Corridors July 2019

JuLY 2019

CORRIDORS

C O N T E N T S

3

From the President

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Business After Hours, Connections Schedules, and Marketplace Lunch Meetings

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Member of the Month Business Continuity Planning - Preparing For the Unexpected

Business Taxes Scholarship Winners

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Succession Planning for [NOT] the CEO

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Filing Amended Tax Return

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Community Connections

From the

Jim Boltz President

JBoltz@PghNorthChamber.com

For more information on the Chamber’s program of work, please contact:

Annie Cairns Director of Marketing & Events ACairns@PghNorthChamber.com

Melissa Leedy Director of Business Development MLeedy@PghNorthChamber.com

Heather Schwartzbauer Membership & Digital Media Coordinator HSchwartzbauer@PghNorthChamber.com

Amy VanAtta Executive Assistant AVanAtta@PghNorthChamber.com

Chamber Headquarters

5000 Brooktree Road, Suite 100 Wexford, PA

Cranberry Twp. Office

2525 Rochester Road Cranberry Township, PA P: 724.934.9700 F: 724.934.9710

PghNorthChamber.com

July 2019

Taking Advantage of your Chamber membership.

There are many benefits to being a member of the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber. To make sure that you are taking advantage of the excellent opportunities that are available to you to get the most out of your membership, this will be the first of a three part series.

Part 1- Sharing information to attract new customers.

Create your chamber credentials. Log in and update your business information and take advantage of these features: Jim Boltz Business Directory Listing - your own page on the chamber’s website which can include your business President description, hours of operation, location information, links to your social media and your website, and up to eight searchable keywords (these help identify your business when a website visitor searches by service or related need in the Business Directory).

Member News - keep the community and other business professionals in the know when it comes to your business.

Add Employees/Reps to your Account - every employee in your company can take advantage of your benefits! Add them through the member portal so they can start receiving communications.

Member Deals - include store coupons and special offers on the Chamber’s website.

Post Jobs – find qualified employees by adding your own job openings to the Chamber’s website.

Be prepared to network. The chamber hosts many opportunities for you to network with other professionals for greater business exposure. Create a 45 second commercial that communicates the advantages of using your business.

Enhance your business exposure.

Be a presenter - Sign up to make a 15 minute presentation at one of our Connections meetings.

Member Spotlight – Take a multimedia approach to showcasing your business. This exclusive monthly spotlight includes a half-page advertorial in Corridors, four advertorials in Monday Morning Coffee and additional commercial time at our Connections meetings.

Be a sponsor – Many opportunities that will fit any budget. From Connections meetings to Signature Events, you can choose from multiple levels that will give your company recognition.

Be an advertiser – We have numerous ways that you get advertise such as Corridors - our monthly newsletter, Monday Morning Coffee, event programs, our website, our Membership Information Center, our Community Resource Magazine and our map. Pick what fits your marketing strategy and budget.

Enhanced Online Membership Listing – Stand above the crowd on our website with an expanded business description, logo, media links and 12 additional keywords. You can also add business highlights, photos and commercials, all for a very low annual fee.

Join a committee – Build relationships by being active on one of our numerous committees.

Get recognized for your expertise – Volunteer your services as a speaker at one of our educational presentations.

If you would like more information about these or any other topics, just contact us at the Chamber office to discuss. We have Member Benefits Orientation every other month. The next one is on August 16th. We would also be happy to set up a one on one meeting with you.

Upcoming topics: Part 2 - Getting the most out of networking. (August) Part 3 - Taking advantage of other chamber member benefits. (September) Sincerely, Jim Boltz President Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

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BUSINESS AFTER HOURS July 11 Fresco’s

1 Wexford Square, Wexford 5:00-7:00 p.m.

August 8 Bakn

100 Fowler Road, Warrendale 5:00-7:00 p.m.

REGISTER ONLINE TODAY www.PghNorthChamber.com

July 22

August 6

Mega Mixer

Social Media & Marketing Conference

Gateway Clipper Fleet 5:00-8:00 p.m.

CONNECTIONS Daily networking events for business leaders throughout our Pittsburgh North region.

Warrendale: Tu esdays, 11:30 a.m .

DoubleTree By Hilton 910 Sheraton Drive McCandless: Thur sdays, 11:30 a.m .

Fairfield Inn & Suites McCandless Crossing 901 Providence Blvd.

