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CTAC
Community E-Report
January 2007
Community
News
Ask the Non-Profit Goddess: Quorum
Upcoming CTAC Events
Relevant Resources
Top Ten: Ways to Reduce Community Involvement
Community
News
Congratulations! To the following people who have earned certification as Economic Development Finance Professionals from the National Development Council: 
- Rick Belloli, South Side Local Development Company
- Mark T. Fatla, Northside Leadership Conference
- Debbie Gary-Taskey, Somerset County Dev Council
- Shelley Harnett, Community Technical Assistance Center
- Kelly Hoffman, Oakland Planning & Development Corp
- Eric Jester, East Liberty Development Inc.
- Jim Johnston, Allegheny County
- Mark Jones, Allegheny County
- Luciano Lejano, Action Housing
- Gwynn Lind, Federal Home Loan Bank
- Sarah Mansmann
- Adam Meyer, Allegheny County
- Eric Milliron, Northside Leadership Conference
- Kendall Pelling, East Liberty Development, Inc.
- Joshua Punchur
- Kyra Straussman, Cool Space Locator
- Sonya Tilghman, East Liberty Development, Inc.
- Dan Yanic, Allegheny County
- Linda Yuhaniak, Fay-Penn Economic Development Council
NDC Certification follows a rigorous, four-course training program, and requires passage of a comprehensive examination on the subjects of business credit and real estate finance analysis, loan packaging and deal structuring.
NDC training would not have been possible without the support of CTAC's Sponsors: National City, PNC Bank, Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, Federal Home Loan Bank, Sky Bank, and the City of Pittsburgh.
Ask
the Non-Profit Goddess
Dear Nonprofit Goddess,
My New Year's resolution? To achieve a quorum at board meetings.
Fondly ,
Des O'Late
Dear Des,
Sure you wouldn’t rather lose 30 lbs, or quit smoking?
It’s the season to be charitable, so to start let’s say your board members just plain forgot to come to the meeting. Yup, it happens, and it pays to assume absence is an accident, not sabotage. Solve this easily by preparing a schedule of meetings for the whole darn year. Put a big bow on it and give it to every member. Go the extra mile and assign some willing soul to make reminder calls a day or two before each meeting.
Now, let's press on to the less charitable, though more likely reasons people don’t show up:
The meeting just isn’t necessary. There’s nothing worse than going to a meeting solely to be reported to, lectured at, and peppered with minutia. “The garden got planted. No news on our K-Mart proposal. We’ve got 50 extra bucks in the checking account.” These reports are arguably important, but ask yourself, can you get the same results with that old office relic, the memo?
|
What’s a quorum? A quorum is the minimum number of members necessary to conduct business at a meeting. That means that you may not take a vote, or make any decisions unless a quorum is present. A quorum is often defined in your organization’s bylaws. If a quorum is not defined in your bylaws, Pennsylvania law defines it as a majority. For example, if your board is comprised of 9 members, 5 constitute a quorum. |
If so, the meeting may be required, but unnecessary. Consult your bylaws to see what meetings are required. For example: ARTICLE VIII, SECTION 1: The Board shall hold regular meetings the second Tuesday of every month. But meetings are only necessary if decisions need to be made, or discussions held. If you don’t reach a quorum for an unnecessary meeting, who really cares? A quorum might appear if meaningful items are on the agenda.
Meetings are a drag. There’s no agenda. They run on and on. The chair is not a chair, but a doormat. Personally, I’d rather eat 10-year-old fruitcake than go to these meetings. Get thee to CTAC to straighten this out, and a quorum will surely follow.
There are no consequences for not showing up. “Well,” the no-show may say, “the rest of the board can handle this, I’m going home to do my laundry.” Sure, it’s a slap in the face to be passed over in favor of laundry, but did anyone explain to said laundry-doer that he is legally accountable for the organization’s operations? If that doesn’t work, there’s always the old come-because-I-said-so-or-else. Look for a bylaw or a policy like this: ARTICLE V, SECTION 4: Any Officer or Director who misses three consecutive Board meetings may forfeit membership on the Board.
Happy New Year, Des. May 2007 bring you a quorum, a reasonable waistline and Peace on Earth.
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Upcoming CTAC Events
To register, call 412.231.2822 or email info at ctaconline.org
- CTAC and A+ Schools will host a Community Discussion on School Board Leadership on Wednesday, February 28, from 5:30 to 8:30.
City of Pittsburgh residents will elect 4 School Board members in 2007 – what do we expect from these leaders? What is their role? How can we demand the best from them? This will be a non-partisan discussion.
Call A+ Schools to register, 412-258-2660.
-
Directors and Senior Staff: Have you found yourself wishing you had sharper skills with which to negotiate consensus across the spectrum of stakeholders as you try to move an important program or project forward? There are neighbors, fellow neighborhood organizations representing different constituencies, financial stakeholders, landlords, city departments, funders, and others—each with a different interest in your project.
