Vera just received an award for nonprofit management excellence from the New York Times Company. We were one of six finalists at the ceremony in the paper's terrific new auditorium in midtown.

Four winners were ultimately chosen. New York Cares won for overall management excellence, Vera and Groundwork each received special mention for excellence in management, and the Neighborhood Economic Development Project (NEDAP) received the award for excellent communications

Interestingly, the event was billed as both a workshop and an awards presentation, and in a sense it was. Prior to giving out the awards, the NYT Company Foundation's president, Jack Rosenthal, briefly interviewed each of the finalists about their best practices. This not only gave each finalist a moment in the limelight, but it also provided a short master class for the audience, which was filled to capacity.

It was a great honor to be in the company of so many accomplished folks, and I am especially grateful to John Savarese, chair of Vera's board of trustees, for his help in earning this distinction and appearing on stage with me.