Category Archives: Non-Profits

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.”

By Sabrina Houser

Many nonprofits rely heavily on securing grants to fund the programs and initiatives that serve our communities. Grant writing services for nonprofit organizations are often handled by staff that have many other responsibilities as well. 

One strategy for success that is often overlooked or dismissed as too expensive is to contract with a grant writer or grant consultant. A grant writing consultant can work with existing staff to maximize the chances of success. 

A nonprofit grant consultant reviews the organization’s mission and finds grants that fit the mission. An outsourced grant consultant will also work with staff to make current grant applications align with funding requirements. A consultant can review, edit, and make suggestions to increase the  chances of submitting a successful grant application.

Grant management for nonprofits requires skill, time, and experience. Every grant comes with funder expectations for reporting, tracking of expenditures and program outcomes. Restrictions may also be placed on what the funds may be expended on. Tracking and reporting expenditures, properly allocating funds to allowed expenses, as well as measuring and evaluating program outcomes fall under the purview of grant management.

One of the critical functions of a nonprofit grant consultant is in strategizing funding support for specific initiatives and programs. A grant consultant’s experience with Federal, State, and private or corporate foundations can be an invaluable asset to a nonprofit that is struggling to secure grant funding or would like to increase their grant success rate. 

By Lisa Balschunat
This year, when many nonprofit organizations had to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Amorak Youth found a way to carry on to serve middle and high school students in Hudson Falls and Fort Edward in safe and fun ways.
Amorak offered Circus Smirkus magic classes via Zoom in late spring, Paintbrush Expedition painting classes at home in August, online music lessons throughout the summer and early fall, and the first Apples to Zucchini 1K Relay in October to encourage outdoor family activities and help stock local food pantries.
For 12 years, the small nonprofit has offered Hudson Falls and Fort Edward teens and younger children creative classes and programs that fosters self-awareness, self-confidence and a sense of community. Grants, corporate and individual contributions have supported its programs and classes so Amorak can offer its programs free of charge.
Run by a nine-person board and a part-time administrator, Amorak provides youths an alternative to the phrase “there isn’t anything to do.”
With a mission of “helping youths achieve positive life changes through recognizing their unique needs and capabilities while providing a sense of connection with the larger community,” Amorak designs programs or works with existing programs that draw upon the strengths of each person, fostering a sense of pride, loyalty and strength.

By Lisa Balschunat
Four years ago, armed with a social services degree, life experience in Colorado and a passion for fresh food, Devin Bulger returned to his roots in Greenwich. With others, he created Comfort Food Community to help those in need.
Based in Greenwich, Comfort Food helps people in Glens Falls and Queensbury.
Bulger, its executive director, said, “we’ve partnered with a network of local agencies to develop a weekly delivery system to distribute free, fresh produce to sites including senior living and community centers.”
The program, known as the Fresh Food Collective, delivers over 100,000 pounds of produce annually to those in need, he said.
While Warren County was originally identified as the service area, Washington County and Saratoga County communities are also on the group’s radar.
“We deliver food to senior centers and libraries, the Greenwich food pantry, Cossayuna food pantry and have a stand at the Glens Falls Farmers Market that serves individuals with chronic health conditions,” Bulger said.
The group has also partnered with Hudson Headwaters Health Network.

By Andrea Harwood Palmer
“We do a lot of work for nonprofits,” said Bob English, who owns and operates Luzerne Productions, a video production company he opened in 2002.
“It’s such a necessary part of service. For nonprofits, especially right now with the COVID-19 problem, fundraising is a challenge. Everyone needs to raise money.”
He believes his company can help in that regard.
Luzerne Productions is responsible for many videos shown at area nonprofit fundraisers every year. Most recently they produced a fundraising video for Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
“What usually happens with annual fundraisers is: You get everybody in a room with some cocktails and food, you tell them about your service,” said English. “Then you show them a nice video and people say, ‘Wow, I wanna help’ because the people there are altruistic anyway or they wouldn’t be there to begin with. A video at a fundraiser is great because you have a captive audience. You show a video for 2-3 minutes, and if they’re wiping away a tear when you turn the lights back on, then I’ve done my job. That’s how I know I’ve been successful.”
With COVID-19, people can’t congregate in person.

By Michael Cruz
When working on annual planning, we often look at the company’s strengths and its weaknesses. Most often, I see “our people” as a strength. I often see “bench depth” as a weakness.
My advice always is to build on your strengths. Then, do what is reasonable to mitigate your weaknesses. There is one simple thing you can do to reduce that bench depth pain. Invest in the people you already have. We already know that it costs less to keep our customers than it does to acquire new ones.
The same is true about the people that work for you. Hiring is difficult, it is expensive, and it is not a 100 percent solution. Many years ago, I worked for a very fast-growing software company. When I joined it, the company’s sales were $18 million. When I left, seven years later, sales topped $450 million.
One of the most stunning attributes of that industry was that we were all fairly young and inexperienced. We were a young company and we were a young management team. We worked to figure out our weaknesses and we brought in experts to address them. And that personal growth kept me loyal to the company even when I was offered more money to leave.

By Susan E. Campbell
A new internet-based service will soon bring together Capital District businesses with nonprofits whose missions align with a company’s goals for charitable giving.
Called Knitt LLC, founder Lisa Munter believes her organization will provide “a mindful and time efficient way to connect” donors and donor organizations. Its success, and future compensation, will depend on the “knitted” relationships among businesses and nonprofit organizations who did not have a prior relationship, Munter said.
Munter is an avid volunteer and wife of a businessman whose company, Munter Enterprises, is “inundated with requests for donations.”
“Companies may have a passion for certain causes but also may be open to others,” she said. “Knitt is a platform for not only connecting leads but also tracking giving.”

By Christine Graf
The World Awareness Children’s Museum in Glens Falls seeks to inspire curiosity and foster understanding and appreciation of worldwide cultural diversity. It was founded by Dr. Jacquiline Touba and received its charter from New York State in 1995. Touba, an artist and former college professor, retired from the museum in 2013 but remains active as a volunteer.
Bethanie Lawrence was named executive director of the museum in 2018. A former teacher, Lawrence relocated to the area two years ago to be closer to family.
“I think we do a lot of good work here teaching people about different cultures, different people, and different places in the world,” she said. “I feel like we are truly making a difference in people’s lives, especially in the North Country/Adirondack region where there really isn’t much exposure to things that might be vastly different from what we are used to. So, we do a lot to teach people what is beyond their bubble.”