Category Archives: Non-Profit

By Susan Elise Campbell

Knitt LLC, a subscription-based service that connects donor businesses with a specific mission and appropriate nonprofit organizations, formally hit the philanthropic world at the end of October.

The soft launch follows two years of development, three months of beta testing, and a short time building up the funds for founder Lisa Munter to kick off the service regionally.

The service  helps plan, make and track charitable donations.

“While the platform is designed to be scaled worldwide, we in the Capital District, Saratoga and the Adirondacks are the first on this journey because this is the area where we live, work and play,” said Munter. “Knitt is a different way to handle philanthropy and it is going to take some time to grow it.”

Munter said “when you launch a service into the world there are a lot of questions about what the infant business is going to be.”

But feedback from the two dozen-plus companies and nonprofit organizations who were first to try out the Knitt platform enabled her staff and team of software developers to make refinements and introduce features that will add value for both sides of the client base, Munter said.

Saratoga Casino Hotel celebrated Giving Tuesday in November by donating $120,000 to 12 Capital Region nonprofit organizations.

“We have some amazing organizations in the Capital District that give back in so many ways to make our community stronger,” said Skip Carlson, vice president of external affairs at Saratoga Casino Hotel. “It seems fitting that on Giving Tuesday, we can give back to them so they can continue to make a difference in the lives of so many every day.”

The following organizations each received a $10,000 donation: AIM Services Inc., Albany Medical Center Foundation, Capital Roots, the Donna M. Crandall Memorial Foundation, Folds of Honor, Franklin Community Center, Jake’s Help from Heaven, Saratoga Community Health Center, Saratoga Sponsor-A-Scholar, SNACpack Program (Saratoga Nutrition Assistance for Children), Wellspring and the Wesley Community.

“AIM Services is honored to be among this incredible group of recipients for Make a Difference. This generous commitment from Saratoga Casino Hotel toward our 2023 endeavors is going to make a huge impact in the lives of the people we support with developmental and intellectual disabilities and traumatic brain injury by offering them access to more adventures, experiences, and meaningful opportunities,” said Bo Goliber, AIM Services chief development and communications officer.

Construction has begun on a $3.1 million project to relocate an improved and expanded Children’s Museum at Saratoga to the historic Lincoln Bathhouse in Saratoga Spa State Park. 

This project will mark the third museum to join the Saratoga Spa State Park system, state officials said in announcing the start of the project. The facility’s relocation will double its space and increase accessibility for guests of all ages. 

“One of the biggest priorities for my administration is to keep New York state at the forefront of tourism with all we have to offer, and the Children’s Museum at Saratoga exemplifies this goal,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “Saratoga Spa State Park is already a hotspot for visitors with world-class arts and culture venues, performances, and outdoor recreation. With the addition of the Children’s Museum, we have added yet another valuable attraction that helps children learn through interactive, educational activities.”

The original Children’s Museum at Saratoga Spa State Park has outgrown its current 8,000-square-foot facility, where it serves 37,000 people each year. The museum will occupy 16,000 square feet of the Lincoln Bathhouse, including a 4,000 square-foot interior courtyard, offering expanded space for refurbished exhibits and full Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility. 

The $3.1 million project is supported by private donors and a $600,000 grant from Empire State Development. Construction is expected to be complete in the spring.

The Saratoga Builders Association is excited to present a new record donation totaling $78,000 from the 2021 Saratoga Showcase of Homes to Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties. The Saratoga Builders Association is proud and fortunate to have been able to contribute over $1.4 million dollars to our local charities from this area’s premiere new home tour event.

The 2021 edition of the Saratoga Showcase of Homes was an amazing event this year with 11 award-winning builders presenting 12 homes – BDC Group, Beechwood Homes, Bella Home Builders, Belmonte Builders, Bonacio Construction, Caruso Builders, Kodiak Construction, Kohler Homes, McPadden Builders, R & M Homes and Witt Construction. This year’s tour attracted about 4000 visitors (a new attendance record) to these beautiful new homes, which were on display over two weekends. In what has become an autumn tradition in our area, the Saratoga Builders Association is dedicated to this long running show being an integral part of the fabric in our fall season.

The 2021 Saratoga Showcase of Homes “People’s Choice” award winners voted on by the public were also announced – Congratulations to Matt McPadden of McPadden Builders for the Executive Home category and Erik Kohler of Kohler Builders for the Luxury Home category.

Saratoga Casino Hotel celebrated Giving Tuesday on Nov. 30 by donating $110,000 to 11 Capital Region nonprofit organizations during a Make A Difference holiday luncheon at the facility.

“We are humbled and sincerely grateful to receive this very generous donation for SNACpack from Saratoga Casino Hotel,” said Karey Trimmings, SNACpack program coordinator. “The pandemic has created a greater need of children living with food insecurity, as well as an increase in food costs. We were able to continue to provide food throughout the past year and a half of COVID because of generous donations from our community, including past donations from the casino.” 

The following eleven organization each received a $10,000 donation: The Donna M. Crandall Memorial Foundation in Loudonville, Franklin Community Center in Saratoga Springs, Jake’s Help from Heaven in Saratoga Springs, LifePath Supportive Services for Older Adults in Albany, The Joseph C. and Anne T. Palamountain Scholarship Fund in Saratoga Springs , Saratoga Community Health Center, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Sponsor-A-Scholar, SNACpack Program (Saratoga Nutrition Assistance for Children), the Wesley Foundation  and Wellspring in Malta.