Valencia: Fridays, 7:30 a.m .

The Crystal Conservatories 100 Conservatories Court

La Roche University 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Marketplace Lunch Meetings Cancelled 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Monte Cello’s at The Hampton Shoppes 4655 William Flynn Highway Route 8, Allison Park June 22

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Family Bowlaway Fun Center 540 Fairground Hill Road, Butler

For a complete listing of programs and events and to register, visit us at www.PghNorthChamber.com

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PNRC Member Chuck Caputy, The Home Depot Jim Boltz, President PNRC said, “Chuck brings a level of involvement in Chamber activities for Home Depot that you don’t normally see from big retailers. His consistent presence at Chamber events has positioned his store as a leader in our region.

Whether it is a Chamber Connections meeting or a business expo, through Chuck, Home Depot is in the spotlight. It doesn’t stop there, though. He has built strong relationships with our members. The level of service that he provides when you are in the store, consistently exceeds expectations.”

“Chuck Caputy is a tremendous asset to the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber,” said Mike Doerfler, a representative of the Cranberry Township Area Lions Club.

“He dedicates his time to the Chamber and the community at events such as Taste of Cranberry and Cranberry Community Days. You can always find him at these events manning the Home Depot booth, and interacting with the many folks who attend. When he’s not supporting the Chamber at meetings or local events, you can find Chuck diligently working. Chuck is always willing to help any customers who come into shop everyday. Chuck’s generous and hard work in the community is what makes him a great candidate for Chamber Member of the Month!”

2019 Board of Directors Executive Committee Philip J. Scolieri, J.D.– Board Chair Scolieri Law Group, P.C.

Gary Basilone—Foundation Chair Basilone Executive Search & Staffing

Andrew Chiapusio—Chair-Elect First National Bank

Steve Diffenderfer—Treasurer Community Bank

Tracy Armstrong– Vice-Chair North Pittsburgh Greeting Company

Mark Prentice—Secretary Healthy Environments, LLC

Ann Gatty, Ph.D.—Past Chair Strategic People Solutions

Jim Boltz—President Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Board of Directors Elizabeth Blakely Link to Visibility

Jim Logan Pgh Repair LLC

Kim Tosadori Petroleum Technical Services

Bruce Goodman CHROME Federal Credit Union

Alyssa Marsico Alzheimer’s Association

Lisa Heller Heartland Payment Systems

Tiffany Nolan i.e. Insurance

John Tubridy Franchise Network of Pittsburgh

Gregg Hill Dollar Bank

Jan Stevens Coldwell Banker

Kathleen Kuznicki The Lynch Law Group

Cynthia Stirling Strawberry Ridge Golf Course

PghNorthChamber.com

July 2019

Rakesh Unnithan WesBanco Bank Nicky Voynick Sechler Law Firm, LLC

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Business Continuity Planning - Preparing For the Unexpected By: Autumn Edmiston, Are you planning for the future? Is a Business Continuity Plan a part of future growth? If your company had a disaster, could you be up and running within hours, days, weeks, months, or never recover?

A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a proactive plan to avoid and mitigate risks associated with a disruption of operations. It details steps to be taken before, during and after an event to maintain the financial viability of an organization. Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a reactive plan for r esponding after an event. This plan should provide guidelines for emergency responses, extended back-up operations, and post-disaster recovery.

There are many components to a BCP to be considered and here are some key pieces to the plan.

Personnel are you r com pany’s greatest asset and one of the first things to consider. If disaster has struck – has there been loss of life? Has a key member of your management staff had a crisis? Did you have an active shooter situation at your place of business? How are the staff coming together following a crisis? Do they have the proper training to know what to do in the event of a disaster? As a leader having a plan is critical. Your staff look to you for what happens next. They can remain calm and execute a plan if a plan exists and they are properly trained.

Communication – how will staff, vendors and the company as a whole communicate if all phone lines are down?

What is your plan if you have no email access? Do you have a phone chain or text message chain established?

Technology– is your information in the cloud or is there a secondary data center outside of your building? How will staff access email and critical information to keep your company running? This includes A/R and A/P, proposals, proprietary information, etc. Who can access what information?

Facilities – have you made arrangements for housing of key personnel and employees if necessary? Taking care of your employees and their families will help them remain calm, committed to business recovery and ultimately create loyalty to you as the business owner. If your building was destroyed – do you have a backup location in mind or will staff be able to work remotely?