CTAC and the Pittsburgh Mediation Center are partnering to bring you a workshop that promises to help build your interest-based negotiation skills which are critical to transforming adversaries to partners. Please keep your eyes open for more details on the CTAC Program on Negotiation, to start with a workshop on March 20th, from 4:00 to 7:30.
For
more events of interest to community development organizations, visit the CTAC calendar at www.ctaconline.org/bulletinboard_events.asp
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- HOME funds provide many CHDOs and CDCs with money to develop affordable single family housing. Learn the latest strategies to market your HOME funded single family dwellings successfully to HOME targeted populations at this LISC-sponsored webcast on January 17, 2007; 2:00 - 3:30 pm.
For instructions on how to participate, visit the LISC website
- The Preserve America matching-grant program provides funding to designated Preserve America Communities to support preservation efforts through heritage tourism, education and historic preservation planning.
In 2006, forty-five grants were awarded in the first round and twenty-three in the second round.
Deadline for the 2007 application is February 14, 2007.
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Top 10 Ways to Reduce Community Involvement
10. Announce the opportunity to participate only in the Legal Notices section of the newspaper.
9. Bite off more than you can chew.
8. Ignore your mission and your work products. Focus only on 501(c)(3) requirements, proposal writing, and how to operate by Roberts Rules.
7. Beat a dead horse during community dialogs. Let everyone in the room make the same point several times.
6. Skip the discussion. Just tell people exactly what to do and where, when and how to do it.
5. Include way more people than you need to get the project done.
4. And include the wrong people. Allow anyone that puts their hand in the air to join any board or committee that they wish.
3. Have lots of long, tedious meetings.
2. Don’t use e-mail to communicate. It’s just a fad.
1. Take yourselves very, very seriously. Your project should feel like the chore that it is.
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To
subscribe to the CTAC Community E-Report, send your name, organization,
contact information to info@ctaconline.org.
CTAC
Community E-Report
October 2006
Community
News
Upcoming CTAC Events
Relevant Resources
Ask the Non-Profit Goddess: Gambling Fundraiser
Top Ten: Community Development Anthems
Community
News
CTAC's All-Neighborhood Block Party  has come and gone for this year, but will return next September. Many thanks to all, especially our Lead Sponsors, PNC Bank and National City. Thanks, too, to Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, Sky Bank and Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development.
Upcoming
CTAC Events
To register, call 412.231.2822 or email info@ctaconline.org
- Board members and staff of community development corporations should not miss Part II of How to Serve on a Board and Not Lose Your Shirt. On October 26, attorneys from Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP will tell you all about Directors' duties, conflicts of interest, compensation issues, lobbying rules, audit requirements and more. Starts at 6:00 pm, at K&L downtown offices. Seats are limited, register with CTAC.
- CTAC and A+ Schools will host a Community Forum on Charter Schools on Tuesday, November 14th from 6 to 8:30 PM, at the Bidwell Training Center on the North Side. Learn how charter schools are established and funded, discuss their relationship with local school districts, and brainstorm ways to improve the system for the benefit of students. Call A+ Schools to register, 412-258-2660.
- The
Art of Deal Structuring, the final course in the National Development
Council's Economic Development Finance series, will be held the week
of October 16, 2006. For information, contact CTAC.
- The folks at A+ Schools tracked down this resource: Grants for Problem Solving in Communities: The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation. Teams of middle school youth and a coach are invited to identify a community issue and use the scientific process to solve it. Finalists earn a trip to Walt Disney World and a chance to compete for a $25,000 US savings bond to implement the idea. The deadline is February 12, 2007. For information: www.christophercolumbusawards.com.
- Unsure about signing that lease? Baffled by the language in your insurance policy? Then ask an attorney, because what you don't know CAN hurt you. Lawlinks offers consultations the first Wednesday of every month for nonprofit leaders seeking legal guidance. There is a $50 fee, and pre-registration is required.
- Accessible Temporary Events: A Planning Guide provides information on how to plan, promote, and provide accessible, integrated temporary events such as fairs, festivals, exhibits, concerts, races, tournaments, shows, parades, and rallies.
Call 1-800-949-4232 to obtain your free copy.
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Ask
the Non-Profit Goddess
Dear Nonprofit Goddess,
All this talk of casinos and gambling has given me a great idea for a fundraiser -- a high stakes Texas Hold 'Em Tournament. It'll be more fun than a House Tour, and a lot more fun than administering the puny grants we've been able to attract. Got any event planning tips for me?
I'm All In ,
Jack Diamond
Dear Jack,
Well, I see where you're going with that strategy. If the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can cover budget shortfalls with gambling revenue, why shouldn't we nonprofits?
There is only one obstacle in your path to financial freedom, and that is the fact that gambling is illegal in Pennsylvania, unless specifically authorized by the Pennsylvania Legislature.
Some racetracks, for example, are authorized. So is the PA Lottery. And soon Pittsburgh will be the home of some lucky, and authorized, casino. Frankly, the odds of getting your Texas Hold 'Em game authorized are slim to none, whether or not your cause is good.