“It was a natural fit to align our annual Make A Difference event with Giving Tuesday,” said Skip Carlson, vice president of external affairs at Saratoga Casino Hotel. “We’re so fortunate to have these organizations in our community and we’re happy to provide them with some assistance so they can continue to make a difference every day to so many.”

By Jill Nagy
After nearly 40 years in the same Saratoga Springs location, Wellspring broke ground in November for a new, larger facility in Malta.
Wellspring provides free services to victims of domestic abuse and violence in Saratoga County and sexual assault victims in Saratoga and Washington counties.
“We are here 24/7 at no charge,” Wellspring’s director, Maggie Fronk said.
“We have outgrown our space in Saratoga,” she said. In fact, the agency is using off-site offices in order to meet with clients and comply with COVID social distancing requirements.
The new building will be on Route 9, just south of Malta Avenue, a site chosen partly for its visibility, Fronk said.
Bonacio Construction is building the facility.
Designed by Saratoga Springs architects Balzer & Tuck, the 8,000-square-foot building will provide confidential space for client conferences; an area for children to play while they wait for adults to finish their appointments; a food pantry and an area where clients can obtain household items, school supplies, clothing and other necessities; space for community meetings and education programs; a workforce development room; space for prevention and community outreach programs; and a staff wellness room Fronk called “a welcoming space to take a break and breathe.”
The enlarged space will allow development of the workforce development program and community-focused training for police officers, doctors, and others in the general community, Fronk said.

Saratoga WarHorse, a nonprofit organization that uses retired thoroughbred racehorses to work with service members and veterans with post-traumatic stress, plans to use the program to aid individuals mobilized during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Military Armed Forces program is designed to assist service members and veterans during the immediate aftermath of trauma and prevent the negative consequences of PST. It formally launches in December and is currently accepting participants.
Officials said that since April, more than 50,000 troops across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, have been activated domestically to assist in their state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, approximately 25,000 retired and former U.S. Army medical personnel have volunteered their service.
Their frontline support includes mortuary affairs, serving at community-based testing sites and creating enhanced medical capacity for hospitals and healthcare professionals.

Saratoga Casino Hotel has kicked off its 30 Days of Giving campaign, committed to donating some $100,000 to 38 local and regional non-profit organizations in Saratoga and Warren counties.
Through Dec. 22, team members from Saratoga Casino Hotel will help to fill local food pantries, purchase essentials for families in need, and deliver checks to provide funding for non-profit programs and initiatives.
“We couldn’t think of a better way to support and recognize these organizations in our community,” said Skip Carlson, vice president of external affairs at Saratoga Casino Hotel. “This year, more than ever so many organizations and families are in need. Our goal behind our 30 Days of Giving program is not only to provide direct support to each group, but to also help increase the exposure of these amazing organizations.”
Each organization will be featured on Saratoga Casino Hotel’s social media pages highlighting their cause and promoting local support and assistance. Throughout the 30 days the casino will also feature four Player Choice contests on their Facebook page where fans can vote for particular organizations to receive a $1,000 donation. All organizations selected for the Player Choice contests will receive at a minimum $500.
The first recipient of the 30 Days of Giving is the Saratoga County Foundation receiving a $5,000 donation.
“We’re incredibly thankful to be the beneficiary of this generous donation from Saratoga Casino Hotel,” said Todd Shimkus, president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. “The money will be used for our Save Our Locals campaign and will go a long way in allowing us to continue our mission of helping local businesses that have been so heavily impacted by the pandemic”.

By Sabrina Hauser
The nonprofit world is filled with dedicated and passionate leaders and an organization’s CEO is no exception.
They exist and work in a demanding environment with constant challenges. The average nonprofit CEO spends between 60-70 hours of accountable time in a week, existing between the Board, directors and employees. This can be an isolated position, managing both upwards and down while driving the initiatives of the agency. Typically, the CEO lacks a right-hand person to co-manage with and often is called upon to make decisions alone, often in a vacuum. The mental load can be unnerving.
Coaching for today’s nonprofit CEO is a way for nonprofits to tap into an objective outside resource, who will guide the CEO in key administrative and strategic areas vital to the continued survival —and success—of an organization.
Finding and retaining an individual or company with expertise in the world of nonprofits is critical to the success of the coaching process. A coach will work with the CEO and her team to review and set strategies; develop action items and accountability; engage in motivating activities to support an agency’s employees, directors, board and donors; and build camaraderie between and among board members and support staff.
A coach can be a crucial resource for educating the CEO and team in best practices for attracting talent to your agency, as well as maintaining the expanding upon engagement with donors, supporters, and board members.

By Matthew Young
Generosity is the lifeblood of a nonprofit organization. Donations can often sustain a charity for generations. But among the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on local communities this year is, unfortunately, the understandable decrease in charitable donations.
This has resulted in many nonprofit organizations experiencing unanticipated financial difficulties. In such times, organizations often look to their institutional funds for support.
Institutional funds, such as an endowment fund, typically consist of donations established either through a gift agreement or estate planning document, such as a will or trust. Donors are oftentimes interested in the long-term survival of the organization and want to ensure that the charitable services will be available to their communities for years to come.
For this reason, donors often place restrictions on access to the principal (original gift amount), only allowing the organization to access the income (interest) generated by the fund. Normally, this model can sustain a charitable organization, but it can be challenging during times of financial crisis.
Fortunately, New York law provides for a procedure under the doctrine of “cy pres,” which means at or near the donor’s intentions when they cannot be precisely followed. This doctrine allows an organization to modify or release donor restrictions placed on the use of charitable gifts (including gaining access to principal) to provide greater flexibility to weather difficult financial times. Two options are available when seeking cy pres relief.