A.G. Schneiderman Taps Capitol Region Leader For Nonprofit Reform Committee

ALBANY – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the appointments of Susan Hager, President and CEO at United Way of New York State, and Doug Sauer, CEO of the New York Council of Nonprofits, to serve on his Leadership Committee for Nonprofit Revitalization. Mr. Sauer and Ms. Hager are two of 29 leaders the Attorney General has charged with providing recommendations to improve nonprofit regulation and enforcement in New York.

"I am pleased Susan and Doug will serve with their colleagues across the state to reform the rules of the road so the nonprofit sector can thrive,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “Nonprofits provide critical services to their communities and as the second largest employment sector in the state, their success is crucial to our economy. We can be tough on policing fraud without imposing needless burdens and costs on this vital sector, and the Leadership Committee is a central part of achieving those goals.”

The Attorney General oversees nonprofits operating in New York State, and Schneiderman has made the improvement of nonprofit regulation a priority for his office. Earlier this year, he announced he would convene a group of leaders from New York’s nonprofit, business and labor communities to help eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy that has long plagued nonprofits, such as redundant audits and overlapping reporting requirements, and delays in processing and payment of contracts. The nonprofit sector is the second largest employment sector in the state, providing work for between 17 and 18 percent of New York’s labor force.

“I am proud to work with the Attorney General and my colleagues to ensure our state’s nonprofit organizations are able to thrive so that they can serve all New Yorkers,” said Susan Hager. 

“It’s an honor to serve on Attorney General Schneiderman’s Leadership Committee on Nonprofit Revitalization," said Doug Sauer.  "This is an important initiative that will help improve how we oversee nonprofits in the Capital Region and throughout the state.”

Susan Hager is the President and CEO at United Way of New York State, which serves 42 local United Ways. United Way of New York State works with local United Ways to promote policy solutions that advance the common good on issues such as: the financial stability of New York’s working families, early childhood education, basic needs, not for profit sector issues, and 2-1-1 information and referral services, among others.

Previously, Ms. Hager was appointed by Governor Mario Cuomo to the original Not for Profit Contracting Advisory Committee in 1991. She was appointed by Governor Eliot Spitzer to the Advisory Committee to the Children’s Cabinet and to a newly reconstituted Not for Profit Contracting Advisory Committee. She is a member and past Chair of the State Set-Aside Committee for the federally funded Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which annually allocates grants to local communities based on need.

Doug Sauer is the Chief Executive Officer of the New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc. (NYCON), where he has provided leadership since 1980. NYCON is a statewide association of nonprofits and has offices in Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Poughkeepsie, Oneonta, and Rochester. NYCON provides technical assistance services, including legal and financial, to nonprofits throughout the state and builds partnerships between government, nonprofit foundations and United Ways with respect to board governance, mergers and restructuring, strategic planning, and public policy.

Mr. Sauer is currently the Treasurer and past President of the Board of Directors of the National Council of Nonprofits, as well as the Chair of Good Causes Support, Inc. Past board service includes Governance Matters, the National Association of Planning Councils where he served as President and Treasurer, the Center for Women in Government at Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, the Albany Community Development Credit Union, the Grafton Free Library, Capital District Traveler’s Aid Society, and the Berlin Central School District. Mr. Sauer also served as a gubernatorial appointee on the New York State Commission on Community Service.

The Leadership Committee’s activities will focus on the following:

• Making recommendations on how to reduce regulatory burdens and more effectively address regulatory concerns;
• Developing legislative proposals to modernize New York's nonprofit laws that would eliminate outdated requirements and unnecessary burdens; and
• Proposing measures to enhance board governance and effectiveness, including through new programs to recruit and train nonprofit board members.