However, if your nonprofit is eligible, you might get your hands on a Small Games of Chance License. What is a "game of chance?" Raffles, daily and weekly drawings, pull-tabs or punchboards. (The Nonprofit Goddess will be glad to entertain the question "What Are Pull-Tabs and Punchboards?") But not poker.
And what is "small?" $500, a limit set in 1988. Never mind that the relative value of $500 in 1988 is $825.44 in 2006. The Pennsylvania Legislature has bigger fish to fry than amending the Small Games of Chance Act.
Or the Bingo Law, for that matter. Yes, we actually have a Bingo Law, and a Bingo License created just for nonprofit fundraisers.
Not only do elected officials smile upon our gambling, er, I mean chance-taking fundraisers, but soon we may be able to allow smoking while doing so. The Allegheny County Council is contemplating allowing exceptions to their recently enacted public smoking ban, for nonprofit events.
You can get a primer on Small Games of Chance from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Read it and weep, as we say in the poker business.
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Top
Ten Community  Development Anthems
By Kate Trimble of Lawrenceville Corporation
10. The Gambler, Kenny Rogers. You gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
9. Where Is My Mind?, The Pixies. Come on, we've all been there.
8.Gimme Shelter, Rolling Stones. For the affordable housing producers among us.
7. Mama Said Knock You Out, LL Cool J. Don't call it a comeback!! Community development's been around for years!!
6. You Left the Water Running, Otis Redding. Dedicated to our friends at the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority.
5. Burn On, Randy Newman. In the grand tradition of beating up on Cleveland.
4. Dirty Work, Steely Dan. 'Nuff said.
3. Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell. Merchants will insist that you pave paradise and put up a parking lot.
2. You Never Give Me Your Money, The Beatles.
To all the funders you've had lousy luck with...
1. It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Mr. Rogers. Because it usually IS a beautiful day in our neighborhoods.
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To
subscribe to the CTAC Community E-Report, send your name, organization,
contact information to info@ctaconline.org.
CTAC
Community E-Report
August 2006
Community
News
Upcoming CTAC Events
Relevant Resources
Ask the Non-Profit Goddess: Consultant? Or employee?
Top Ten: Community Development Strategies to Beat the Heat
Community
News
Upcoming
CTAC Events
To register, call 412.231.2822 or email info@ctaconline.org
- CTAC's All Neighborhood
Block Party will be held Friday, September 8, 2006. Celebrate
community development with your friends and colleagues. Live music,
food, and special surprises will be on hand. For information, contact CTAC.
- The
Art of Deal Structuring, part of the National Development
Council's Economic Development Finance series, will be held the week
of October 16, 2006. For information, contact CTAC.
- Board members and staff of community development corporations should not miss How to Serve on a Board and Not Lose Your Shirt. CTAC has recruited attorneys from Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP to tell you all about your fiduciary responsibilities. Part I on October 5, and Part II on October 26. For information, contact CTAC.
- Graffiti Grants. Keep America Beautiful Inc. and the Sherwin-Williams Company announce funds to help community leaders assess the graffiti problem, initiate graffiti prevention activities, and educate youth and adults about the impact of graffiti vandalism on neighborhoods. The deadline for Graffit Hurts applications is September 15, 2006. Awards up to $1,000 are available.
- Gridiron Grants. The NFL Youth Football Fund Grassroots Program, a partnership of the National Football League Youth Football Fund and the LISC, is accepting proposals for the 2006 funding cycle. The partnership provides nonprofit, neighborhood-based organizations with financial and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local football fields. Grants of up to $200,000 are available for capital expenditures. The deadline is Aug. 31. For more information, visit LISC's website.
- Are street trees important to your neighborhood? The Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission wants you to know that mulch mounds may be pretty, but they kill trees. And the Washington Post backs them up.
For
more events in Pittsburgh communities, visit the CTAC calendar at www.ctaconline.org/bulletinboard_events.asp
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Ask
the Non-Profit Goddess
This
month's Goddess is Alida Baker.
Dear Nonprofit Goddess,
What a bunch of goofballs serve on the board of my community organization. We received a grant to hire someone to help with our programs and operations, and suddenly we have a personnel committee, quotes on insurance, debates about benefits, extra costs and a whole pile of paperwork. I’m counting on you to set these people straight. We need a consultant, not an employee!
Fondly,
Penny Wise
Dear Penny,
Let’s see, to hire a consultant you need: a check to pay the person, and a Form 1099-MISC at the end of the year. No fuss. No muss.
Instead, it looks like the goofballs among you are intent on hiring an employee, not a consultant. To hire an employee you need: a check to pay the person. You will also need a bookkeeper-type to withhold the employee’s income taxes, pay the employer’s share of FICA taxes, pay PA unemployment compensation insurance, pay workers compensation insurance, report wages to the IRS, Pennsylvania and local tax collecting authorities, and prepare a W-2 form.
