Month: December 2024

By LEE COLEMAN

The Glens Falls Area Youth Center has embarked on a capital campaign to raise $900,000 for an addition onto the center at 60 Montcalm Street in Glens Falls.

The center serves students in 5th grade through 12th grade, many of them at risk, lacking resources and food security at home. Ninety percent of the youth center members are from families below the poverty line and qualify for free or reduced lunch at their schools.

Molly Congdon-Hunsdon, the daughter of the late youth center founder Matt Congdon, said the capital campaign will fund a 3,000-square-foot addition to the existing 6,000-square-foot center.

“We want to start construction in June of 2025,” said Congdon-Hunsdon, who is the center’s executive director. The center’s current building opened in 2000 and more space is required for the health and wellness of the members as more children use the facility.

Congdon-Hunsdon said that on any given day during the school year between 70 and 90 children come to the center in the afternoon and evening. During summer months, when school is out, between 40 and 50 students come to the center each day.

By Rod Bacon

Since 1977, the Moreau Community Center has been assisting those in the tri-county area who need a bit of help in their lives.

Established in the former Methodist church on Main Street in South Glens Falls, the center offers an extensive menu of activities and support services. 

“In the beginning the center did not do all the things that we do now,” said Executive Director Donna Nichols, who took over that position in 2010. “They primarily ran a pre-school, Meals On Wheels, and a senior program.”

Nichols has extensive experience with non-profit organizations, having spent 26 years with Community, Work & Independence, Inc. (CWI) in Glens Falls.

Today the center offers 19 programs and services aimed at enhancing the lives of everyone from youngsters to senior citizens.

One of the more important offerings at this time of year is the Holiday Caring Program. Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and children’s gifts are provided to hundreds of income-eligible South Glens Falls residents. As is the case with many of the center’s programs, financial and “adopt-a-family” donors are welcome to contribute, as are volunteers to administer it. 

“We had about 70 families that we provided a meal for at Thanksgiving and we will be doing the same thing for Christmas,” said Nichols. “People who adopt a family will buy gifts for the kids so not only does the family get a meal the kids get presents. We give all this out on December twentieth.”

Nichols noted that the center has “a small army” of volunteers, without whom it could not operate successfully. 

By Sabrina Houser

When I first started in the role of CEO and CFO at the nonprofit I was privileged to run, I quickly realized how important the financials were to the organization. I realized that although we were talking about profit and loss, revenue/expenses, black/red net balances, what we were really talking about was our mission.

The kids we served. How many more or fewer we could help. How each dollar directly correlated to our programs. The more money we were able to raise, the more we could do. The less we raise, the more we needed to cut back.

Because of this direct correlation between dollars and program scope and impact, the  CFO of a nonprofit plays a key role in advancing the mission of the organization. It is never just about the numbers – it is about the mission. It is also always about the numbers, because without solid financial information it is impossible to make strategic, informed decisions regarding service delivery, program sustainability and the future direction of the organization.

For these reasons, the role of CFO is critical.