Have you set up electronic payment systems to continue to send and receive payments? Will you need to resort to manual operations? If so – what might that look like?

Different than a BCP, a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a documented process or set of procedures to recover and protect a business IT infrastructure and other operations necessary to run your business in the event of a disaster. Such a plan, ordinarily documented in written form, specifies procedures an organization is to follow in the event of a disaster.

The City of Baltimore has made national news recently regarding their vulnerability in regard to a cyber-attack, but businesses and government should also consider other types of risk such as fires and flooding that could affect their day to day operations.

As we have recently seen of the floods and hurricanes in various parts of the country, in Western Pennsylvania we think we are safe from disaster. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Every day there are new stories of flooding, burst pipes, fires, landslides, hacking, tech outages, downtime, and data loss — even at the best of companies. Are you prepared to do business if today you walked into work and there had been an electrical surge that fried all your computers?

No matter what the cause of the disaster, the organizations that manage them most effectively, and with the least amount of collateral damage, are those with a strategic Business Continuity Plan and a comprehensive, easy-to-follow, and regularly tested Disaster Recovery Plan.

No one wants to think gloom and doom, but I hope these questions will offer food for thought as you look to put together a program for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery testing. Execution of a best thought out plan will ensure your business can remain “Open for Business” should disaster strike.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real -world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PghNorthChamber.com

July 2019

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Business Taxes As taken from MBA Business Magazine

Legislative

Despite a few positive changes to the Commonwealth’s business taxes over the past several years, Pennsylvania’s business tax structure remains among the highest and most burdensome in the nation, creating sticker shock among businesses seeking to expand or relocate their operations within the Commonwealth, and stagnating job growth throughout the state.

Committee Corner

In fact, Pennsylvania would have nearly 700,000 more jobs if its economy had grown at the national average for the past 18 years. Instead, the Commonwealth ranks 44th in job growth during that span.

When asked, most employers cite an overly burdensome business tax structure as one of the key contributors to the state’s poor economy and a red flag for companies that might otherwise consider locating or expanding in the Commonwealth. This is especially true of the high-tech and manufacturing sectors of the economy, which generate 16.1 percent of the gross state product, employ 670,000 Pennsylvanians and directly add more than $75 billion in value to the Commonwealth each year.

According to CNBC America’s Top States for Business in 2012, Pennsylvania scored 41st in the Cost of Business category and 48th in the Workforce category.

To read the whole article taken from the Manufacturer & Business Association’s web site, click here.

Scholarship Winners Each year the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber Educational Foundation awards scholarships for high school students continuing their education and to professionals looking for additional education in the trades. This year we are honored to be able to award not only five scholarships but six scholarships. Congratulations and good luck to our six 2019 scholarship winners !

Jordana Avigad is a North Allegheny High School graduate who will be attending Washington University of St. Louis this fall.

Adelle Fernando is a North Allegheny High School graduate who will be attending New York University this fall.

Grant Baierl is a North Allegheny High School graduate who will be attending Grove City University this fall.

Kristen Friday is a Fox Chapel High School graduate who will be attending the University of Notre Dame this fall.

Victoria Beck is a Seneca Valley High School graduate who will be attending the University of Pittsburgh this fall.

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Jacalyn Geyer is a Shaler Area High School graduate who will be attending the University of West Virginia this fall.

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Member Accolades Jewelry by Alicia and Scott

Not too shabby for being in business a little less than a year.

We couldn't have done it without YOU! We want to thank you guys for all of your love and support. We truly could not have achieved this goal without you.

In the next few weeks we will show you our appreciation for your support. It will coincide with our store's 1st birthday. We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Revive Upper Cervical Chiropractic

At the 2019 Advances in Spinal Care Symposium in Denver Colorado, Dr. Ian Bulow (seen on right) received the 2019 Upper Cervical Chiropractor of the Year Award. Dr. Bulow is the owner and clinical director of Revive Upper Cervical Chiropractic in Cranberry Twp. Following the opening of the clinic in July 2008, Dr. Bulow has obtained his Diplomate in Craniocervical Junction Procedures and is currently the President of the Internation Chiropractors Associations Council on Upper Cervical Care. Dr. Bulow is native to Richland township, married to his high-school sweetheart Cristina Bulow, and together they raise a family in Butler County. Revive Upper Cervical Chiropractic sees patients from all over Western Pennsylvania and offers complimentary consultations and screenings to any patient looking for insights into their current health situation.

