Nicole Dancisin joins United Way Staff

January 29th, 2013

Fulton, NY ? Melanie Trexler, executive director, United Way of Greater Oswego County has announced that Nicole Dancisin has joined the United Way staff as an intern. A 2012 graduate from SUNY Oswego with bachelor degrees in English and Cinema Screen Studies, Dancisin will be working with the agency throughout the spring on a number of projects.

Having been involved with non-profit organizations throughout her college years Dancisin is looking forward to her internship with United Way. ?I have always been involved with volunteer work. That?s what led me to join Phi Sigma Sigma. As president of Phi Sigma Sigma I was involved with the Jimmy Fund Pumpkin Run, American Red Cross, the CROP Walk, the National Kidney Foundation, UNICEF, Relay for Life, Special Olympics, and the Ronald McDonald House. Additionally, I helped bring the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, a symbolic representation of men empathizing with women who have been sexually or harassed, to SUNY Oswego, and as part of Operation Southern Comfort, I went to New Orleans to assist with clean up from hurricane Katrina,? said Dancisin.

While at United Way, Dancisin will be doing extensive analysis and research as she helps to create an updated policy handbook and databases for the United Way. ?We are excited to have Nicole on our staff,? said Executive Director of United Way of Greater Oswego County, Melanie Trexler. ?Nicole?s experience as a writer and editor, her analytical skills, and her familiarity with creating data bases makes her a perfect fit for this project.

According to Trexler, Dancisin will be working with the United Way?s Governance Committee to review the agency?s current policies and by-laws. One of focal points of the project will be the process of recruiting, installing, and orienting new board members. ?I will be researching policies and procedures that other United Ways have in place and determining what aspects of those would be beneficial to beneficial to what the agency is currently doing, developing some new ideas, and compiling a concise, easy to use policy manual,? explained Dancisin.

In addition to the policy manual, the creation of a database including the expertise and term information for each board member is another task that Dancisin will charged with. ?This data base will contain valuable information that will be helpful when it comes to installing new board members. We are also looking to develop guidelines for a new program in which current board members would serve as mentors for oncoming board members. Additionally, the policy manual, procedures, and data bases that Nicole helps us create will be available to United Way member agencies, that may be interested in using them as templates for establishing or updating their own handbooks and procedures,? said Trexler.

For Dancisin, her internship at United Way offers her a chance to use the experience she gained as president of Phi Sigma Sigma, where she revised the organization?s constitution and by-laws and as a teaching assistant at SUNY Oswego where she helped with thesis and essays, taught classes, and assisted with writing workshops.

?I?m fortunate to have this opportunity, said Dancisin. ?The mission of United Way is important. It pleases me to know that I am helping to enhance their operations.?

Cut line for photo: Executive Director of the United Way of Greater Oswego County, Melanie Trexler (r) welcomes Nicole Dancisin (l) to the agency?s staff. A graduate of SUNY Oswego, Dancisin will be serving an internship with United Way as she prepares for graduate school.