That’s a start. If you are at all socially responsible (and what nonprofit isn’t?) you will also want to provide benefits to your employee. Oh, and your employee will need pens and paper, probably a computer, and an office of some sort. A phone? Heat in the winter? I hope the goofballs allowed for all of that in your grant proposal.
The Goddess commends you on your ability to see the added time, costs and hassle of hiring staff and the simple beauty of hiring consultants. I have only one word of caution about mistaking employees for consultants. Nannygate. Remember the parent that didn’t withhold the babysitter’s social security taxes and as a result lost their chance at becoming the US Attorney General? Not to mention the penalties and interest that had to be paid to the IRS for failing to understand that the babysitter was an employee, not a consultant.
Your funders and constituents might frown upon nonprofits that get in trouble with the IRS. And your “goofball” colleagues might force your to have the word “blunderbuss” tattooed on your forehead if you misclassify your worker.
A decision about whether a person is a consultant or an employee cannot be made according to which we prefer. A great deal of text has been generated by the IRS that defines who is, and who isn’t, a consultant, an independent contractor, a statutory nonemployee (yup) or other self-employed persons. All of which you can read by keying in the aforesaid terms in the search feature at www.irs.gov.
Whether someone is an employee or consultant depends on the answers to 20 questions that fall into the following categories:
- Behavioral Control: Who tells whom what to do, and when, where and how to do it?
- Financial Control: Who is paying for expenses? Facilities? Does the worker have more than one client? Is the worker getting paid by the hour or the job?
- Type of Relationship: Got contracts? Benefits? A long history together?
The IRS would be glad to help you sort out who’s an employee and who isn't. First have a look at Chapter 2 of Publication 15-A. Then submit Form SS-8 to them, and they will get to the bottom of it lickety-split. Well, maybe not lickety-split, but they will get back to you.
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Top
Ten Community Development Strategies to Beat the Heat
10. Explore the Shade Tree Commission. 
9. Start planning now for winter. Learn how your nonprofit can work with the $1 Energy Fund.
8. Find out how Lawrenceville Corporation developed the Ice House Artists Studios, at 100 43rd Street.
7.Serve Frozen Iced Tea at your next hot-issue  community meeting.
6. Attend the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) presentation on Green Building Design at the Sheraton Station Square.
5. Check out James Simon Sculpture Studio, 30 Gist Street, Uptown, winner of a Cool Space Locator award.
4. Attend a City Council meeting. It's air-conditioned there, though it may still be hot.
3. Study the business mix of your neighborhood business district, and decide whether it can support a retail ice cream store.
2. Consider installing an ice-chiller system in your next large development project.
1. Take a few moments to reminisce about winter. 
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CTAC
Community E-Report
June 2006
Community
News
Upcoming CTAC Events
Relevant Resources
Ask the Non-Profit Goddess: Founder Knows Best
Top Ten: Community Developers' Summer Reading
Community
News
- The Wilkinsburg community gathered to discuss CTAC's Historic Asset Inventory of Wilkinsburg, done with the support of Pa Historic & Museum Commission, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, Preservation Pittsburgh, and the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh. View the Post-Gazette's coverage of the community dialog. See the data highlights.
- On June 30th, grab your friends and join Mt. Washington Community Development Corporation for An Evening On Grandview... A great, big block party & house tour where everyone’s invited!
- Please show your support for the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh by shopping at Whole Foods Market on Wednesday, June 21. On that day, Whole Foods will donate 5% of their sales to the CDCP.
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Upcoming
CTAC Events
To register, call 412.231.2822 or email info@ctaconline.org
- CTAC's All Neighborhood
Block Party will be held Friday, September 8, 2006. Celebrate
community development with your friends and colleagues. Live music,
food, and special surprises will be on hand.
- The
Art of Deal Structuring, part of the National Development
Council's Economic Development Finance series, will be held the week
of October 16, 2006.
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Ask
the Non-Profit Goddess
This
month's Goddess is Alida Baker.
Dear Nonprofit Goddess,
I just joined the staff of an organization with a mission I can really get behind, an Executive Director known for his creativity and charisma, and a history of some amazing projects. But now I have an inside view, and I’m worried. The staff turnover is alarming. As for the board, well a few have been there since the dawn of time and new ones don’t seem to come back.
Further, every time I go to a staff meeting my boss pulls me off Project A (“lack of funding”), and puts me on Project B (“better approach, and more fundable”). I’m currently assigned to Project F, which he dreamed about last night. And as for my ideas for improving Project F? Just leave things to him, I’m told. Got a cure for this one?
Because I’m,
Sickovitall
Dear Vitall,
The Goddess divines that you are working for someone that suffers from the dreaded Founder’s Syndrome. Organizations that wish to be cured, can be, and can go on to live productive lives with just a few scars here and there. I regret to inform you, however, that the antidote is not likely to come from staff.
Founder’s Syndrome is a strain of know-it-all-itis, where decisions are made by one person, often a founder, who surrounds himself with people whose finest contribution is to nod their heads “yes,” either because they always agree, or because it is too bothersome to disagree. Ideas not the Founder’s are not ideas at all, but an utter waste of breath. Said Founder tends to know what’s best. After all, he got the organization this far, didn’t he?