Have an accolade to share? Email Amy with any exciting news your business celebrates!

PghNorthChamber.com

July2019

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Succession Planning for [NOT] the CEO

By Erin Gloeckner CEO succession planning arises as a strategic risk and key concern of nonprofit boards in many NRMC-led Risk Assessments. If you’re looking for an article about CEO succession planning, this is not it. Instead, review our popular article, Avoid Transition Trauma with a Succession Plan.

This article explores succession planning for nonprofit leaders other than the CEO. Eureka moments often occur during our consulting engagements when nonprofit teams realize the CEO is one of many individuals whose departure could cause ‘transition trauma.’ Read on for inspiration for establishing a non-CEO succession planning process.

Why Succession Planning is NOT Defining a Successor While many organizations practice the literal form of succession planning–defining a successor or #2 person waiting in the wings–the NRMC team does not support this approach. This approach is problematic as many nonprofits are too small to have an internal pool of potential C-suite leaders or backups for any key positions. Plus, any nonprofit leader would be woefully naïve to believe that a talented, C-suite material staffer would wait around for her chance to take up the mantle as a key player on the team. And if your designated #2 departs for any reason, then the succession plan is suddenly kaput.

Instead of defining actual successors for any key leadership roles, we believe that succession planning should be about the planning process and having an actual plan in place to help your organization effectively manage inevitable staff transitions. Using CEO succession planning as an example, the board is charged with establishing a succession plan that it will implement when the existing CEO is suddenly unavailable or announces her plan to leave.

The succession plan should provide instructions–originally developed and approved by the board itself–that the board will now follow to conduct activities including: determining any shifting needs the nonprofit has for its incoming CEO, revamping and advertising the CEO job, filling the role temporarily with an internal or external candidate, vetting CEO candidates, hiring the selected candidate, and managing the transition and onboarding of the incoming CEO when the time is right.

Now that we’ve cleared up what succession planning is and isn’t, how can we apply this critical process to non-CEO roles?

All Aboard the Succession Planning Train

The aforementioned article, Avoid Transition Trauma with a Succession Plan, describes three preliminary steps to complete before beginning the succession planning process for any role. Conducting these three activities regularly will create a climate for effective succession planning at your nonprofit.

Adopt and follow a performance review process for key leadership roles to empower your nonprofit team to continually assess and reshape leadership roles as the needs and priorities of the organization change over time.

Keep position descriptions up-to-date for all key positions to ensure that day-to-day duties and overarching goals are fully understood, and are kept in an accurate, written record.

Offer cross training and clarify back-up personnel for key activities completed by your team members to prepare your team for temporary succession solutions (e.g., in the event of an unplanned departure in which department staff must take on a department head’s duties).

If you’re confident that the activities above are occurring at your organization, then you’ve laid the groundwork for managing leadership transitions. Now it’s time to adopt an approach to succession planning.

Depending on the size, complexity, and culture of your organization, your approach to non-CEO succession planning could be either formal or informal for certain roles. Generally speaking, succession planning for non-CEO roles will be far less formal than CEO succession planning, since there is no need to engage the board in planning for leadership transitions of other key staff.

The NRMC team often recommends a collaborative succession planning approach, allowing the relevant departmental or functional teams to participate in the search and hiring process for their own staff colleagues and even department heads. Team-based hiring enables you to seek and select new hires based on the perspectives of your diverse team members, and team-based hiring also encourages the recruitment of new staff leaders who are truly welcomed and approved by many of their soon-to-be peers and direct reports. These benefits can cultivate feelings of positivity and ownership among staff while reducing stress associated with leadership transitions.

If your HR team typically takes the lead on employee recruitment, then consider involving both HR and the department with open roles. Breaking down these silos will produce myriad benefits including gratification for HR staff whose employment practices expertise might be overshadowed by the work of programmatic staff, and an appropriate division of labor between HR and the initiating department, which promises to ease common recruitment pains that occur when these functions are out of sync (e.g., unrealistic expectations for personnel budgets and

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Succession Planning for [NOT] the CEO Continued... hiring/screening timelines, inaccurate position descriptions, ineffective onboarding that is either too general or is too role-specific, etc.).

