doing what we do for our organizations and populations, those who come together sometimes to share and then go back to regular work, and those that see the future and march out to meet it.

Finally, Eggers talked about how there is no profit (for businesses) without nonprofits. Business leaders depend on us to take care of their people, to create culture and arts and help the community be strong and viable. When our community is strong, people spend money and businesses make money. The nonprofit sector should never be bashful about wanting to be represented in every important discussion affecting our quality of life. It doesn’t exist at the pleasure of the other sectors; it exists because the other two sectors need it.

Last week, on the second floor of 420 E. German St., Billy Gifford worked in a small group preparing boxes of tissues to be packaged. Gifford is one of about 600 people that benefit daily from Herkimer ARC programs, not to mention the 400 people employed with the nonprofit. "They provide me safety and they give me work to do," said the 21-year-old West Winfield resident. "They teach me new stuff every day, and I learn a lot."

There's no dispute that nonprofit organizations help the community through programs, grants and job creation as employers. But when it comes to tax-exempt properties, charitable nonprofits often become the scapegoat. The ARC owns 35 tax-exempt buildings in Herkimer County, ranging from housing facilities to manufacturing operations. The East German Street building is partially exempt because it houses other businesses. "We're providing work opportunities for people in an integrated setting for people with and without disabilities," ARC President and CEO Kevin Crosley. And without the tax exemption, the organization would be "in a very serious financial crisis, Crosley said. "The importance of the tax status is such that it keeps our business alive and allows us to provide services," Crosley said. "Not-for-profit is a tax status, it's not a business strategy."

Charitable nonprofits raise property values, increase the quality of life and generally take up 5 to 10 percent of a tax base, a relatively small amount, said David Thompson, National Council of Nonprofits vice president of public policy. They also often are contracted to provide services the government cannot. "Our strong view is that cities do better because of nonprofits, not despite nonprofits," Thompson said. "In many ways we reduce the burden on the government." And as financial times get difficult, the need for charitable nonprofits rises, and they become vital in helping the community make ends meet.

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties employs 10 people and in 2013 the nonprofit distributed 494 grants totaling nearly $4 million to the community in the areas such as economic development, enhancing education and improving quality of life.

On the first day of the semester, nine people wander into the fine arts room at Lebanon College, taking seats at tables arranged in a rectangle. Outside, the wind pushes dry leaves across the concrete walkway; inside, the students unpack laptops, notebooks, pens and pencils. As a warmup, they each choose a word to describe how they are feeling. Kimberley Wolk is “a little heartsick” because she had to put her orange and white tabby cat, Casey, to sleep that day. Her eyes are sad behind her glasses, and classmate Ashley Dow walks over to hug her. “I love you,” Dow says. A handful of others jump up to hug Wolk, who musters a smile. “OK,” she says. “Go sit down.” They wrap up one agenda item, and Patrick Green, who is running the seminar that week, pauses. “Shall I go on?”

“You’re leading,” Wolk says. “You decide.” “Oh, OK,” Green says, and moves to the next topic. The college is their home base, but the men and women are part of Global Campuses Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to provide advanced learning opportunities for people with disabilities. In addition to the Upper Valley site, known as Shiremont, the Randolph-based organization has seven campuses in Vermont and seven in Thailand, with an eighth soon to open.

Participants design and lead the classes, with coaching from their peers and staff members. They create the course schedule, organize fundraisers, serve on the board of directors, and name their sites — Shiremont is an amalgam of New Hampshire and Vermont. As the semester unfolds, students use feedback from peers and staff members to refine their teaching. Their weekly seminars, such as the one led by Green, include teaching methods and discussions about campuswide concerns. “I think the cellphone thing is kind of an issue,” Dow said during the seminar.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Estaeae-petokset-ja-kavallukset-yleishyoedyllinen-jaerjestoe/12283989

26. Lokakuuta 2013 Washington Post raportoi, että vuodesta 2008 vuoteen 2012, yli 1000 kaupallisille organisaatioille luovuttaa satojen miljoonien tappiot johtuvan Varkaus, petos, kavallus ja muiden luvaton käyttö ja organisaation varoihin. Tutkimuksen mainittu post yhdistyksille ja uskonnolliset järjestöt kärsivät kuudesosa kaikki suuret embezzlements, toinen vain rahoituspalvelujen alalla.

