Monthly Archives: January 2010

Mankato discussion about Jobs Bill on Tuesday

Posted on January 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

Passing on this from Senator Al Franken’s field office in St. Peter…

Join Senator Al Franken’s Staff to Discuss Jobs, Economy in Mankato Tuesday.

As the U.S. Senate prepares to debate a Jobs Bill, Senator Al Franken is initiating a state-wide effort to hear from Minnesotans about what is needed to create jobs and economic opportunities. Please bring your thoughts and ideas to the “Forum on Job Creation and the Economy” hosted by a regional field representative in Senator Franken’s state office. The forum will feature a discussion of job creation and economic development led by members of Senator Franken’s staff.  There will be an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback and ideas on how to create jobs and improve our economy.

Tuesday, February 2, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Le Sueur Room, Mankato Intergovernmental Center
10 Civic Center Plaza, Mankato, MN 56001

To RSVP or to touch base with Senator Franken’s field office in St. Peter contact:

Nate Arch, Field Representative/Academy Nominations Coordinator
Office of Senator Al Franken
208 S Minnesota Avenue, Suite 6
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.931.5813 (o)
651.964.5531 (m)
651.221.1078 (f)
nathan_arch@franken.senate.gov
www.franken.senate.gov

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Posted in Federal Policy, Public Policy

Energy grant opportunity

Posted on January 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

A shout-out to Sarah at Region Nine in Mankato for passing on a possible grant opportunity through the Office of Energy Security, Minnesota Department of Commerce. It’s an RFP for Energy Programs in Commercial and Industrial Buildings‐ARRA. The grant she mentioned was attached to me as a PDF a link isn’t available. However, if this type of grant seems applicaple to your organization, send me an email at amy @ mncn.org and I’ll email it to you. For this grant, a Notice of Intent is due this Friday, January 29.

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Posted in Grant Opportunities

The Census: Nonprofits Count

Posted on January 26, 2010 | Leave a comment

With so much talk about the Census (which, as of this writing, is 63 days and 13 hours away according to the “Countdown to the Census” clock), I’m not going to go into the important role of nonprofits but instead do a shout-out for you to commit to do something Census-related.

  • Include a blurb about the Census in your print or e-newsletter.
  • Talk with your board, staff, clients and volunteers and remind them that funding and representation are on the line.
  • Encourage those you know to apply for Census jobs.
  • Offer to become a local help center.
  • Think about how to help those who have language or other barriers to fill out the Census.
  • Find your organization’s “hard to count” score.

Details about all the above bullet points can be found at the Minnesota Participation Project’s Census site.

And if you’re more of an “in person” person,  MCN’s public policy assistant (and Census Guru), Jeff Narabrook, will be in Mankato for a community meeting on Friday, February 19, from 1:15-2:15 to give us another level of insight into the Census and tips on how nonprofits can help, especially since nonprofits have access (and trust)  with some of our community’s hard-to-count populations. Having been to one of his previous sessions, I would highly recommend it. And yes, we’ll bring some snacks and I think he’ll bring some Census swag. Details are at www.mncn.org – it’s free and open to all, but RSVPs are appreciated.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Free fundraising plan webinar

Posted on January 21, 2010 | Leave a comment

A shout-out to Marcia in Redwood Falls who attended last week’s networking lunch in Marshall to discuss fundraising plans. She came across a free “teleseminar” called “The Simple Success Fundraising Plan” coming up Thursday, February 4 at 3 pm and wanted to share. And while you’re marking your calendars for online trainings, be sure to check out MCN’s upcoming fundraising webinars. Online trainings are looking more and more appealing the longer the road conditions stay as they are in southern Minnesota…

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Posted in General Fundraising Resources, Webinars: Training at your desk!

