State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli offered some interesting suggestions to area nonprofit leaders at a recent presentation hosted by the United Way of Westchester and Putnam (UWWP) in White Plains.
They”™re just small steps because, hey, he only represents one part of government, but it is nevertheless hoped area agency heads start taking them. It also would be nice if area businesses recognize that a stronger nonprofit sector will produce sufficient economic growth to warrant assistance from their financial and personnel resources.
And, as members of the audience adroitly noted, DiNapoli and his legislative and regulatory colleagues also have roles to play in helping nonprofits contend with the mounting needs for their services.
Basically, DiNapoli urged nonprofits to:
- Learn more about the information and other forms of assistance his office provides in shaping and monitoring contracts;
- Control spending by sharing administrative costs with other nonprofits; and
- Cite statewide benefits, as opposed to parochial local gains, when arguing for the restoration of budget cuts in Albany.
Those are doable tasks. Beneficial, too; especially the second one and its move toward consolidation. Given the thousands of Westchester nonprofits competing for donors and attention, task-sharing and mergers can”™t hurt.
But consolidation works just as well coming from the other direction, as Naomi Adler of the United Way noted when she asked why separate but allied nonprofits can”™t band together to qualify for better rates on health insurance and other benefits. The comptroller said he would look into this though his “gee, I never heard of that idea” expressions gave some people pause.
Despite the absence of major solutions being offered by Albany, Catherine Marsh, executive director of the Westchester Community Foundation, noted, “It was refreshing to have someone from state government dialogue with us.” She expressed hope that the delays and problems with contracts can be eliminated, yet voiced fears that positive changes might not occur over the near-term.
“There is a cost of doing nothing,” she said.
Hence the need for serious legislative reviews of the budget cuts ”“ and more nonprofit-business sector alliances. Regarding the former challenge, nonprofits have to do a better job of showing legislators how reductions in support of needed programs will impose greater strains on governments and taxpayers down the road.
To cite one example, Barbara Finkelstein of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley has pointed out that it costs government roughly $3,000 per month to house a family rendered homeless by an unwarranted eviction. Given the number of people her organization can”™t help because of inadequate funding, the overall annual costs of housing homeless families impose serious drains on public resources.
Additionally, homelessness leads to declining real estate values, family turmoil, more crime and other societal woes that will present communities and taxpayers with considerably higher bills in the future.
Additionally, advocates for the elderly, people with disabilities and battered women can make equally compelling cases for solving problems now rather than allowing them to become more damaging.
As for increases in nonprofit-business sector alliances, the benefits to be gained will include a stronger economic environment in which to do business, more donors, more executives motivated to share their expertise with nonprofits as board members or volunteers, and more advocates for the necessary changes in governmental funding priorities.
All of the above make for the kind of win-win scenarios that will positively affect life in Westchester. It”™s time to recognize that merely “asking the other guy to do more” is not the definitive answer to the county”™s economic challenges. All sectors are impacted by the problems; all sectors have to look internally and externally for answers.
Bob Cole is co-owner of Cole Communications in Bronxville, a marketing and public relations firm that works with businesses and nonprofits throughout the Hudson Valley. Reach him at bcole@colecommPR.com.