But wait, how does this happen in a good organization? Oddly, it’s success and then growth, or success and then surviving tough times that causes the Founder to feel all-knowing, self-righteous, ominipotent. In other words, right all the time.
But surely the Founder deserves some respect. Here is a person who saw a need or an opportunity and single-handedly created a nonprofit organization to address it. A Founder is almost certainly passionate, and inspirational enough to single-handedly attract resources, you and the other staff members, for example, and money, to get something good done. A Founder can pull a rabbit out of a hat to get a project done, and can navigate, single-handedly, a crisis the likes of which FEMA has never seen. If a Founder hasn’t done that, then he more likely suffers from Daydreamer Syndrome, or Flash-In-The-Pan Syndrome, but not Founder’s Syndrome.
The main problem here is that decisions are made by just one person. The main solution, if not a whack to the side of the Founder’s head, lies with the board, and preferably the board working hand-in-hand with the Executive.
The solution, like so many of the Goddess’s self-serving solutions, lies in board training and development. Out with board member rubber stamps, in with questions and comments. Out with spur of the moment programs, in with strategic plans. And waaaay in with board evaluation of the Executive.
But honestly? Your power to change this situation as a staff member is slim to none. Proceed cautiously, and with full awareness of the fact that you could get fired.
Get more advice on Founder’s Syndrome from Carter McNamara.
Founders who know when the shoe fits can log on to Hildy Gottlieb’s article .
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Top
Ten: Community Developers' Summer Reading
10. Communication skills need a polish? Carey Harris (A+ Schools) recommends  How to Talk so Kids Will Listen & Listen so Kids Will Talk Master that, and communicating with funders, board and partners will be a piece of cake, take it from a Mom.
9. Some lessons from animals too. Cathy McCollom (Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation)is reading  Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior
8. Kate Trimble (Lawrenceville Corporation) recommends   Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany Kate says: "Buford takes a three-year sabbatical from the New Yorker to work as a line cook (a.k.a. “kitchen slave”) in Mario Battali’s kitchen. Similar to the pressure, exhaustion and exhilaration of community development, just with more sharp knives and hot surfaces."
7. More sharp objects from Becky Rodgers(Neighbors  in the Strip)who suggests Running with Scissors: A Memoir. Community developers and nonprofitmanagers will be familiar with the mix of pain and hilarity the book offers.
6. Marilyn Ditillo (Allegheny County Dept. of Economic Development) likes The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk about Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness in which author Gary Renard offers lessons in healing ourselves and our planet. Potential CDBG applicants will want to be aware of the book’s A Course in Miracles.
5. Never one to slack, Nancy Noszka (Millvale Borough Development Corp) is reading closing documents, but she’ll stuff them in the pages of the most recent issue of Good Housekeeping. Wonder when she does her housekeeping?
4. Alecia Sirk (URA Mainstreets) is doing some  chaiselounge traveling with  Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia, but the fact is she’ll be lucky to travel to Indiana, PA this summer what with her new job.
3. Christine Gaus (ACCBO President) says: "Since everything is a bit of a mystery to me, I've taken to  strolling through Venice with Commissario  Guido Brunetti , a delightful Venetian detective. Author Donna Leon writes evocatively of families, love, crime, and justice in that fantastical city of grandeur and gondolas, canals and a bit of corruption. I plan to read the entire series."
2.  Shelley Harnett (CTAC) is reading about the sex lives of lightening bugs and small frogs in  Hollows,Peepers, and Highlanders: An Appalachian Mountain Ecology
1. Following Shelley's frog lead, and in a desperate  attempt to do her own job and that of her future boss, Alida Baker(CTAC) is reading  Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
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To
subscribe to the CTAC Community E-Report, send your name, organization,
contact information to info@ctaconline.org.
CTAC
Community E-Report
March 2006
Community
News
Upcoming CTAC Events
Relevant Resources
Ask the Non-Profit Goddess
Top Ten Questions Job Applicants Shouldn't Ask
Community
News
- Job Announcement:
CTAC seeks a visionary Executive Director to inspire and educate
our board, staff, clients, funders and partners and take the organization
and our key projects to the next level of excellence. Read
more...
- More Help
Wanted! CTAC is seeking summer surveyors for the Community
Data Initiative.
- CTAC
 Executive
Director Mark Fatla will become the Executive Director of
the Northside
Leadership Conference on May 1, 2006. CTAC thanks him for his
many years of service and wishes him well.
- Alida Baker
will serve as CTAC's Interim Executive Director until a new Executive
Director is found.
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Upcoming
CTAC Events
To register, call 412.231.2822 or email info@ctaconline.org
- The
Art of Deal Structuring, part of the National Development
Council's Economic Development Finance series, is tentatively planned
for September 2006.
