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A Quarterly Publication of Ruotolo Associates
Inc.
"A full service Fundraising and Public Relations firm for the non-profit world" |
Welcome to our inaugural edition of Ruotolo Associates NetLinks, a communication piece we will electronically distribute to clients and friends of our firm. We hope it will serve as a useful tool to inform, educate, and inspire our readers about trends at Ruotolo Associates and the philanthropic world. Ruotolo Associates is comprised of talented and committed individuals who have dedicated their professional lives to the betterment of our society. It is my sincere hope that, through their contributions to NetLinks and our ability to present timely articles and information about philanthropy, you will look forward to future issues and use them as resources to expand your knowledge, talents and abilities to serve your organization, whether as a CEO, development staff member, or volunteer. 2002 was a terrific year for Ruotolo Associates, one in which we experienced significant growth. We recognize that this expansion creates challenges and opportunities for us to better serve our clients. In speaking for the staff at Ruotolo Associates, I appreciate the confidence you have placed in us and look forward to your input and dialogue regarding this publication. Your feedback will help us constantly improve as a company to provide necessary information to develop your professional and volunteer capacities.
Sincerely, THE AWARD WINNING RUOTOLO STAFF Theresa Shubeck Receives "Tim Manning Culture of Excellence Award"
The Award: This special award is given annually to a Ruotolo employee who has exemplified the highest standard of professional practice with his/her clients on behalf of the firm. Formerly the "Culture of Excellence Award," Tim Manning's name was added in 2001 in recognition of this special friend and associate of Ruotolo Associates. Mr. Manning started his career as a professional photographer whose work was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He later was ordained a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church in the Paterson Diocese, where he served as Director for Communications and Editor and CEO of The Beacon, the diocesan newspaper. In 1989, he joined Ruotolo Associates and turned his communications skills to a career in fundraising and development, working in a variety of capacities for the firm in both a full time and consultative role until his death in December 2000. Recalling the man, Ruotolo Chairman and CEO George Ruotolo said Mr. Manning's "work ethic, creativity, character and professional standards are attributes to which I hope Ruotolo Associates' staff will aspire." The Recipient: We have the dual honor of announcing
Theresa Shubeck as the 2002 Manning award recipient, as well as her
appointment to Senior Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic region. Theresa
has been with Ruotolo for eight years. During her tenure as VP and manager
of the Mid-Atlantic region, Ruotolo Associates has seen substantial
growth in this region. She handles the largest division and the largest
staff, yet still manages to provide the most individual attention to
every client. Audrey DeLoffi Recognized by Local Charity
Over the
past nine years, Ms. DeLoffi has served on both the Corporate Sponsorship
and Operations Committees, and proudly accepted the HAWC Community Award
this past October. NEW LEGISLATION MAY AFFECT
NON-PROFITS Should what’s good for corporate America also hold true for nonprofit organizations? According to a commentary by Washington area lawyer Patrick K. O’Hare in The Chronicle of Philanthropy (Oct. 31, 2002), the answer is a resounding “yes!” Although legislation passed in Congress this past summer that will make corporations accountable for financial reporting does not apply to the non-profit sector, these groups “will need to pay close attention to the corporate-responsibility measure” in the new laws. In addition, some states are likely to incorporate similar laws that do cover charitable organizations in order to prevent abuse of funds. In light of recent corporate scandals, it is in the best interest of non-profit groups to follow some of the requirements of the federal corporate-responsibility law to maintain donor loyalty as well as to distinguish themselves from their competitors. Following are some of the key areas at which non-profits are likely to look closely: · Board audit committees O'Hare states that
“nonprofit groups would be well advised to become familiar with the
new federal provisions and make a decision to adopt some or all of the requirements before
donors, regulators, insurers and the press begin to question why charities
hold themselves to a lesser standard of governance than their for-profit
peers.” STEWARDSHIP, "A WAY OF LIFE" IN THE DIOCESE OF CAMDEN
The process includes: · Strategic Planning
