PROFILE
Strengthening Families, Building Communities
THE CHILD CENTER OF NY
For Traci Donnelly and Steve Donowitz, their commitment
to the mission of The Child Center of NY happens daily.
AS THE CEO AND CFO, respectively, support the principal’s initiatives. and enabled us to not solely rely on
Donnelly and Donowitz work with the The Child Center of NY helped improve the ever-changing government funding.”
leadership team to oversee a $65 million attendance, reduce dropout rates, and What started as a child counseling
budget for the nonprofit, which touches find activities to motivate and engage center has grown—and Donnelly and
the lives of more than 35,000 kids annu- kids to come to school—including Donowitz have relied on their experi-
ally through more than 100 programs avionics and a culinary program. ence in business to build out essential
in 60-plus locations in all five boroughs
and Long Island.
The Child Center of NY provides a
depth and breadth of services across five
lines of business: early childhood education,
behavioral health, health homes and
integrated care, prevention and family
support, and youth development.
“We are a nonprofit serving children
and families who are voiceless and
underserved,” Donowitz says. “What
sets us apart is our ability to provide
services in communities with immigrant
populations. Our employees commu-
nicate in 22 different languages with
respect and cultural competency. That’s
a critical piece—it’s not just speaking the
language but understanding the culture.”
One such program in southern
14
“We were blessed to have an influx
of support and investment from the
community,” Donnelly says. “This
systems and infrastructure that have
brought needed efficiencies.
“We really made a point to move to
program has become one of our most electronic records for tracking and to
successful sites because of its potential manage our business needs with key
to connect kids with a career.”
Best Practices
for Greater Efficiencies
Together, Donnelly and Donowitz bring
decades of experience in nonprofit
management. Since joining The Child
Center of NY in 2014, Donnelly and
Donowitz helped the organization
double in size.
“We rely heavily on government
contracts, which means we work
in a highly regulated environment,”
Donowitz says. “Matching and challenge
grants help us leverage opportunities
Queens transformed a school. The Child when fundraising in the private sector.
Center of NY stepped up as a community We’re grateful to have annual donors
school partner, providing resources to who have jumpstarted the organization
SNB.COM // CONNECT INNOVATION FALL 2019 // RANKED ONE OF FORBES' BEST BANKS OF 2019
performance indicators and analytics
dashboards,” Donnelly says.
This infrastructure, as well as their
relationship with Sterling National Bank
for business banking services, enables
the organization to withstand changes
to government funding and continue to
serve their communities. They can pivot
and make changes as needed, always
asking how best to innovate to support
programming.
Sterling National Bank works with your
business, always seeking to help you
excel and meet your goals. For more
information about working together to
further your business endeavors, visit
snb.com or call (855) 274-2800.