- Pittsburgh Department
of City Planning's Census
Report for the Year 2000
is now available online. A print
copy of the report including a CD with Excel spreadsheets is $10.
- Scholarships to
the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National
Preservation Conference are available from the Pittsburgh History
& Landmarks Foundation. The Conference will be held here in Pittsburgh,
October 31 to November 5. Scholarships will be presented to those
applicants whose attendance will most clearly benefit their community
and whose commitment to historic preservation will be strengthened
through their participation. Scholarship
applications are due May 15, 2006.
- State Representative
Don Walko's handbook Crime Prevention: What You Can Do
contains hundreds of suggestions on crime prevention gathered from
police departments and crime watch programs. Request it at dwalko@pahouse.net
For
more events in Pittsburgh communities, visit the CTAC calendar at www.ctaconline.org/bulletinboard_events.asp
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Ask
the Non-Profit Goddess
In
the flurry of things, the Nonprofit Goddess didn't make her deadline.
But send your questions to info@ctaconline.org
for next issue.
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Top
Ten Questions Nonprofit Job Applicants Shouldn't Ask
10. And
what is it your organization does?
9. Who
does the typing?
8. Could
you reupholster thechairs in my office?
7. Is
this neighborhood safe?
6. How
long before I can have your job?
5. How
can you pay me if you're nonprofit?
4. Could
you move the office closer to my house?
3. What
do you mean when you say "fundraise"?
2. Can
I bring my cat to work?
1. Do
we get St. Patrick's Day off?
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To
subscribe to the CTAC Community E-Report, send your name, organization,
contact information to newsletter@ctaconline.org.
CTAC
Community E-Report
January 2006
Community
News
Upcoming CTAC Events
Relevant Resources
Ask the Non-Profit Goddess: Sales Tax Exemptions
Top Ten Technologies to Bring Back
Community
News
- Help Wanted! CTAC is seeking a full-time Project Associate for the Community
Data Initiative. We are also seeking summer interns to do neighborhood
surveying. Pass it on.
-
State Representative Jake Wheatley is sponsoring a
public forum to discuss the Pittsburgh Public Schools
Right-Sizing Plan. The meeting will be held at King
Elementary School, North Side, on January 26th at 6:30
pm. Superintendent Mark Roosevelt will be presenting.
Call 412-471-7760 for more information.
- Rick St. John,
former ED of the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh, and noted
poet, Samuel Hazo, will read from Rick's newly published book of
poetry The
Pure Inconstancy of Grace on Saturday, January 28, 6:00 p.m.
at the Silver Eye Center for Photography, 1015 East Carson Street.
The event is sponsored by Autumn House Press and Pittsburgh Poetry
Exchange.
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Upcoming
CTAC Events
To register, call 412.231.2822 or email info@ctaconline.org
Relevant
Resources
- The NPO program
at Heinz Field provides non-profit organizations a way to raise funds
to support their organizations. To find out how to take part in their
concessions opportunity, call Aramark at (412) 697-7120 or e-mail Ashley Howsare.
- The Pennsylvania
Housing Finance Agency will assist prospective applicants in understanding
the PennHOMES/Low Income Tax Credit Program. The workshop will be
held from 9:30 to 1:00 at the Harrisburg Holiday Inn East. Download
registration forms at www.phfa.org.
<
- Three
Rivers Community Foundation, promoting change, not charity,
funds and encourages activism among community-based organizations
in underserved areas of southwestern Pennsylvania. 2006 grant applications
are due on February 10, 2006.
- Pennsylvania’s
Department of Community & Economic Development and the business journals
of Pennsylvania are looking for Pennsylvania’s most dynamic and aspiring
women business leaders for the Eleventh Annual Best
50 Women in Business Awards. Nominations are due on February 9,
2006.
For
more events in Pittsburgh communities, visit the CTAC calendar at www.ctaconline.org/bulletinboard_events.asp
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Ask
the Non-Profit Goddess
This
month's goddess is Alida
Baker
Dear
Nonprofit Goddess,
Last month I got the job of buying donuts for our monthly board meeting. I had the foresight to bring our 501c3 letter so that we wouldn't be charged sales tax. The cashier that rang me up, however, wouldn't remove the sales tax charge. Will you explain the concept to him?
Sincerely,
Overtaxed
Dear Overtaxed,
So,
you want to withhold $.07 on the $1 from the public coffers, eh? Make
everyone else pay for your share of public services? While certain government
officials might frown upon that notion, if you, as a nonprofit are spending
that $.07 on significant public benefits, you could be excused from
paying not only sales tax, but real estate tax, too. Trouble is, you
have to qualify as a Purely Public Charity, which is about as easy as
qualifying as a Rhodes Scholar. Check out the application.
Purely
Public Charities must meet ALL of the following criteria. Yes,
ALL, not just the one or two that you like.
Do you…
- Advance a charitable purpose? You say you're a 501c3 charitable
organization? That's terrific, but there are no automatic exemptions
for a 501(c)(3) organization or anyone else. In this case, "charitable
purposes" include the usual suspects, like providing poverty relief,
education and religion, but also purposes important and beneficial
to the public and which advance social, moral or physical objectives.
