October 8, 2018 City & State New York, By City & State More than in many places across the country, New York makes it a top priority to provide an array of social services for its residents. But city and state government aren’t going it alone, especially in serving low-income and high-needs New Yorkers. In many cases, nonprofit organizations are critical to carrying out that mission of service. And where government can’t – or won’t – allocate the funding needed for key programs, philanthropies often jump in to fill in the gaps. Despite the importance of these efforts, the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors tend to go unnoticed and are all too often unheralded. But behind them is a roster of figures who are ensuring the delivery of services, exploring innovative solutions and influencing public policy. In this special feature, we recognize 50 top nonprofit leaders who are key players in the world of New York politics and government. Since we cover politicians on a day-to-day basis, we limited this list to those who are not strictly in government but instead work on the outside as collaborators – or critics. We reached out to insiders and experts to compile this list of nonprofit leaders, ranking each individual based on their accomplishments, their sway in political and policy matters, their ties to powerful politicians, and their ability to deliver for the diverse populations they serve. We’re pleased to present the Nonprofit Power 50. 31. Dave Giffen Executive Director Coalition for the Homeless As head of Coalition for the Homeless, Dave Giffen continues to push New York City officials to make more housing resources available to low-income New Yorkers. Giffen, who started volunteering in 1988 for the organization that helps homeless individuals and families navigate the shelter system – through crisis services, job training and housing assistance – became its executive director in 2012. He was previously vice president of Mercator Corp., an agricultural technology supplier, handling financial analysis, public relations and project development.
