wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

How sad to hear on WNYC that the arts are pitted against worthy non-profits to help the poor. There was no discussion of pitting Wall-Street and the banking industry against the poor before their 7 billion dollar bailout. After attending an Anti-Poverty Network Conference this week in Trenton, New Jersey, I can tell you that the problems facing the poor and the newly poor are large and growing. Salaries in the arts industry are extremely low. The savings from "eliminating the arts" would be minimal. In comparison, the loss of jobs in the arts would only add to the ever growing ranks of the poor and unemployed. Unfortunately, even on wnyc, the arts are a favorite punching bag during hard times.

Dear Brian:

Thank you so much for showcasing on your program today on what I have dubbed 'nonprofit' street. Nonprofit street is where seniors find community with their peers at senior centers, where working parents can place their children at day care programs, where the unemployed can find help in transitioning to new jobs at job training facilities and where women fleeing domestic violence can find safe refuge in shared living facilities.

These organizations and the other 26,000 such groups in the five boroughs are the lynchpin of the city's safety net---for both our most traditionally poor fellow New Yorkers and our 'new poor.' Their services, support and advocacy efforts are more important than ever in the epicenter of the recession.

To help such groups, I have written an A-Z Guide for Nonprofit Survival in Hard Times. It is posted on
http://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/2008/10/the-a-to-z-nonp.html. Also, there is relevant info on my podcast,

http://foundationcenter.org/focus/economy/

Many thanks again,

Michael Seltzer

If anyone reading is in charge of a toy drive, may I also suggest accompanying gifts for parents? I'm not a parent, but I imagine many parents are killing themselves to provide for their kids' joy this year. It would be nice if someone said, "we recognize all you've done for your children, so here's a little gift for you too." It doesn't have to be anything extravagant, but receiving even a small gift when you have nothing can make all the difference.

Jessisa is right. Arts and cultural venues might have to take a bigger hit IF necessary but never be completely excluded from public funding.

The Yankees and the Mets and all sports businesses should not ever get any public assistance, i.e., welfare! With the salaries and benefits they give they do fine with their corporate supporters so that not one penny of any public monies should go to their clubs.

We should stop all the legal assistances and guidance umbrella organizations. Go where the rubber meets the road. The organizations the help the suffering people direct!

Are the non-profits really so good at reaching & resolving the issues of their 'clients'.

A conference for non-profits? Where was it held and at what cost. It seems the management of these groups has no end to it's ways of using the dollars they get to help others.

These non-profit organizations are left to fight over scraps with city agencies providing essential services, while Mayor Bloomberg, who's allegedly making "tough choices," continues to shovel hundreds of millions of public dollars at Bruce Ratner's now-stalled Atlantic Yards project. When will enough be enough?

I've just been contributing as close to the recipient as possible. The other day I donated (very nice) clothing and a warm coat to the Salvation Army store (though I wonder if I should have just placed them neatly on the sidewalk). I like to donate food and toys directly.

Although some administrative costs are unavoidable, the number of tiny non-profits with seemingly worthy yet intangible causes is overwhelming.

On November 20 2008 30 NYC anti-HUNGER agencies feeding Kosher-Emergency-Food to their clients met with CM Bill Deblasio chairman of HRA committee. Some of them are not even perusing government help but will attend in support of the others.

Re: Brian's question of how nonprofits can work together rather than fight over the spoils. Why does it take a crisis like this for that to happen? It seems to happen at every level--a new foundation with someone's name on it pops up, rather than a new program at an existing foundation, creating new admin costs--as well as additional costs for nonprofits applying for the grants. And how many advocacy groups are there per key issue (health, housing, food)?

And perhaps closer to home: NPR is dropping 2 programs. There are at least a half dozen nonproft radio stations in the metro area. While they all have somewhat differing missions (music v. talk, say), why can't they share fundraising activity, again, saving admin/infrastructure costs?

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but the moral mission should be the grandma.