Regional public policy network first meeting

Posted on January 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

A big shout-out goes out to a dedicated group of nonprofit leaders from South Central and Southwest Minnesota who traveled icy roads to meet today in Marshall to discuss the upcoming legislative session, federal policy issues (including health care reform), the impact climate change has on nonprofits, The Census and other topics of interest to nonprofits.  I wasn’t able to attend the meeting, but wanted to make sure these great leaders were recognized:

  • Ruth Ascher, United Way of Southern Minnesota, Marshall
  • Alan Augustin, SMILES Center for Independent Living, Mankato
  • Beth Bartels, Rock County Opportunities, Luverne
  • Julia Carlo, Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council,  Marshall
  • Robin Chaney, Southwest Area Multicounty Multitype Interlibrary Exchange, Marshall
  • Bob DeMuth, Worthington Regional Healthcare Foundation, Worthington
  • Reggie Gorter,  Parish Nurse Cooperative, Pipestone
  • Carol Flesner, ARC of Southwest, Marshall
  • Brenda Flintrop, Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, Waseca
  • Deb Hess, Minnesota Inventor’s Congress, Redwood Falls
  • Stephen Kohn, Service Enterprises, Inc., Redwood Falls
  • Juanita Lauritsen, Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council, Marshall
  • Greta Murray, Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council, Marshall
  • Clarice Platz, Bridging Brown County, New Ulm
  • Marty Rickers, Client Community Services Inc., Worthington
  • Mark Sannerud, Project Turnabout, Granite Falls
  • Shannon Robinson, Twin Rivers Center for the Arts, Mankato
  • Lois Schmidt, Bremer Bank, Marshall
  • Jim Smalley, Minnesota West Foundation
  • Ted Stamp, Southwest Center for Independent Living, Marshall
  • Steven Thovson, Southwest Center for Independent Living, Marshall
  • Dawn Wambeke, Advance Opportunities, Marshall
  • Marnie Werner, Center for Rural Policy, St. Peter

This group will meet a few times a year and always welcome additional participants. If you’re someone who tends to follow public policy anyway, join us! Contact Amy at 507-469-2217 to be added to our growing list. You can always check our website for policy updates and events as well.

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Posted in Public Policy

Sneak Peek: 2010 fundraising webinars

Posted on January 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

A couple of weeks ago I posted a sneak-peek of upcoming fundraising workshops scheduled for southern Minnesota and now MCN is pleased to give you a sneak-peek  of our 2010 online trainings.  Many of these trainings are fundraising-related and feature great regional and national speakers. Details aren’t posted on our website yet, but please keep checking the MCN events calendar for updates.  Please note that there will be a fee for the webinars, but the fee is paid per phone/computer connection. You only pay one fee if you have several people sitting around one phone/computer. For now, be sure to mark your calendar and start thinking who else you may want to sit in on the webinars.   All webinars are Central Standard Time and subject to change.

Designing Trainings that Makes a Difference
February 25, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
September 9, 10-11:30 a.m.

The Essence of Sponsorship… Simple Steps to Expand Your Sponsorship Success in 2010
March 11, 10 a.m. – Noon
September 16, 10 a.m. – Noon

Prioritizing and Collaborating in Hard Times
April 13, 10-11:30 a.m.

How to Create an Engaging and Effective Website for Your Nonprofit
April 27, 9:30-11 a.m.

Special Events Fundraising That Works
May 6, 10-11:30 a.m.

Getting Your Nonprofit on Board with Blogging, Facebook and Twitter
May 25, 9:30-11 a.m.

Using Online Fundraising in Hard Economic Times
June 9, 9:30-11 a.m.

More Askers = More Money: An All-Staff Approach to Major Gifts Fundraising
July 8, 10-11:30 a.m.

Getting Your Board to Raise Money: Plan B (and C and D and…)
November 10, 10:00-11:30 a.m.

Charity or Mission-Driven Business? The Road to Sustainability
December 2, 10:00-11:30 a.m.

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Posted in Fundraising Events, Webinars: Training at your desk!

Mankato Networking Lunch: Tips from Rep. Terry Morrow

Posted on January 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

Minnesota House of Representative Assistant Majority Leader Terry Morrow was the special guest at today’s Mankato Area Nonprofit Networking Meeting. He gave an overview of the state of the state as he sees it, answered questions and listened to organizational stories. He also left the group with some tips for nonprofits who want contact their elected officials:

  1. Be in touch with your elected officials, but be prepared to tell them what will happen if funding is cut. Real-life impacts, short-term and long-term implications are key. Don’t just say “services will be cut” — what does that mean?
  2. Keep acronyms/organizational lingo to a minimum.
  3. Let elected officials know what regulations are being imposed on your organization. What is your organization no longer going to be able to do because of those regulations?
  4. Don’t send form emails. Have it be from constituents with their personal stories.
  5. If you’re at the Capitol (ie: a day on the hill type event) don’t spend time meeting with elected officials that you know support you. Instead, ask those that support you to let you know who they think may need to be persuaded.
  6. If you bring information, keep it to one sheet with bullet-points.
  7. Inform the public/work with media to let them know about your work. Messages like “the arts contribute to the economy” get people talking about your issue. And if more people know about and support your issues, there is a higher chance they will help speak on your behalf.  As he said “would the people at EconFoods in St. Peter know about your issue?”
  8. Have constituents speak on your behalf. A “regular” person speaking on behalf of the importance of your nonprofit stands out.  (See numbers 1, 4 and 7).
  9. Email is good.
  10. Invite elected officials to your organization.

