Helpful Links for Adirondack Nonprofits
What Every Adirondack Nonprofit Needs to Know : A Guide to the Basics
Do you plan to start a new nonprofit? Make sure you know what is involved! It can be a lot of work.
Legally, nonprofits exist in a different space from government or business; more importantly, they provide essential services that governments and for-profit businesses often cannot or will not deliver. Here is how the National Council of Nonprofits defines our role. Donors can claim a tax deduction for their gifts to 501(c)(3) groups (but only the “public charity” kind). In exchange, they pay no/lower taxes. In the Adirondacks and many rural areas, the needs are vast, budgets are small, and competition for the few sources of funding is great. Fundraising in general takes more time. State and Federal grants come with requirements that are challenging for small nonprofits to meet.
Building and maintaining successful Organizational Leadership
- Train and support your nonprofit board to represent and strengthen the community, lead with vision based on the life-cycle status of the group, govern the institution using best practices, and provide fiduciary oversight.
- Invest in a clear Strategic plan and Vision for the organization, with buy-in from board and staff members
- Tips for creating the first board
Planning for your organization’s Financial Success
- Map the fundraising work out over a fiscal year, to include cultivation of core donors, appeal letters, grant deadlines, fundraising events, and general communications to your audience.
- Locate and have available: board-approved annual budget, case statement/project descriptions, annual report (if you do one), IRS determination letter. Maintain donor and grant information carefully
- Plan for yearly revenue needs from a diverse mix of sources (an example to adapt to your circumstances):
- 60-75 percent individual donations (Unrestricted for Operations)
- 15 percent membership
- 15 percent grants (Restricted for Programs; not budgeted)
- 5 percent interest income from an endowment/planned giving
- 5 percent board gifts
- Maintain a reserve of three-six months operating costs at all times
Key principles of Fundraising
- Rule of Thumb #1: It is all about Relationships. Find and cultivate champions; they will be partners in accomplishing your mission. Thank donors immediately.
- Rule of Thumb #2: It’s about Being Engaging and Transparent. Review your communications with the reader in mind: what will their takeaway be? Will they want to be more engaged? Will they want to give more? Will they feel confident about their decision to invest? Will you share impacts with them?
- Typically, 70-80 percent of your funding will come from 20 percent of your donors. Spend the most cultivation time on them.
- Measure (with data and stories) and Communicate about the impacts your organization is having, with donors’ support
- Teach everyone in the organization to be a fundraiser and ambassador for your mission.
Making your group Donor-friendly
- On your website, make sure that board bios are up to date, organization information is clear, donate button is easy to find and electronic payment option is operational
- Keep your GuideStar profile (GuideStar is a comprehensive database of every registered nonprofit; with public information, including tax IDs, contact information, website links, and 990 tax returns, which donors can use to get to know your organization) or set one up on Charity Navigator
- Keep your NYS SFS (The Statewide Financial System is New York State government’s accounting and financial management system used to manage contracts and payments) up to date
- Consider subscribing to GrantStation (GrantStation offers nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies the opportunity to identify potential funding sources) or other online research tools to find funders.
- Apply for what supports your mission, not opportunities that will add to your workload unnecessarily
Helpful Resources
Nonprofit networks to support and use:
- Adirondack Nonprofit Network | Adirondack Foundation
- National Council of Nonprofits
- New York Council of Nonprofits
Professional development newsletters to follow for free training (sample list):
- Chronicle of Philanthropy | News, Opinion and Advice about Philanthropic Giving
- Funding for Good
- Candid | Foundation Center
- Capital Campaign Pro | Campaign Support System for Nonprofits
- Webinars | FreeWill
Guidebooks every nonprofit should own:
- How to Raise $500 to $5000 from Almost Anyone, Andy Robinson
- Fundraising for Social Change, Kim Klein
- Train your Board to Raise Money, Andrea Kihlstedt and Andy Robinson
- What Every Board Member Needs to Know, Do, and Avoid, Andy Robinson
Local Nonprofit Consultants
Protecting the environment
- Adirondack Nature Conservancy
- Adirondack Land Trust
- Wildlife Conservation Society
- Open Space Institute
- Adirondack Council
- Adirondack Mountain Club
- NY League of Conservation Voters
- Environmental Advocates of New York
- Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smith’s
- Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation
Tracking Executive Orders
Libraries
First Responders
- NYS DEC Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant. Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants – NYSDEC The grant is a 50/50 matching funds program. Its purpose is to make funds available to fire departments in rural areas and rural communities for the purchase of eligible wildland firefighting suppression equipment such as portable pumps, portable backpack pumps, firefighting hand tools, fire hose, approved lightweight fire-resistant clothing, hard hats, turnout gear, PPE (personal protective equipment), portable radios, portable generators, chainsaws and dry hydrant installation.
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/firefighters/assistance-grants/documents The goal of the AFG program is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. Objectives: Provide critically needed resources that equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, outfit responders with compliant personal protective equipment to increase responders’ physical protection against hazards during incident response, provide funding to retrofit or modify facilities to protect personnel from known health hazards, acquire emergency response vehicles, design and implement health, wellness and resiliency programs that prepare responders for incident response, enhance operational efficiencies, foster interoperability, and support community resilience. Fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS organizations may apply for projects within three categories: operations and safety; vehicle acquisition; and regional projects.
- The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER) was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase or maintain the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in their communities.
- The Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grants are part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) and support projects that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related hazards.
- U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), Office of Wildland Fire (OWF) – Slip-on Tanker Units. A pilot program to provide local governments with financial assistance to acquire slip-on tanker units to establish fleets of vehicles that can be quickly converted to be operated as fire engines. Search Results Detail | Grants.gov
- USDA Forest Service. Community Wildfire Defense Grant Northeast-Midwest. The purpose of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant is to assist at-risk local communities and Indian Tribes with planning and mitigating against the risk created by wildfire. Search Results Detail | Grants.gov
- The Gary Sinise Foundation has a first responders program; see https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/programs.
- For municipalities and fire departments seeking big funds for capital projects. Best option is the USDA Community Facilities program (grant/loan combos or just loans). Talk directly with USDA. There is a locator at: https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?service=page/CountyMap&state=NY&stateName=New%20York&stateCode=36.
- NYS State and Municipal (SAM) Facilities grants are essentially member-items; see https://www.nysenate.gov/issues/state-and-municipal-sam-facilities-grant; and https://assembly.state.ny.us/write/upload/member_files/126/pdfs/20240730_0111336.pdf. These are administered by the Dormitory Authority (DASNY).
- Fire & EMS Grants – KIMTEK CORPORATION. This private company offers equipment but maintains this list of grants from federal, state, and private sources for first responders.