Hmmmm.
- Donate or render gratuitously a substantial portion of your
services? If you like devilish Soduko puzzles,
 then
you may also like the percentage test, a test that determines just
how much of your services must be available free, or at a reduced
cost. Here is a preview:
…the institution receives 75% or more of its
gross operating revenue from grants or fee-for-service payments
by government agencies and if the aggregate amount of fee-for-service
payments from government agencies does not exceed 95%...
The percentage test in all its glory can be found in the full
text of the Act.
-
Benefit a substantial and indefinite class of persons who are
legitimate subjects of charity? These are the folks who are unable
to provide for themselves what you provide for them, like the hungry,
and the poor, and… theater-goers and library patrons. If you are not
qualified to be a 501(c)(3), you do not serve legitimate subjects
of charity.
- Relieve the government of some burden? If you do something
that government is supposed to do, or contracts with you to do, or
in the case of Pittsburgh, ought to do but is too broke to do, then
you may qualify.
- Operate entirely free from private profit motive? This does
not mean that your nonprofit cannot be profitable. However, if your
pockets are getting lined in any way, shape or form, then not only
are you ineligible for sales tax exemption, but start looking over
your shoulder for the IRS, your funders, your constituents and the
Nonprofit Goddess.
If you still
have no idea if you qualify as an Institution of Purely Public Charity,
finer minds, ahem, have also been baffled. The Act is astonishingly
vague. Fortunately, there are long lists of nonprofits that have been
denied exemption, and who have gone to Court for a better answer. You
may find the resulting case law helpful.
My advice
is to calculate the savings you would expect from having sales tax exemption,
and weigh that against the expense of hiring a lawyer that knows something
about this topic. Try the LawLinks Service at the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management.
Good luck,
Overtaxed, and please... write back with a question concerning the nutritional
benefits of donuts.
Have
a perplexing non-profit problem? Send your questions to info@ctaconline.org with “non-profit goddess” in the subject line.
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Top
Ten Technologies To Bring Back
10. Ouija
Board: Cheaper and more fun than strategic planning
consultants.
9. Mimeograph:
Your proposals will smell soooo good.
8. Gavel:
For the meeting chair to use when the guy across from you makes the
same point for the 10th time.
7. Wax
Seal: So your message won't end up in Junk Mail.
6. Pneumatic
Tubes: More fun than just pushing the "send" key.
5. Hypnotism:
So they'll do what you want them to do.
4. Typewriters:
For communicating with government agencies in a medium they use.
3. First
Aid Kits: In the absence of affordable health insurance.
2. Megaphone:
Easier to learn than office intercom.
1. Doorbell:
When you really want to hear from your community.
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To
subscribe to the CTAC Community E-Report, send your name, organization,
contact information to newsletter@ctaconline.org.
CTAC
Community E-Report
October 2005
Community
News
Upcoming CTAC Events
Relevant Resources
Ask the Non-Profit Goddess: Conflicts
Top Ten Comments Heard at the Block Party
Community
News
- Yes, a new urban
grocery store. Shelves are stocked and doors are open at Spring
Garden Valley Shop 'n Save. Find all your favorite grocery store
fare, and also organic vegetables and North Side products like Sabio
Springs water, Reinhold's Ice Cream, and Breadworks breads. If that
isn't enough, accumulate green points, too. Check it out at 1930
Spring Garden Avenue.
- More House
Tours: The Lawrenceville
Hospitality House Tour (call 412-956-2612) is on October 9,
and Historic
Deutschtown House Tour (call 412-231-1204) on October 2.
- Help Wanted:
Friendship Development Associates is looking for a self-motivated
and highly organized individual to manage and carry out creative,
mixed-use real estate development projects in Friendship and on
Penn Avenue. To apply, send a detailed letter describing your interest
in the position, experience, skills and availability and resume
to becky@friendship-pgh.org
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Relevant
Resources
-
The
National Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking
nominations for the 2006 List of America's
Dozen Distinctive Destinations, places that offer
authentic experiences--in stark contrast to Anyplace
U.S.A. The hallmarks include a sense of place and character,
dynamic downtowns, a strong commitment to historic preservation
and revitalization, interesting architecture, cultural
diversity, an economic base of locally owned small businesses,
and walking access for residents and visitors. Sound
like someplace you might know?
-
-
Small
businesses in Pennsylvania may be eligible for low interest
loans for land, buildings, machinery and equipment,
and working capital, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department
of Community and Economic Development. For eligibility
guidelines and all the fine print, contact Dick Wallace
at Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, 412-391-5590.
For
more events in Pittsburgh communities, visit the CTAC calendar
at www.ctaconline.org/bulletinboard_events.asp
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Ask
the Non-Profit Goddess
This
month's goddess is Gale
McGloin, Executive Direction of the Pittsburgh
Mediation Center.