Find out more about and how to contact your elected officials.
Learn more about Governor Pawlenty’s visit to Mankato on January 20.

The next Mankato Area Networking Lunch will be Friday, February 19 with special guest Steve Francisco, federal policy director of the Minnesota Budget Project. Steve will be discussing the local impact of federal legislation.

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Posted in Mankato Networking Meetings, Public Policy

Marshall Networking Meeting Recap: a Few Fundraising Resources

Posted on January 14, 2010 | Leave a comment

One of the questions I  get fairly often is something like: “are there  notes/information/handouts from the nonprofit networking lunches that MCN hosts around the region”? And until now, I haven’t really had a timely way to distribute information, tips, resources and ideas that are shared during the networking lunches.  Of course, nothing can replace being at meetings in person and I won’t be able to get too specific, but I hope to provide a flavor of what was discussed, share relevant tips and/or time-sensitive  information. Hope this helps!

Today’s nonprofit networking meeting in Marshall focused on fundraising plans, a topic that’s pretty big large to cover in one meeting and tends to be a bit organization-specific, but our small-but-committed group did share several resources and ideas. The group also discussed ways they have found to be successful in thanking donors and MCN gave a sneak-peek of 2010 fundraising trainings and webinars.  A couple of resources that were shared:

  • Being a Facebook “fan” of the Charities Review Council, GiveMN.org, the Nonprofits Assistance Fund and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (to name a few) has been a great place to stay on top of the latest year-end fundraising and year-ahead reports.
  • Taking time to search online (using GoodSearch of course) for free fundraising-related resources (ie: fundraising calendars, donor databases)  often pays off.  One site recommended by a participant was Get Fully Funded.
  • Sharing resources in your community:  Lois at Bremer Bank receives Grassroots Fundraising Journal and is happy to let nonprofits view their copies.
  • The Central and Southwest Minnesota chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has a series of webinars coming up with host sites being Bremer Bank in Marshall and the Central MN Red Cross in St. Cloud. Questions about this series should go to Jennifer Shinn, foundation and volunteer director at the Paynesville Area Health Care System and AFP Chair at jshinn@pahcs.com or 320-243-7938.
  • Future topics and ideas were discussed — stay tuned for deatils and be sure to save the dates!

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Posted in General Fundraising Resources, Marshall Networking Meetings

Nonprofit networking lunches start this week

Posted on January 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

Nonprofit Networking

Calling nonprofits in the Marshall and Mankato areas! Your local nonprofit networking lunches start this week.  Willmar nonprofit networking launches in February and the  Fairmont lunches will continue. As a reminder, these networking opportunities are free and open to all. No RSVP is necessary. Join us!

Shown here: nonprofit staff, volunteers and board members meet monthly at the Blue Earth County Historical Society in Mankato, an MCN member organization.

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Posted in Nonprofit Networking

Fundraising workshops announced!

Posted on January 7, 2010 | Leave a comment

Mark your calendars and watch MCN’s website for registration details!  In the meantime, save the dates and tell your colleagues, coworkers and board members!

Sustainable Fundraising Strategies
Wednesday, April 8, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
South Central Service Cooperative
(Please note: this is NOT South Central College!)
2075 Lookout Drive, North Mankato, MN 56003
Directions: http://www.mnscsc.org/directions.html#scsc2

Fast Fundraising Facts for Fame and Fortune
with national speaker Jean Block
Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 9 a.m. – Noon
Country Inn and Suites Conference Center
1900 Premier Drive, Mankato, MN 56001
Website for Directions: http://www.countryinns.com/mankatomn

The ABCs of Building Better Boards with national speaker Jean Block
Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Country Inn and Suites Conference Center
1900 Premier Drive, Mankato, MN 56001
Website for Directions: http://www.countryinns.com/mankatomn

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Posted in Fundraising Events

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