Category Archives: Non-Profits

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.”

By Matthew Young
We are fortunate to live in a community that is so charitable and philanthropic. We have all seen or experienced how our community steps up whenever a neighbor is in need. Often, helping one neighbor in need inspires a desire to help more. But to help more, more is generally needed—more time, more resources, more money.
Establishing a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization can help with the “more,” as doing so will show the community that your cause is sincere, which should help when it comes to asking the community for more, whether it is time, resources or money. However, establishing a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization is not quite as simple as we would like it to be.
Here are the key components to doing so:
1. Certificate of Incorporation.
This is the organization’s primary governing document. The Certificate of Incorporation identifies, among other things, the organization’s name, location, initial board members and purposes.

Hannaford Supermarkets made a $30,000 donation to the Open Door Mission, which will enable the nonprofit organization to widely expand its food pantry and triple the number of families it serves in the greater Glens Falls area.
As a result of the grant, the Open Door Mission will relocate the food pantry to its headquarters at 226 Warren St. in downtown Glens Falls.
The pantry, which previously existed as only a single 12-foot shelf, is expected to serve up to 300 families each month when it begins operations later this month.

By Jill Nagy

For more than 40 years, the Moreau Community Center has served the people of Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties. Located in the heart of South Glens Falls, in a former Methodist church, the center sees more than 500 people a month, ranging from pre-schoolers to seniors, come through its doors.

The center’s programs for youth include a pre-school and before and after school programs for children as well as summer camp and recreational activities. Seniors come in for exercise programs, meals, and just to hang out and socialize and sign up for field trips.

The seniors are the most active group during the day, according to Executive Director Donna Nichols.

A third aspect of the center’s program is a range of community services: a food pantry, referral services and a thrift shop, among them. A backpack program provides weekend meals for school children and the center also sponsors a summer meal program.

The Hyde Collection is offering to put something extra in the stockings of city residents for the  holiday season. In addition to its annual Pay as you Wish program throughout December, the museum is offering half-price membership to anyone living within the 12801 postal zip code.

This is the museum’s fourth year of Pay as you Wish, when admission fees are waived and guests are encouraged to answer a brief survey and make a donation based on their experience. The feedback is used to help The Hyde staff improve the visitor experience and the by-donation admission ensures everyone has access to the art museum.

“Pay as you Wish is a great way for us to learn how we can improve The Hyde experience,” said Anne Saile, interim director. “Over the past few years, we have learned a lot about what visitors want from the Museum and we have been able to make changes based on suggestions offered.”