Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

If you're an ED, CEO, or president of a MCN, Wilder Research, and the Bush Foundation need your help to gain a clearer picture of nonprofit leadership in our state. Minnesota nonprofit leaders are invited to complete a short, ten-minute survey to help us better understand who leads in Minnesota; inspire equitable and inclusive leadership across income, age, race and more; and track leadership data to learn about the change taking place. Deadline to complete the survey is December 10, and results will be shared widely in 2025. Thanks in advance for your participation! https://lnkd.in/gtaNfH5M

Winter blues getting you down??Bring your mind back to the sun by revisiting our Summer Nonprofit Reading List, one of our most popular articles from MCN’s?summer issue of?Nonprofit News: https://lnkd.in/g_f6V-Uw Access all 2024 issues of Nonprofit News: https://lnkd.in/gQ-R2pMc

After a spirited debate this morning, the House passed H.R.9495, the “Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act," a bill that contained concerning provisions for tax-exempt organizations. The vote, needing a simple majority to pass, was 219 to 184 with 30 not voting. That said, numerous Democratic representatives switched their prior votes in favor of the bill in response to constituent feedback and concern. MCN is incredibly proud of the way Minnesota nonprofits mobilized overnight to change US MN Rep. Angie Craig’s vote from yes to no. Last week, 52 Democrats voted in favor of H.R.9495, and this week, only 15. Every call and email sent made a difference. Thank you! To learn more about today's vote and what this could mean moving forward, please visit:?https://lnkd.in/gUqJGmSB

Thank you Jim Rendon and The Chronicle of Philanthropy for citing our research (https://lnkd.in/g7jfYrqr) and highlighting the challenges nonprofits across the country are facing today. “We’re absolutely seeing more challenges for the nonprofit sector around financial distress, and the financial sustainability of organizations, along with a rising demand for services,” says Nonoko Sato, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits “We are getting calls from organizations that are about to close their doors very quickly.”

Way to go, Minnesota nonprofit sector! Thank you for all you did to mobilize nonprofits to contact a member of MN’s House Delegation, Representative Angie Craig. Every call, every email, and every ask for others to participate in the call to action made a difference. Rep Craig changed her vote to NO on HR 9495. Marie Ellis, MCN’s Public Policy Director, was quoted in the Minnesota Reformer, saying: “The problem here is with the Treasury secretary being able to make this decision completely by themselves,” said Marie Ellis, public policy director for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. “They don’t need to disclose any evidence behind it … it just seems like there’s this massive potential for overreach, for subjective application and for abuse of this new authority.” The House vote on HR 9495 will take place either Wednesday (11/20) or Thursday (11/21), and MCN will keep you posted! We are proud of our strong and mighty nonprofit community here in Minnesota – we are in this together! https://lnkd.in/gaAJsW8A

ATTENTION TWIN CITIES NONPROFITS: Applications for our Make a Difference Grants close tonight at midnight! Don’t miss the chance to secure: ? 3 years of FREE IT services (valued at over $250,000!) ? Access to 10+ other grant opportunities including: Marketing consultations, board training, financial workshops and much more! Whether you apply for one grant or all of them, this is an opportunity your organization can’t afford to pass up. We know grant applications take time, but trust us—this is one worth completing. ?? https://mytech.com/grant/

We are deeply grateful for the expertise and experiences of our Equity in State Grants working group, as well as long-time advocates who have been tirelessly pushing for necessary reform. Check out our progress so far as well as the list of our esteemed participants of the working group here: https://lnkd.in/gKmbrQsf The referenced paper, “Strategies Toward Equitable Government Grantmaking through Cross-Sector Partnerships” (https://lnkd.in/geJVHPk6) has been presented at Urban Institute Symposium, and co-author Kari Aanestad will be co-presenting at 2024 ARNOVA Annual Conference this week, where the paper received the President’s Award Honorable Mention!

For those ready to help make the world safer for nonprofits, there's still time to let representatives hear your voice regarding HR9495 -- a bill that could harm nonprofits -- before it returns to the House floor tomorrow or early Wednesday for a new vote. This time around, the bill will only need a simple majority to pass the House, not two-thirds that was required when it went to the House Floor last week under the so-called “Suspension of the Rules,” in effect, bypassing the House Rules Committee. MCN strongly encourages nonprofits to contact @AngieCraigMN and urge her to change her vote to NO. https://shorturl.at/3lk0X

Are you interested in collaborating with Native nations but don't know where to start? Or, do you have an existing partnership and want to learn how to be a better relative? Native Governance Center created a guide to share best practices for partnering with Native nations in a good way: https://lnkd.in/gEBY53BS "Developing meaningful partnerships shows respect for both sovereignty and elected leaders. When you follow a nation’s processes for outreach and engagement, you affirm Tribal sovereignty."

A bill in Congress (H.R.9495) that could seriously harm nonprofits is receiving renewed attention this week. MCN urges nonprofits from every corner of our great state to voice your concerns on the bill's potential impact on your work! Please contact Rep. Angie Craig’s office and urge her to flip her vote to NO when H.R.9495 again goes to the House floor later this week. We've prepared sample email and phone scripts that can help you amplify your voice in just a few minutes. Thank you for your help in ensuring the health and safety of Minnesota nonprofits and the communities we serve!?