Dear
Nonprofit Goddess,
Our
community group is working its butt off to make our neighborhood the
best in the city but we have jerks for neighbors who don't think twice
about anyone but themselves. Mr. Slob puts his garbage cans out whenever
he feels like it (no lids). By the time, the trash collector comes,
there isn't any garbage left because it's all over my yard. I know because
as I write this, I'm holding envelopes addressed to him that I found
in my flower bed!
Then
there's The Party Guy, up until all hours every weekend night, stereo
blaring, people coming and going. I call the police, they do nothing
and then I get the evil eye the next day from Mr. Hangover. The best
though is the guy who's running a chop shop from the curb in front of
his house. He says they're his cars and he's just fixing them which
he has a right to do. How many people own a different car each week?
We
need these people to change what they're doing or our neighborhood is
toast. What can we do? I'm beginning to think that our only option might
involve gasoline and matches.
Signed,
Exasperated
and Increasingly More Desperate
Dear 'Xasp,
You
certainly do sound frustrated and upset by the behavior of some of the
people in your neighborhood. You want to improve things and you believe
that these people are selfish and don't care about all your hard work.
You want them to change and are concerned that your options are getting
increasingly more limited.
At
the Pittsburgh
Mediation Center, we say communication  is
the name of the game. You've already shown you can communicate your
needs for a tidy neighborhood with less noise clearly to me. Now you
have to figure out how to get the point across to your recalcitrant
neighbors. As you read and cogitate over the suggestions below, remember
that if your attempts haven't worked in the past, the only person you
can change is yourself. Here's how:
TAKE
CHARGE OF YOUR EMOTIONS
-
Remain
calm: the only person you can be sure to have control
of is yourself.
-
Try
not to let other people push your buttons. Choose how
you react.
-
Don't
assume someone is messing with you. There may be something
else going on.
ALLOW
THE OTHER PERSON TO SAVE FACE
MODEL
THE BEHAVIOR YOU EXPECT OF THE OTHER PERSON
-
Let
the other person go first.
-
Be
respectful: don't interrupt, look attentive.
-
Listen
hard to what they are trying to tell you.
-
Play
back what you heard them say to make sure you got it right.
FOCUS
ON THE BEHAVIOR NOT THE PERSON
-
Avoid
the blame game. Focus your comments on how you see the
situation not what is wrong with the other person.
-
Describe
the problem from your point of view. Explain the impact
of the problem behavior.
ENLIST
THE OTHER PERSON IN FINDING A SOLUTION
- Once
the problem is clear, ask if there is any way you can
work it out together.
- Brainstorm
ways to solve the problem and choose the ones that meet
both of your needs.
- Make
sure everyone understands what he/she has agreed to do.
The
Pittsburgh Mediation Center offers conflict resolution and mediation
training twice a year to members of the community and year round to
organizations and groups on a contractual basis. For more information,
call Gale McGloin at 412-365-0400 or email gmcgloin@pittsburgh-mediation.org.
Have
a perplexing non-profit problem? Send your questions to info@ctaconline.org
with “non-profit goddess” in the subject line.
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Top
Ten Comments Overheard at CTAC's All Neighborhood Block Party
10. Interesting
who's NOT here.
9. Norse
Hyde? I thought this was the North Shore.
8. What's
with the hat?
7. Shaler?
Is your favorite neighborhood?
6. Beats
what they're serving at the shelter.
5. She's
still in community development?
4. Look,
I scored a burger from Gutkowski without opening a bank account.
3. Make
sure you're not seen under that tent.
2. Where's
Diane?
1. Great
Party!!!
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CTAC
Community E-Report
September 2005
Community
News
Upcoming CTAC Events
Relevant Resources
Ask the Non-Profit Goddess: Dependent Care
Top Ten Ways Not to Start A Proposal
Community
News
- Michael
Knoop,
former CTAC employee and now a Special Projects Coordinator
for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy reviews It's
the Neighborhoods (& the suburbs & the small
cities & towns & all the surrounding hills &
valleys that really make Pittsburgh.)
- The
12th annual Aliquippa
Art, Music & Festival of Praise will be held on
September 16, 17, and 18. Aliquippa native B.E. Taylor
will headline the festival, performing a FREE outdoor
concert Saturday evening
- House
Tours Coming Up: The Mexican
War Streets (call 412-323-9030) on September 11, and
Friendship (call 412-441-6147) on September 18.
- Next
Generation: Colin Kelley of Manchester Citizens Corporation
is proud to announce the birth of Clara Mae Kelley on
August 10, 8lbs 12oz.
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Upcoming
CTAC Events
To register, call 412.231.2822 or email
info@ctaconline.org
-
CTAC's All Neighborhood Block Party will be Friday
night, September 9. Celebrate neighborhoods with some
food, fun, and music, at our place.
-
DATE
CHANGE!!
Save January 23-27, 2006 for Real
Estate Finance, a  week-long
training here in Pittsbu |
week-long
training here in Pittsburgh by the National Development Council, will
be held January 23-27, 2006.