If an executive staff member is leaving your organization–whether planned or unplanned departure–we recommend that one or more leadership team members (e.g., other department heads, other C-suite leaders, etc.) collaborate with the departmental team of the departing executive (with the exiting executive participating if possible). A similar approach could be used when planning the transition of any staff member within a specific department. A leadership representative and the department team can collaborate to facilitate informal, candid team discussions about the nonprofit’s near future and shifting personnel priorities, using questions like:  Is the staff member’s position description up-to-date? Are there other critical responsibilities or personal qualities that the individual brought to our team, that are NOT listed in the position description? (If the answer is ‘yes,’ be sure to update the position description.)  What elements of the role should remain the same in the distant future? What elements need to change based on our internal and external environments and any opportunities or challenges that lie on our organization’s horizon?  Are there any special considerations for the role based on other personnel gaps that exist within our department? Are there any other personnel gaps in our department that could potentially be filled or be partly filled by a single new hire? How might this type of role be structured or developed?  As we begin the search process, how will we support the departing staff member’s role in the interim? What are the critical responsibilities that should be delegated to other members of our team for the time being?  Will the departing staff member personally be available to help onboard the new hire? If not, how will we capture and share the institutional knowledge needed to provide the new hire with a solid foundation during onboarding? If so, how can we ensure a positive and productive experience for both the exiting and incoming individuals?  As we identify candidates for the role, how do we foresee this transition occurring? What can we do now to ensure that a smooth, positive transition occurs? Are there any gaps we need to address in our screening/ hiring processes or our onboarding/training programs?

Whether it’s your first foray into non-CEO succession planning, or you’re a succession planning veteran just looking to revitalize your approach, your best bet is to rely on the intimate knowledge your own peers have of your organization. Leverage your team to cross-train each other and volunteer as backups, to manage staff transitions, and to seek out new colleagues who truly embody the spirit of your mission.

Erin Gloeckner is the former director of consulting services at the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. https://www.nonprofitrisk.org/resources/e-news/succession-planning-not-ceo/

PghNorthChamber.com | July 2019

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Summer Business Bash The Chamber partnered with Pittsburgh Business Exchange for our Summer Business Bash on Wednesday June 19th at Zone28! Thanks to everyone for attending this great event!

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Chamber Connections Meetings Connections Meetings provide the opportunity to meet the business leaders that make up your Chamber membership in a casual networking meeting, Regularly scheduled in convenient locations within the operational footprint, Connections is the ideal way to engage with potential clients and customers.

Enjoy some ice cream and celebrate with Tri Rivers

What better way to spend a midsummer evening than enjoying Bruster’s ice cream with family and friends?

Join Tri Rivers Musculoskeletal Centers as it brings back its Ice Cream Social to celebrate 25 years of calling Butler home. Mark your calendars for Thursday, July 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Tanglewood Community Center in Lyndora.

Enjoy a fun few hours to visit with Tri Rivers physicians and staff, participate in a raffle, chat with additional health-care vendors and much more.

Be sure to RSVP by July 19 to 412-367-5814, ext. 186, or via email to TRMC_Outreach@upmc.edu Hope to see you there!

PghNorthChamber.com | July 2019

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FILING AMENDED TAX RETURN ADVERTORIAL What should you do if you already filed your federal tax return and then discover a mistake? First of all, don’t worry. In most cases, all you have to do is file an amended tax return. But before you do that, here is what you should be aware of when filing an amended return.

The Correct Form for an Amended Tax Return Taxpayers should use Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, to file an amended (corrected) tax return.

An amended return cannot be e-filed. You must file the corrected tax return on paper. If you need to file another schedule or form, don’t forget to attach it to the amended return.

An amended tax return should only be filed to correct errors or make changes to your original tax return. For example, you should amend your return if you need to change your filing status or correct your income, deductions or credits.

You normally do not need to file an amended return to correct math errors because the IRS automatically makes those changes for you. Also, do not file an amended return because you forgot to attach tax forms, such as W-2s or schedules. The IRS normally will mail you a request asking for those.

If you are amending more than one tax return, prepare a separate 1040X for each return and mail them to the IRS in separate envelopes. Note the tax year of the return you are amending at the top of Form 1040X. You will find the appropriate IRS address to mail your return to in the Form 1040X instructions.