with each Pastor Our team is staffed with talent from a variety of backgrounds including Deacon John D'Amico, a Permanent Deacon from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. "Sometimes we hear people say 'I just don't get anything from going to church'. This is all too common and stems from a basic misunderstanding of church. When the people of God gather for Liturgy we do not gather to 'get', we gather to 'give’. We give of our talent to sing or play an instrument. We give of our financial resources. We give our life, the time that God has given us to worship our Creator and Savior. Then we are sent out into the world to take His message of salvation with us. We are each called to be stewards of God's gifts, to care for and make return to God for what we have been freely given. As stewards, we do not come to get, we come to give," says Deacon John. Parishes have experienced a large influx of parish volunteers since the Diocesan Initiative began one year ago, while others have experienced as much as a 20% increase in their Ordinary Income. "These are results of implementing Stewardship as ‘A Way of Life,’ says Ruotolo Associate, Mr. James Friend, a former Youth Minister/Coordinator of Religious Education and Parish Administrator from the Philadelphia area. "Stewardship changes lives and offers us a holistic spirituality for today. This spirituality is grounded in the precepts of our faith beginning with our Baptismal Call. When we respond to that Call and extend a personal invitation to others to join us, we teach as Jesus did." This implementation
can take place within a single parish or across an entire Diocese. If
you would like more information about our work, please contact us to
schedule a meeting or conference call. GEORGE RUOTOLO APPEARS ON PHIL
DONAHUE The producer called George to discuss the possibility of appearing on a segment about the current state of fundraising in the Catholic Church in light of the recent sexual abuse scandal. After some dialogue on what particular issues Donahue wanted to explore, George agreed to participate in the show, which was taped at Rockefeller Center in New York. The panel was comprised of Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League; David Clohessy, Executive Director of SNAP (Survivor's Network for Those Abused by Priests); Carmen Durso, an attorney representing victims of abuse in the Boston area; Steve Kruger, Executive Director of Voice of the Faithful; Boston editor/publisher Chuck Colbert of the liberal National Catholic Reporter, who was interviewed via remote; and George Ruotolo. Ruotolo presented the perspective that the majority of Catholic parishioners in this country have good relationships with their clergy and are generally positive toward their own parish. He explained that it is RA's practice to have the pastor explain to his parishioners that funds raised in a capital campaign are used expressly for that purpose and not for any lawsuit settlement or legal expense of the diocese. George clarified the difference between the church's ordinary income (weekly offertory) and a capital campaign. It is only the ordinary income of the parish that is subject to the cathedraticum, which requires a certain percentage of donations be submitted to a parish's diocese. This tax varies from one diocese to the next. All dollars raised in a capital campaign remain in the parish. Furthermore, George noted that parishes in the Boston archdiocese cannot be compared to those in other parts of the country due to the concentration of abuse cases in their area. Phil Donahue
noted that the days of "Pay, Pray and Obey" are gone. He emphasized
that members of SNAP and Voice of the Faithful are the ones that still
want to remain involved in the Catholic Church, but would like to see
the Church address its problems in an open and forthright manner. Ruotolo
pointed out that there are some bishops presently in the country that
have recognized the value of Voice of the Faithful and are cooperating
with their local chapters. A LISTING OF OUR CURRENT CLIENTS
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CHAIRMAN'S WELCOME
It is a fitting tribute to the late Tim Manning, CFRE,
a former colleague and well-known New Jersey fundraising professional,
that we begin our first edition of NetLinks with the announcement
of recently appointed Senior Vice President Theresa Shubeck
as the recipient of Ruotolo Associates' annual Tim Manning Culture of
Excellence Award.
Ruotolo Senior Associate Audrey DeLoffi was recently the recipient
of the HAWC Community Award. Headquartered in Salem, MA, the HAWC organization
(Help for Abused Women and Their Children) is fortunate to have Audrey
serving on two committees responsible for organizing its biggest fundraiser
of the year. The annual five-mile "Walk for HAWC" takes place each April
in Audrey's home town of Salem, MA and generates over $200,000 per year
for the organization, which serves all of the North Shore and Cape Ann
area. She was instrumental in helping to reach an all-time high of over
$100,000 in corporate donations.
Over the past year, Ruotolo Associates has developed a personalized,
comprehensive approach to implementing the Bishop's Pastoral letter,
Stewardship, A Disciple's Response for 128 parishes in the Diocese
of Camden, New Jersey. Between 2002-2003, every parish in the Diocese
will experience the initiative in its own community. During these weeks
of Renewal, parishioners will have the opportunity to express their
faith by offering a commitment of talent, treasure and time to their
faith community. 