Vaikka luvut ovat kauhistuttavia, tämä suuntaus ei yllätä voittoa maailmassa, jotka ovat jo pitkään tienneet, että yhdistyksille ovat erittäin alttiita petos ja kavallus. Yhdistyksille laaditaan yleensä hyödyllisiin tarkoituksiin ja olettaa, että työntekijöilleen, erityisesti ylimmän johdon osuus organisaation filantrooppinen tehtävä. Tällöin yhdistyksille yleensä ole luottavaisempi työntekijöidensä ja lievempiä varainhoidon valvonnan kuin voittoa kollegansa. Näin ollen he uskovat kavalluksesta ja muiden työsuhde petos hälyttävästi. Esimerkiksi viime ilmoittama Washington Post:

-      Vuodesta 1999 vuoteen 2007 American Legacy Foundationin voittoa omistettu valistava tupakoinnin vaaroista kärsi arviolta 3,4 miljoonaa menetykset väitetyt kavallukset entinen työntekijä.

-      Vuonna 2012 maailmanlaajuinen rahasto aidsin, tuberkuloosin ja malarian raportoitu liittovaltion varojen väärinkäyttöä tai perusteettomia menoja 43 miljoonaa dollaria.

Vuonna 2011 Vassar veljekset Medical Center Poughkeepsie, New York ilmoitti tappio 8,6 miljoonaa dollaria kautta "varkaus" tietyt lääkinnälliset laitteet.

-      Lisäksi näistä tapahtumista ilmoittaneet Washington Post muutamia tuoreimpia esimerkkejä ovat:

-      27. Helmikuuta 2013 New York luvun Amerikan Punaisen Ristin entinen talousjohtaja tuomittiin kahdesta seitsemään vuotta vankilassa grand varkaus. Entinen johtaja kavalsi yli 274,000 vuosina 2005–2009, käyttävät rahaa maksaa vaatteita, hänen lastensa opetusta ja muut henkilökohtaiset kulut.

-      8. Marraskuuta 2012 H.O.W.-säätiön entinen pääjohtaja yleishyödyllinen alkoholin ja huumeiden Hoitola Tulsa, Oklahoma, oli 15 kuukauden vankeusrangaistukseen ja korvaamaan yli $1,5 miljoonan palauttamista varten pettääkseen H.O.W. kahdeksan vuoden aikana. Entinen pääjohtaja kirjoitti itse 213 luvattoman tarkistaa yhteensä yli 1,35 miljoonaa dollaria ja kavalsi yli 200.000 dollaria siitä säästäväisyys Storesta toimivat voittoa.

-      12. Lokakuuta 2013 entinen talousjohtaja Project Genesis, Connecticut yleishyödyllinen järjestö, joka palvelee vammaisten aikuisten ja lasten tuomittiin 33 kuukautta vankeutta jälkeen vaalitaistelusta yli 348,000 organisaation kolmen vuoden ajan. Entinen CFO oli järjestön varoja pitää irtisanoa työntekijöitä palkkalistoilla ja sitten siirretään heidän palkkansa hänen henkilökohtaiselle pankkitilille.

http://storify.com/margauvine/the-corliss-group-home-agency-dagers-programmet

Corliss gir spesialisert trening å dekke individuelle behov i en Center-baserte dagen Program. Programmet kjører mandag til fredag fra 9 am til 3 pm. enkeltpersoner støttes i aktiviteter daglig lever i tillegg til sysselsetting forberedelse. Enkeltpersoner støttes også samspill i fellesskapet med besøk til lokale Y, ukentlige bowling turer og andre arrangementer av interesse for våre deltakere.

Det finnes en rekke aktiviteter å velge mellom som datamaskinen bruker, lesing, skriving og trening.

Deltakerne er opplært i alle aspekter av arbeidsvaner å forberede dem for fremtidig sysselsetting i større fellesskap.

Corliss sentrum er utformet for å forbedre læringen i virkelige omgivelser. Våre kunder nyte matlagingskurs i vårt virkelige kjøkken sammen med læring rengjøring teknikker som de kan bruke i sine hjem. Vi har et datasenter som skreddersyr individ og gruppe trening uansett om klienter er nybegynnere på datamaskiner eller forbereder å jobbe i et kontor på en datamaskin. Faglige programmet fokuserer på alt fra lesing og skriver å pengene ledelse ferdigheter som personalet hjelpe dem utnytte i samfunnet. Dag programmet gir også sosiale og avslapning tid der klienter delta i kunst og håndverk aktiviteter, spill med kolleger eller nyte filmer i filmen området. I dag inneholder også ulike rollespill som deretter overføres til samfunnet.