April Edition 2010 - New York Nonprofit Press
April Edition 2010 - New York Nonprofit Press
April Edition 2010 - New York Nonprofit Press
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12 <strong>New</strong> <strong>York</strong> <strong>Nonprofit</strong> <strong>Press</strong> www.nynp.biz <strong>April</strong> <strong>2010</strong><br />
AGENCY OF THE MONTH<br />
BBCS continued from page 11<br />
chronically ‘under-housed’, each have their<br />
own studio apartment in a large affordable<br />
housing complex at 1825 Atlantic Avenue.<br />
“We have an office with staff on the first floor<br />
to provide support,” says Klein. “The consumers<br />
take a lot of pride in their apartments.<br />
They are learning how to cook and clean.<br />
They socialize and mix with their neighbors.<br />
It is a great model.”<br />
BBCS’ employment-related services are<br />
extensive and appropriate for individuals with<br />
a wide range of disabilities – as well as those<br />
who do not face these chronic challenges.<br />
Pre-vocational support serves those who<br />
cannot yet pursue vocational training or job<br />
placement due to the degree of their mental<br />
illness or mental retardation. These services<br />
include Project Moving On, which offers daily<br />
counseling, therapeutic activities and peer<br />
support for people with severe mental illness.<br />
Day Habilitation provides center-based services<br />
as well as opportunities for volunteer<br />
work with local community groups. Residential<br />
Habilitation teaches independent living<br />
skills to developmentally disabled adults living<br />
with their families or in their own homes.<br />
BBCS also operates a sheltered workshop<br />
at which individuals with disabilities<br />
provide a variety of packaging and assembly<br />
services for local Brooklyn businesses. “We<br />
package everything from special eye guards<br />
for kids playing football to<br />
spices for a local factory,”<br />
says Goodman. “We have<br />
even invested in a ‘clam<br />
shell’ packaging machine<br />
to package electronic<br />
products.”<br />
“We have very strong<br />
relationships with local<br />
employers,” says Deborah<br />
Washington, Director<br />
of Placement Services.<br />
BBCS has developed a service<br />
model in which teams<br />
of consumers will work<br />
on site with such business<br />
partners as Berdiner Laboratories,<br />
Brooklyn Union<br />
Beer Distributors, Citi-<br />
Storage and Tanner Nuts<br />
and Bolts – but under the<br />
supervision of a BBCS staff member.<br />
In addition to its services for individuals<br />
with disabilities, BBCS also operates its own<br />
proprietary vocational school – the Brooklyn<br />
Bureau Career Training Academy – which<br />
provides training in retail skills, including<br />
classroom work, a computer lab and on-site<br />
experience working with Marshall’s department<br />
store.<br />
All together, BBCS provides pre-vocation<br />
or employment related services to 2,308<br />
individuals annually, including 596 who are<br />
BBCS operates a variety of literacyrich<br />
early childhood programs.<br />
placed in competitive or<br />
supported employment.<br />
<strong>New</strong> Directions<br />
When Goodman<br />
succeeded Donna Santarsiero,<br />
who had led the<br />
agency for 28 years, he<br />
found an organization<br />
with strong programs but<br />
also significant financial<br />
challenges in light of the<br />
nation’s economic crisis<br />
and cutbacks in government<br />
funding. As a result,<br />
Goodman and new<br />
Board Chair Jerrold<br />
Mulder, are strongly focused<br />
on efforts both to<br />
increase BBCS’ visibility<br />
with potential donors, volunteers and other<br />
supporters and to find new and more diverse<br />
sources of revenue.<br />
Once a month, Goodman now hosts a<br />
“360 Event” at which interested members of<br />
the community are invited to a one-hour session<br />
which introduces BBCS and the work it<br />
does throughout the borough. “We bring in<br />
people from all over – business people, lawyers,<br />
people from other nonprofits, City government,”<br />
says Goodman. “They learn about<br />
what we do, hear testimonials from staff and<br />
clients, see video clips and tour two of our<br />
programs.” These events are part of the “Benevon<br />
Model” for fundraising designed to<br />
help organizations build long-term, sustainable<br />
revenues through strong relationships<br />
with donors and other supporters. “Over the<br />
last seven months, we have introduced over<br />
100 non-board members to this organization.<br />
All of them can be potential donors or advocates,<br />
people who can help us open doors or<br />
establish new relationships.”<br />
Goodman is looking for new ways to<br />
bring in revenues – revenues that are not subject<br />
to arbitrary cutbacks and reductions in<br />
government contracts. “We have assets,” he<br />
explains. “We know how to do certain things<br />
better than other organizations. We have to<br />
capitalize on these strengths and find new<br />
ways to market these services.”<br />
The agency has received pro bono assistance<br />
from Morgan Stanley in development<br />
of a business plan for a new income generating<br />
project. “They put a team of associates<br />
together to help us put together a plan,” says<br />
Goodman. “We have a number of ideas and<br />
are looking to identify the one that requires<br />
the least investment of start-up capital.” First<br />
on the agenda is a plan to market family therapy<br />
treatment services to non-governmental<br />
consumers. “There is a dearth of services out<br />
there,” says Goodman. “We have the expertise,<br />
experience and the reputation for providing<br />
this service.”<br />
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