Tag Archives: updates

Call for NYAAF Board Members

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CALL FOR BOARD MEMBERS

New Yorkers!  Are you itching to get more involved with your local abortion fund? Do you have great event organizing skills? Or perhaps experience writing and securing grants? Maybe you’ve got amazing fundrasing skills that you’re looking to put to a good cause.  We want YOU to join the NYAAF board! We currently have three board positions open and would love for you to join us!

Institutional Fundraiser
Responsibilities include:

  • Developing and implementing institutional fundraising strategy
  • Drafting and submitting Letters of Inquiry and Proposal
  • Researching prospective foundation supporters
  • Tracking foundation donor response, reporting requirements, and deadlines
  • Preparing narrative and financial reports
  • Participating on other committees and completing projects as needed

Requirements:

  • Experience with writing grants and proposals
  • Ability to conceptualize and create an institutional fundraising strategy
  • Familiarity with New York foundation funding landscape
  • Self-motivated and detail-oriented

 

Events Coordinator: Community Organizing and Grassroots Events

  • Develop community fundraising involvement, specifically college-based, local, and upstate fundraising development.
  • Organize volunteer-hosted events, including the development and implementation of home-hosting kits for individuals interested in hosting a NYAAF fundraiser.
  • Generate ideas for new events targeting the growth of the volunteer base and work with
    volunteers to implement those ideas.
  • Promptly report on events to the rest of the board (costs, funds raised, new donor lists, etc.).
  • Assist the Events Coordinator: Major Donors and Institutional Events with annual major donor events (e.g. Bowlathon and Celebrate Access Awards) as needed.
  • Participate on the Fundraising Committee.
  • Plan yearly events calendar in conjunction with Fundraising Committee and the Events Coordinator: Major Donors and Institutional Events

External event coordination

  • Work with anyone who approaches NYAAF offering to host an event (e.g. a play, book signing, concert, etc.)
  • Determine whether the event is an appropriate fit for NYAAF
  • Ensure NYAAF board representation at events as appropriate
  • Coordinate/delegate to-do lists and duties with volunteer or host (venue, invites, staffing, etc.)

 

Development Coordinator:

  • Coordinate the pick up of the organizations mail and distribute mail to other board members
  • Draft and distribute acknowledgement letters in a timely manner
  • Make thank you calls
  • Work with event planner(s) to discuss and plan opportunities/events to establish and cultivate donor relationships
  • Assist in annual report assembly and production
  • Manage and update donor database (NGP VAN)
  • Work with co-chairs to cultivate major donors and develop individual giving campaigns
  • Generate contribution reports as needed
  • Maintain online giving account (NY Charities)
  • Set up online donation pages for events
  • Provide support for all mailings

General board responsibilities include attendance at monthly meetings on the third Monday of every month, and an intake shift on our hotline once every three months.

NYAAF is committed to seeking a diverse group of candidates, including young people, people of color, and gender non-conforming and queer folks. We are an all-volunteer, board-run grassroots organization.

Interested? Have questions? Email info[at]nyaaf[dot]org for a board application! Applications are due April 1st, 2014.

Weekly Update

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Just a quick update from last week’s intake duty. Think y’all might be interested in hearing the kinds of cases we deal with on a weekly basis.

It was a busy week. We funded 5 women’s procedures, but fielded many more calls and more are in the works for this week.

One that stands out:
Tia from Philadelphia. A 26-year-old mother of two, she emailed us on Tuesday, 9 weeks pregnant and desperate for help. She is on welfare and has Medicaid, but because she happens to be from Pennsylvania–a state that does not allow any state Medicaid funding to be used for abortions–she may as well have been uninsured. She wanted to come to NYC for the procedure, because the cost is substantially less here than many other cities–even when you take into account travel costs to get here. Guess it’s a supply and demand thing–so many providers here they have to compete by lowering the cost.

While we answer email, it’s easiest to deal with clients and clinics by phone to ensure quick results, so I asked Tia to call me. She responded to my email with apologies, saying that she was so poor she had no long distance calling on her phone, and asked that I call her if at all possible.

Tia had saved $100, and the cost of the procedure was $425. I called the clinic and was able to negotiate a $50 dollar discount. That left $275, but given all the other cases this week and our fiscal situtation, I took the extra step to call the abortion fund in Philly and they agreed to pledge $50 as well, given that she was a Philly resident. So NYAAF pledged $225 for Tia and she was able to get to NYC and had her procedure on Friday.

Tia was exceedingly grateful to us for the assistance, and I am in turn exceedingly grateful to all of YOU–our supporters and donors who make it possible for us to help women in need!!!

All for now,
Julia

 

Emergency case update

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To give you an idea of where the money donated on Facebook goes, yesterday NYAAF pledged $2700 to a woman who had no where else to turn to be able to obtain her abortion. Thank you to to all our Facebook supporters whose donations allow us to say “Yes, we can help you” when faced with emergency cases like this one.

$2700 is a big pledge for us. In 2008, we gave out just over $48,000 to 71 women who needed help paying for their abortions. At the moment, we have far less than that sum in our bank account.

And the calls keep coming. Since late last year, we have noticed an increase in the number of women seeking our help—a result we think of both the economic crisis and our own efforts to increase our reach by partnering with New York clinics beyond the five boroughs. In order to keep pace with the demand for our services, we have a lot of fundraising to do this year.

Please consider helping us out by donating here and inviting friends to join our cause. Share the NYAAF page on your profile, or follow the example of our friend Katha Pollitt by setting a fundraising goal and inviting friends to help you meet it.

NYAAF board members will post messages (on our wall, so as not to clutter your inbox) to let you know where the money goes; and once a month we will send a note like this one to update you on trends we are witnessing from the front lines.

Thank you for helping us help women and for spreading the word about NYAAF,

Leila

 

Weekly Update

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NOTES FROM THE NYAAF BOARD MEMBER HANDLING INCOMING CALLS FOR OUR ASSISTANCE THIS WEEK:

What a busy week for funding! NYAAF was able to assist five women to access abortion services, but we had calls or emails from 12 women! (some were able to get Medicaid, others were still making arrangements for their procedure so did not have them this week)

One case really highlighted for me the impact our current economy is having on us all, especially women who need health services. This caller had a history of difficult pregnancies and had no children because of her problems carrying to term. She called NYAAF because she and her partner were concerned that she was pregnant at this time…they realized that since he had lost his job and she could not afford maternity leave they would have a hard time raising a child or paying expensive medical bills that could result from a difficult pregnancy. She did not have insurance from her work but made too much to be eligible for Medicaid. She was making just enough money to get by so NYAAF stepped in and covered her abortion procedure.

In this tough economy we have a greater and greater need to support women so that abortion is not just accessible, but also affordable and funded!

Karlin