Message from Chairperson Greg Sawyers
Citizens Gas, Indianapolis, IN

In June of 2006, I assumed the position of Chairperson of the National Fuel Funds Network Board of Directors. While the Network’s programs were vibrant; its finances, solid; and its membership, growing and diversifying; I still took over at a time of great challenge to the NFFN and the energy assistance community, in general. Hurricane Katrina had devastated the Gulf Coast only nine months before, and consequently energy assistance needs were up, even with the additional $1 billion dollars in federal energy aid provided by the Snowe amendment in March. NFFN member agencies across the country joined thousands of other agencies to serve those displaced by the storm in the best national spirit, but many were straining to meet the demand for charitable dollars. As a community we needed to raise more charitable dollars, convince Congress and the President to appropriate even more funds for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and raise the awareness of home energy poverty as the US recovered from the impact of Katrina.

With initiatives begun under the leadership of my able predecessor, Carol Clements, I’m proud to say that the National Fuel Funds Network responded positively to the challenges of 2006 and made a real difference in the quality of life for thousands of people. But the NFFN also looked ahead, planning new programs and approaches for the years to come and securing new funding to assure their implementation.

The most significant of these new programs honors an icon of the energy assistance community, Victorine Q. Adams of Baltimore, who died in January 2006. Mrs. Adams was a civil rights organizer; first African American woman on the Baltimore City Council, where she founded the Baltimore Fuel Fund in 1978; entrepreneur and philanthropist. Before her death at age 92, she had worked closely with NFFN to plan a program to raise more charitable funds for energy assistance, nationwide. By the close of 2006, the Network had developed a plan and secured core funding for the Victorine Q. Adams Institute. We will convene the Institute in Baltimore in September 2008. It will be the first-ever national gathering to focus solely on fundraising for energy assistance. We hope that the Institute will transform charitable energy assistance fundraising with in-depth parlays on best practices and strategic discussions on how our fundraising can respond to profound changes in the structure of the energy industry, the rise of the internet and changes in philanthropy. Mrs. Adams funded African American voting drives with coffee can collections sixty years ago, raised money for the Baltimore Fuel Fund with holiday mailings and tea bags, and established her own family foundation for youth development. Yet, she was keenly interested in the latest fundraising methods for people in need until her final days. NFFN’s Victorine Q. Adams Institute will carry on her work in the 21st Century.

The National Fuel Funds Network 2006 Annual Report that follows details the work of the Network. Our endeavors follow the three-point NFFN plan to promote and secure increasing energy assistance (public and private), to build the capacity of our members and to raise the funds to do so. We need your help to do all of these things. If you are a member, please participate in our legislative program and our annual conference. Please keep us informed of your work so we may promote it nationally in the media and incorporate it into annual conference presentations, articles in NFFN’s Energy Safety Net Bulletin and National Energy Assistance Report. Please let us know how we can assist your efforts in fuel fund operations and fundraising. Help us spread the word of the value of NFFN membership and grow our ranks beyond the present 310 agencies and utilities.

If you are not an NFFN member, click here for a membership application.  Finally, please consider a tax-deductible donation to the unique, effective work of the National Fuel Funds Network. For further information on the Network’s vital work, please contact NFFN Executive Director George Coling, 202-824-0660, coling@nationalfuelfunds.org.

NFFN: Unprecedented advances in grassroots lobbying for LIHEAP

The National Fuel Funds Network’s Washington Action Day for LIHEAP is the nation’s signature multi-constituency lobbying program for additional funding for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program On February 1, 2007, NFFN’s 5th annual Washington Action Day for LIHEAP participation grew by 25% to 150 NFFN members from both utilities and nonprofit energy assistance programs. These advocates visited some 200 Congressional offices, including almost all newly-elected Senators and Representatives. They often traveled in teams representing both utility companies and nonprofit agencies. Only NFFN, with utility and nonprofit energy assistance providers as members, can mobilize its members in such teams. While the fate of FY 2007 LIHEAP supplemental funding is still uncertain, Congress listened to NFFN members and allies, as shown by supplemental appropriations bills that provide $400 million for LIHEAP. And there is considerable Congressional support for funding LIHEAP at its fully-authorized $5.1 billion for FY 2008.

In 2006, 120 NFFN advocates participated in Washington Action Day for LIHEAP, lobbying for what six weeks later became the Snowe Amendment providing $1 billion additional funds for FY2006 for LIHEAP. Senator Snowe subsequently called the National Fuel Funds Network   “… the preeminent advocate for heating and cooling assistance in the United States…”

Besides organizing Washington Action Day of LIHEAP, NFFN has an aggressive year-around legislative program. The Network regularly activates a list of over 500 member representatives and allies with legislative alerts, trains them in advocacy techniques, develops special LIHEAP materials, like its “Special Fact Sheet for U.S. Senators-Elect and Representatives-Elect (November 2006), generates media coverage about the need for LIHEAP and represents members in Congress on energy issues of low-income people. In all of these efforts, the Network works closely with a wide collaboration of nonprofit, government and Tribal agencies; utilities; trade associations and other LIHEAP advocates, enhancing, not duplicating, our community’s legislative work to increase federal energy aid.

