October 18, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
8:00 am – 11:30 am CST
Mesirow Financial
353 North Clark Street, 4th Floor Conference Center, Mesirow A&B
Chicago, Illinois 60654
Kindly RSVP by
Monday, November 4, 2013
Join Mesirow Financial’s Deputy Chief Economist Adolfo Laurenti and insurance industry experts for a forum on the economy’s impact on the nonprofit sector and state unemployment tax and funding options for 501(c)3 organizations and government entities/municipalities. With continuing strains on funding for nonprofits, your organization has alternative options to save on unemployment tax costs.
Agenda
| 8:00 – 8:30 | Registration and continental breakfast |
| 8:30 – 8:45 | Welcome and introductions by Jennifer Gavelek |
| 8:45 – 10:00 | Adolfo Laurenti–The Economy’s Impact on the Nonprofit Sector |
| 10:00 – 10:10 | Break |
| 10:10 – 11:15 | Cecilia Piazza– Funding Options for State Unemployment Taxes |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | Q&A |
Speakers
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Adolfo L. Laurenti-Mesirow Financial Senior Managing Director and Deputy Chief Economist |
Adolfo Laurenti develops ongoing economic research and commentary critical to supporting clients and contacts of Mesirow Financial. Adolfo authors Themes on the Global Markets, a periodic newsletter providing insight into trends, issues and the forecast for the global economy. As an expert on the European economies, Adolfo is a new face in demand by the financial press and among local media. He also lectures at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
Adolfo was selected as an Emerging Leader by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs for 2011. He was an Earhart Foundation Fellow in 2002. He received a Washington Society of Investments Analysts Scholarship and a Graduate Scholarship for Excellence in Academia from the Economic Club of Washington D.C.
Adolfo is a graduate of Bocconi University Business School in Milan, Italy. He specialized in industrial organization as a visiting scholar at the Center for Industrial Economics in Copenhagen, Denmark, and concentrated in financial economics at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. Adolfo earned his master of arts degree in economics from George Mason University, where he also pursued doctoral studies.
Adolfo serves on the board of the National Association for Business Economics and is a member of both the American Economic Association and the Chicago Association for Business Economics. He is also a board member for the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago.
Jennifer Gavelek, CPCU, ARM-Mesirow Financial
Managing Director and Insurance Nonprofit Practice Leader
Jennifer Gavelek is a managing director within Mesirow Financial’s Property and Casualty Insurance Services Practice and the Nonprofit Practice Leader. She is a specialist in evaluating, marketing, developing and servicing insurance and risk management programs. Jennifer works with risk managers and underwriters to negotiate and secure comprehensive, cost-effective coverage for clients. In addition to her active role in sales and client relations, Jennifer was involved with the in-house risk management for each of Mesirow Financial’s four divisions and quality control of the Insurance Division for more than 10 years.
Jennifer’s specialties include program assessment (analysis, planning, control and financing) and specialty coverage lines including professional liability, management liability and security/privacy. She has strong analytical, organizational, planning, interpersonal and negotiating skills with the ability to effectively communicate. Jennifer incorporates strategic solutions to achieve clients’ risk management objectives while maintaining expectations and business processes. She finds creative solutions to complex problems and partners effectively with clients, insurance carriers, risk management professionals and claims services.
Jennifer joined Mesirow Financial in 1996 and began her insurance industry career in 1990. She holds a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (CPCU) designation and is currently pursuing an Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation. Jennifer earned a bachelor degree in finance from Northeastern Illinois University.
Cecilia Piazza-First Nonprofit Group
Vice President of Member Services
Cecilia Piazza earned a bachelor of arts in business with a concentration in human resources from St. Xavier University. She has over 20 years of combined management experience in the U.S and abroad. Cecilia was a key individual responsible for staff, training and development of new products for the largest employer in New Zealand; successfully completing their management graduate program and traveling extensively throughout the country. After returning to the U.S. she broadened her experience to include the nonprofit sector and insurance.
Cecilia has 14 years of service with First Nonprofit Group. Her successful oversight of a multi-million dollar program has resulted in the steady growth of the unemployment membership and a vital team of support personnel. Cecilia has been twice published in Nonprofit World magazine regarding the benefits of unemployment financing. She is a member of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management.
Cecilia continues to travel extensively across the U.S presenting to large and small groups about unemployment insurance and effective ways to manage this responsibility. Her knowledge and background in human resources, enhanced by several years of operational experience working directly with nonprofits, certified public accountants, attorneys, and consultants, has had a direct financial impact on the bottom line of nonprofit agencies.
Ready to chat? Get in touch today to request a no-obligation savings evaluation.
We’ve been a member of First Nonprofit’s Unemployment Savings Program since 2011 and highly recommend joining. The program is terrific and allows us to earn interest on our own funds while still meeting the state’s requirements on unemployment payments. In addition, the staff are great and always helpful sorting out any questions we may have. Thank you all!
CCSCT was approached by First NonProfit to discuss its Unemployment Savings Program and ways the program could significantly reduce the amount of unemployment taxes we were paying. At the time, our agency was paying approximately $80,000 per year. First NonProfit conducted an analysis to determine if making the switch would be in our best interest, and it clearly was based on our circumstances. The first year on the program, CCSCT saw a 70% reduction in its unemployment costs and each year, continues to experience further reductions as a result of having minimal claims. Some additional benefits of the program including having a fixed annual cost, an interest-baring reserve account, professional unemployment claims management and representation at all unemployment hearings. This has been one of the best decisions we have made.
We first started using First Nonprofit’s Unemployment Savings Program when we were a small startup nonprofit. We didn’t have an HR department and needed expertise in the event that an unemployment claim was made. We knew we were eligible to be a reimbursing employer, but weren’t sure how to navigate that process. They made it easy to set things up, plan for, and then manage claims when they came at a very reasonable cost. The amount of time and stress they’ve saved us dealing with all this has been worth way more than the cost. We’ve now grown to a large nonprofit and do have an HR department but have no plans to stop using their services. I highly recommend them to every nonprofit I come into contact with!
Throughout our membership in the Unemployment Savings Program, First Nonprofit understood our demands, community dynamics, and the importance of seamless services; that allowed us to serve our constituents better.
Because INCS advocates for the operating conditions that allow charter public schools to provide high quality public education, partnering with First Nonprofit was an easy decision. First Nonprofit’s unemployment programs provide our member schools two operating elements crucial to their ability to provide high quality public education: savings and budget certainty. Capable, committed teachers are the key to student success. By participating in the unemployment insurance savings plan, charter public schools gain peace of mind and are able to invest more money in their teachers.
It has been our sincere pleasure to maintain a strong, vibrant business partnership with First Nonprofit. We greatly admire their strong industry knowledge, technical expertise, constant professionalism, knowledgeable and dedicated staff. They are always extremely responsive, personable and provide us with the necessary guidance and recommendations on a numerous variety of employment scenarios.
NYCON members who use First Nonprofit’s programs enjoy enduring savings and improved efficiency. Our association knows that success, because from the beginning, we achieved the same great benefits. Great savings, seamless technology, and responsive service. NYCON highly recommends First Nonprofit’s remarkable unemployment solutions.
Visually Impaired Preschool Services has been a client of First Non-Profit since it was first offered as a benefit of VisionServe Alliance. We completed a thorough evaluation of cash savings to our agency before taking advantage of this wonderful benefit and it has been a very wise decision. Our experience with the processes from accounting to claims have been professional, expeditious and easy.