If you are filing an amended return to claim an additional refund, wait until you have received your original tax refund before filing Form 1040X. Amended returns take up to 16 weeks to process. You may cash your original refund check while waiting for the additional refund.

If you owe additional taxes file Form 1040X and pay the tax as soon as possible to minimize interest and penalties. You can use IRS Direct Pay to pay your tax directly from your checking or savings account.

Generally, you must file Form 1040X within three years from the date you filed your original tax return or within two years of the date you paid the tax, whichever is later. For example, the last day for most people to file a 2014 claim for a refund is April 17, 2018. Special rules may apply to certain claims. Please call the office if you would like more information about this topic.

You can track the status of your amended tax return for the current year three weeks after you file.

You can also check the status of amended returns for up to three prior years. To use the “Where’s My Amended Return” tool on the IRS website, just enter your taxpayer identification number (usually your Social Security number), date of birth and zip code. If you have filed amended returns for more than one year, you can select each year individually to check the status of each.

Don’t hesitate to contact a Holsinger, P.C. tax expert if you need assistance filing an amended return or have any questions about Form 1040X.

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

Ribbon Cuttings The Chamber is very fortunate to celebrate the grand openings of new businesses into our growing region. On behalf of our members and Board of Directors, welcome!

The Chamber was excited to celebrate a Ribbon Cutting at Sleep Number Cranberry Township on Monday , June 10th. Stop by and visit them at 2080 Mackenzie Way, Suite 400 Cranberry Twp.!

The Chamber was excited to celebrate a Ribbon Cutting at Compass Self Storage on Thursday, June 27th. Stop by and visit them at 5301 North Pioneer Road Gibsonia!

PghNorthChamber.com | July 2019

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Community Connections w ill pr ov ide the la test u pda tes fr o m ou r m u n icipa lity partners.

Cranberry Township Temporary closure of Burke Road The closure will permit roadwork to be performed on Burke Road between Franklin Road and Serendipity Lane. The contractor will be working within the right-of-way and private property for several weeks to raise the low point in the road near Franklin Road and install new storm water inlets.

Residents living within the designated work area will have access to and from their residence, but, should anticipate possible delays during the designated work times. Cranberry officials suggest that motorists travelling in this area allow extra time for their travel and expect possible delays.

All work is anticipated to be completed prior to the start of school. For more information, click here.

Final phase of Forest Edge wins approval At its June 6 meeting, Cranberry’s Board of Supervisors gave final approval to Phase Three of the Singer Development company’s Forest Edge Planned Residential Development. The plan, which has access from Hope Road, visualizes 42 new single-family homes on a 34-acre wooded tract acquired last year from the adjacent Russian Orthodox Church retreat. The revised plan, which was the subject of several lengthy public hearings earlier this year, will bring the neighborhood’s total to 101 units. For more information, click here.

Pine Township Easy, Natural ways to tell Mosquitoes to "Bug" off!

According to writer Stephanie Osmanski from "Green Matters" the following plants will help keep your outdoor space mosquito free; Lemon Balm, although lemon balm can attract butterflies it also is an attraction for bees, you may want to plant Lemon Balm a bit further away from your social space. Basil, we can always use a little basil. Peppermint, Refreshing scent with helpful features! Catnip, may attract cats but repels mosquitoes. Lavender, who knew the calming effects of lavender could be so stressful for mosquitoes. Citronella, part of the lemongrass family and in grass form, Citronella can be planted or crushed. and Rosemary, Mosquitoes do not like the smell of Rosemary essential oil which can be extracted by simply boiling it. In addition to planting these wonderful natural mosquito zappers make sure that you empty any standing water that will attract and multiply mosquitoes.

Happy Summer!

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Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

NexTier Bank Nonprofit Spotlight

6 Opportunities to Thank Donors for Better Retention Appreciation is the foundation of donor retention. Communicating gratitude assures donors that you value them as an important part of your team. Saying “thank you” is more than just good manners. It generates goodwill and enthusiasm, and it motivates donors to spread positive word-of-mouth about your organization and the work you’re accomplishing together. As a bonus, well-communicated gratitude often results in additional gifts.

You know saying thank you is important, but how often should you say it? (Answer: Whenever possible.) Can you actually thank a donor too much? (Answer: No!) The frequency of your thank yous will depend on the gift and donor type, but there are six key points in time that are ideal for expressing gratitude.