NFFN: The National Infrastructure for Promoting and Building Charitable Energy Assistance Resources

NFFN’s 2006 accomplishments in promoting fuel funds and augmenting charitable energy assistance resources include:

• Generating over 120 stories on energy assistance, LIHEAP and the work of fuel funds, including two stories in USA Today, and notice in CNN broadcast, CNN.com, MSNBC.com, ABCnews.com and FoxNews.com. On January 31, USA Today featured and pictured Katie Villegas of Baltimore, a LIHEAP recipient who spoke at NFFN’s Washington Action Day for LIHEAP and lobbied Congress the next day.

  
• Providing unique and high quality products like the quarterly National Energy Assistance Report, the periodical of record on charitable energy assistance; Energy Safety Net Bulletin; emailed to the desk of over 500 energy assistance leaders, the NFFN Annual Conference, the only national gathering on charitable energy assistance and the website www.nationalfuelfunds.org.
• Mobilizing Governors to take strong action with state legislation and media campaigns to provide additional energy assistance funds. NFFN’s Mobilization for Charitable Energy Assistance wrote all 50 Governors in the fall of 2006 for the fourth straight year and worked with members across the country to cultivate the Governors’ new leadership in this area. Governors Owens and Granholm, for instance, took actions directly attributable to NFFN in this bi-partisan campaign.
• Securing funds for the first-ever national project to infuse charitable energy assistance fundraising with the best practices and strategies of the 21st century. NFFN will hold the Victorine Q Adams Institute in September 2008.
• Expanding its membership to more than 300 utility companies, trade associations, single- purpose fuel funds, and nonprofit, government and Tribal agencies engaged in energy assistance.

NFFN: Ambitious Plans for 2007 and 2008

The National Fuel Funds Network responds flexibly and forcefully to the volatile home energy marketplace. The Network’s 2007 business plan calls for continuation of the above effective programs to augment energy assistance resources – both public and charitably-donated. It also calls for:

• an enhanced Washington Action Day for LIHEAP, now set for January 30, 2008. Participation in 2007 Action Day increased by 25%, and the Network plans for an even more vibrant event in 2008.
• increased grassroots lobbying activities in several key locales.
• increased technical assistance to its member companies and organizations.
• growth in membership by 5%.
• diversification of the Network’s funding base to increase contributions from non-utility corporations, individual donors, foundations and faith-based programs.
• continuation of fuel fund infrastructure support such as the Adams Institute

NFFN: Sound Finances for 2006

National Fuel Funds Network, Inc.

Statement of Financial Position
December 31, 2006 & 2005

ASSETS

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

2006 Revenue

2006 Expenses

NFFN: Contributors

The National Fuel Funds Network secures revenue through memberships, sponsorships for the annual conference and Washington Action Day for LIHEAP, individual donations, foundation grants and fees for service. The Network also conducts an annual Energy Safety Net Fundraising Drive to fuel selected programs and provide general and program development support for the Network’s growing field of endeavor. The keystone of the drive is an appeal from selected CEOs’of utility companies to their peers to support NFFN. In 2006, Michael Morris of AEP, Stephen Ewing of DTE Energy and Wayne Leonard of Entergy wrote the appeal that secured over $90,000 for the Network.

NFFN’s 2006 Energy Net Partners (contributions of $10,000 or more) included AEP,, Citizens Gas, Consumers Energy, Entergy, FPL, Georgia Power Company, New Jersey Resources, PG&E Corporation and TXU. NFFN’s Energy Safety Net Supporters (contributions of $5,000 to $9,999) are American Gas Association, CenterPoint, Dominion, Edison Electric Institute, Energen, First Energy, and the Independent Petroleum Association of America, and. NFFN Energy Safety Net Contributors with donations of $500 to $4,999, included American Public Gas Association, Duke Energy, PSE&G, North American Insulation Manufacturers’ Association and South Jersey Gas.

Washington Gas was the Stellar Sponsor of the 2006 Annual Conference in Washington, DC with a $15,000 contribution made in 2005. PEPCO Holdings, Inc., Dominion and BGE – A Constellation Energy Company were Hosting Sponsors of the conference with gifts of $5,000 each. Twenty-nine other companies, associations and nonprofit organizations sponsored the 2006 Annual Conference. The William L. and Victorine Q. Adams Foundation and BGE – A Constellation Energy Company each provided $15,000 seed grants for the Victorine Q. Adams Institute. PPL was an annual sponsor of the Network’s advocacy program.

NFFN also received a valuable in-kind contribution from The C Three Group of Atlanta, which donated free access to the company’s extensive reports on and profiles of the utility industry. 

NFFN: Members, Board of Directors and Staff

In 2006, the National Fuel Funds Network membership grew to over 300. Members include single purpose energy assistance programs; multi-service social service agencies; utilities; trade associations; local, Tribal and state agencies and individuals. Almost all of the members engage in raising and distributing charitable donations for home energy assistance, but some join to receive the Network’s communications and legislative services. View the full Membership Directory

The members elect the NFFN Board of Directors. The Board is responsible for policy and governance of the organization. At the 2006 Annual Conference in June, Carol Clements of the Victorine Q. Adams Fuel Fund in Baltimore finished a four-year tenure as Chairperson, and Michael McGlone of Heat Share in Minnesota completed five- year tenure as Treasurer. Greg Sayers of Citizens Gas in Indianapolis became the new Chairperson, while Delia Perez of Bexar County Department of Human Services in San Antonio succeeded Mr. McGlone. Roger Colton of Fisher, Sheehan and Colton resigned from the Board in 2006. In October, Vivian Lausevic replaced Stephen Crout as the American Gas Association ex-officio Board member. View the full list of NFFN's Board of Director's.