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October
2003
>>>>>>back
to e-newsletter
FALL
GREETINGS from LAPA !
__________________________________________________________
Dear friends and colleagues,
Welcome to our fall e-newsletter -- providing tips and updates
from Laurence A. Pagnoni & Associates, Inc. (LAPA). Our
e-newsletter is designed to keep you informed about our services
and to provide you with LAPA’s take on innovations in the nonprofit
world.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
-- A Note from Laurence: Welcoming New Clients
-- Can an “Intermediary Organization” Fund Technical Assistance
for Your Agency?
-- LAPA Reviews Important Changes in Charities Law
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A NOTE FROM LAURENCE:
I am proud to open this edition of our e-newsletter by welcoming
nine new LAPA clients!
Fundraising Services:
-- The Women’s Center at Montefiore Hospital (Bronx)
-- New York AIDS Coalition (Statewide)
-- Hogan’s Residence (Brooklyn)
Management Assistance:
-- Bellevue Hospital’s HIV/AIDS Services (Lower East Side)
-- The Fortune Society (Statewide and National)
-- Westchester County Department of Health (Westchester, Putnam,
and Rockland Counties)
A combination of Management Assistance and Fundraising Services:
-- Doctors for an Open Society (National)
-- China AIDS Fund (International, China)
-- Lavender Light: The Black and People of All Colors Lesbian
and Gay Gospel Choir (National)
LAPA’s expanding network of clients creates exciting opportunities
for collaboration. In the past, we have successfully facilitated
relationships between our clients and promoted projects of mutual
interest to different agencies. If you think that the mission
of any of LAPA’s clients might be aligned with your collaboration
needs, please give me a call at (212) 932-8001, ext. 1. We would
be glad to broker a meeting.
For more detailed descriptions of each of these organizations,
along with profiles of established LAPA clients, visit our Web
site at: http://www.lp-associates.com/clients.htm.
On a final note, LAPA continues to nurture our partner organization,
NonProfit Innovations, Inc. (NPI). We applaud NPI’s independent
board for opening their new office at 475 Riverside Drive, Suite
540. The new space is located at The Interchurch Center, at
120th Street in Manhattan. If you are in the area, we would
be thrilled to visit with you there.
Laurence A. Pagnoni, MA, MPA
lapagnoni@lp-associates.com
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CAN AN “INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATION” FUND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
FOR YOUR AGENCY?
Many of the services that LAPA offers fall in the category
of “technical assistance”--services that help make your organization
work better. These can include outsourced services (such as
grant-writing performed off-site), or on-site training. Many
times, bringing in outside assistance to help you deal with
fundraising and management challenges in your organization can
be more rewarding and cost-effective than trying to do everything
yourself.
LAPA, along with its partner, NonProfit Innovations, Inc. (NPI),
is working with funders to help them understand the importance
of technical assistance in creating new levels of performance
in the non-profit sector. The more funders who are interested
in this area, the easier it will be for under-resourced, community-based
organizations to receive high-quality technical assistance and
management support services at a low cost.
You might already qualify to receive subsidized technical assistance
through an “Intermediary Organization.” Intermediary Organizations
are large, well-established institutions that support smaller
groups as part of their mission. The following organizations
have asked LAPA to work with their clients. If you have existing
relationships with one of these groups, contact Laurence at
212-932-8001, ext. 1 to discuss opportunities to receive low
or no-cost technical assistance:
-- The
United Way of New York City <www.unitedwaynyc.org>
-- PROCEED,
Inc. <www.proceedinc.com>
-- AIDS
Institute, New York State Department of Health <http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/aids/index.htm
>
-- National Minority
AIDS Council <http://www.nmac.org>
-- Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAERE) Coalition
/
Supporting Networks of HIV Care
-- Federation
of Protestant Welfare Agencies <www.fpwa.org>
--
Interfaith Medical Center <www.interfaithmedical.com>
(Supporting Brooklyn-based organizations)
-- Open Society
Institute <www.soros.org>
(Supporting emerging organizations and groups focused on criminal-justice
issues)
-- Bailey
House <www.baileyhouse.org>
-- Hispanic
Federation <www.hispanicfederation.org>
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LAPA REVIEWS IMPORTANT CHANGES IN CHARITIES LAW
Nonprofit executives and board members should be aware that
important changes in New York State’s charities laws are looming
on the horizon. Last year, in the wake of the Enron scandals,
federal lawmakers passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requiring publicly
traded companies to comply with high levels of financial accountability
and internal controls. New York State Attorney General Eliot
Spitzer, with the support of advocates like the Nonprofit Coordinating
Committee of New York, is working to pass a similar law applying
to nonprofit organizations.
LAPA applauds the implementation of high standards for nonprofit
oversight and accountability. For years, we have encouraged
our clients to voluntarily comply with such standards and have
advocated for this level of legal reform. Moreover, LAPA designs
its development and management service products (such as strategic
plans, board of director evaluations, and board recruitment
drives) to meet these guidelines.
LAPA’s understanding is that there are five major areas in
which the law will affect nonprofits:
1. Audit committee – All nonprofits with revenues over $1 million
(or $3 million in gross assets) will be required to form an
audit committee, made up of independent individuals, to oversee
their audit process. The executive director, whose salary is
paid by the organization, and consultants who are doing other
business with the nonprofit are not considered independent.
2. Executive committee – In order to ensure that a board entity
is paying attention to important financial and governance matters,
all nonprofits with boards larger than 25 people are required
to form an executive committee.
3. Interested party transactions – Nonprofit boards entering
into an “interested party transaction” (any decision from which
a director or officer can directly or indirectly benefit financially,
including decisions about compensation) must be able to prove
that the transaction is beneficial to the nonprofit, and that
the transaction was transparent and in good faith.
4. Indemnification – The law may place limits on the protection
that organizations can offer their board members from being
sued because they are members of the board.
5. Certifications of financial information – For nonprofits
under a certain threshold (currently $1 million in annual revenue
or $3 million in gross assets), the President and Treasurer
or chief staff officers must certify that they have seen the
financial reports and verify that the statements fairly represent
the nonprofit’s financial status to the best of the officers’
knowledge. Nonprofits above that threshold must do the same,
and also verify that the nonprofit has adequate internal financial
controls.
___________________________________________________________
LAPA associates may be reached as follows:
Enid Harlow, MA: eharlow@lp-associates.com
Melissa Shurkin, MMHS: mshurkin@lp-associates.com
Bodi Luse, MS: bluse@lp-associates.com
Mark Engler, BA: mengler@lp-associates.com
Katie McMullen, BA: kmcmullen@lp-associates.com
Elsa Rios, MSW: elsarios7@aol.com
Julia Ritchie, CSW: ritchieinc@aol.com
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