1) Accompanying the Receipt Get the gratitude started immediately by adding a short “Thank you for your donation” along with your receipt.

Then, follow up with a more personalized thank you. Use your donor management system (DMS) to add brief notes to automated receipts, and take advantage of this opportunity.

2) Within a Week of Receiving the Gift A few days after you receive a gift is the time for a detailed thank you that references the project, program, or community that’s benefiting from the donation. Within 24 hours is ideal, but definitely send your thank you within a week of the gift. This first impression will set the tone for your ongoing relationship with the donor.

The thank you letter process can be streamlined with a template providing a customizable framework that can be personalized for each donor group. Don’t hesitate to include a call to share the mission with friends or family. With your DMS, the thank you letter process is simple. You can also use your DMS to create reminders so no donor ever falls through the cracks.

3) The Anniversary of the Gift A year after a large gift or a first gift is received is a perfect time to thank your donor again. Updating the donor on the work they made possible and reiterating your gratitude will remind donors about the mission they care about and may even prompt another gift.

4) Upon Completion of the Project or Campaign Sending another thank you at a project milestone or after a campaign is finished is a great time to communicate how the gift was used. Expressing your gratitude at this point will be inspiring, since it will be accompanied by a sense of team accomplishment.

5) On a Meaningful Holiday If you track which holidays your donors celebrate in your donor profiles, sending a thank you on special holidays communicates gratitude with a personal touch. These thank yous are special, because they demonstrate that you take the time to communicate directly with each donor.

You can set up reminders in your DMS to notify you in advance of these holidays so you won’t forget to send the thank yous. (You can also assign the task to either yourself or a team member.)

6) Year-End The end of the year provides a wonderful opportunity to say thank you because it’s the time of year when the most donations are given. Donors are typically making decisions about charitable gifts at this time, so a thank you will serve as an expression of gratitude and a reminder about the partnership they’ve enjoyed with you during the year. A thank you at this time may prompt them to continue the partnership.

Learn more about how to improve your thank yous with our 10 Creative Ways to Thank Donors guide. Find out what makes a thank you meaningful to a donor, what to avoid in a thank you, and when to say thank you.

Source: By Linda Lombardi , Content Manager , from https://www.networkforgood.com/nonprofitblog/6opportunities-to-thank-donors-for-better-retention/

PghNorthChamber.com | July 2019

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Thank you to our renewing members.

We appreciate your support!

20 +Years

Creative Real Estate Development Co

Lifesteps

Meridian Specialty Services, Inc. The Lynch Law Group Rj Community Management

Max & Erma's - Cranberry

Sechler Law Firm, LLC

Joe Palmieri Construction, Inc.

Emily Novak Photography

Pittsburgh Catholic Publishing

Pittsburgh Senior Directory

Associates, Inc.

Office Furniture Outlet

Omega Federal Credit Union-

Mullin Landscape & Winter

Finn Chiropractic Group- Mars

Wexford

Management

North Way Christian Community

Jason's Deli- McCandless

Goldfish Swim School Wexford

Office Max 6349

Houk Consulting

Steelsmith, Inc

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

McGuire Memorial Foundation

Home Depot - Cranberry

Pittsburgh Cares

Masonic Village at Sewickley

EchoHR

Hilton Garden Inn

The Lighthouse Foundation

First National Bank - Gibsonia

Acri Commercial Realty

Longhorn Steakhouse

Welcome to those who have joined!

Legacy Medical Centers

Sherwin- Williams North Hills

H.P. Technologies, Inc.

Sherwin- Williams Mt. Nebo

Living Faith Baptist Church

Sherwin- Williams Sewickely

Atria at Cranberry Woods

Sherwin- Williams Aliquippa

Best Buy Uniforms

Sherwin- Williams Conway

Sherwin- Williams Cranberry

Companion Care Registry

Sherwin- Williams Wexford

Venture Home Real Estate

Sherwin- Williams Allison Park

Thank you for your referrals!

Scott Hacker New York Life John McCool Legal Shield & Identity Theft Protection Nicky Voynick Sechler Law Firm, LLC

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Calvin Sales

New York Life Patty Bittle Walnut Grill Wexford Beaver County Chamber

Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber

PghNorthChamber.com | July 2019

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Thank you to our Valued Corporate Sponsors and Chamber Partners