Last week we at Minnesota Council on Foundations had the pleasure of enjoying the wonderful Minnesota summer weather with our Nonprofit Allies at the first annual Nonprofit Allies picnic.
While snacking on the delicious picnic grub, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What do all these organizations really do and how are we all connected?”
What Makes an “Ally?”
MCF is what you might call a nonprofit support organization. Simply stated, our purpose is to help our grantmaker members do their work better. Our fellow allies are, in one way or another, all about the business of helping nonprofits work better and more effectively, too.
Because we share this common purpose of making a great sector even better, we’ve banded together to refer nonprofits to one another, to meet periodically to talk about trends in the sector, and finally to collaborate to help further the field.
So Who are These Allies, and How Do They Support Organizations Like Yours?
After the picnic, Ashley Schweitzer of Nonprofits Assistance Fund, and Shannon McCarville of Minnesota Council of Nonprofits emceed a Nonprofit Allies Trivia game to help us learn a little about each other.
Here’s a little sample of what I found out:
- Charities Review Council mobilizes informed donors and accountable nonprofits for the greater good by engaging donors in informed giving, encouraging accountability and transparency in nonprofits and enabling the thoughtful use of philanthropic resources.
- Hamline University challenges students in and out of the classroom to create and apply knowledge in local and global contexts, while cultivating an ethic of civic responsibility, social justice, and inclusive leadership and service.
- HandsOn Twin Cities brings people together to strengthen communities through meaningful volunteer action.
- Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs is a top-ranked public affairs school at a major research university offering studies in Public and Nonprofit Leadership.
- LegalCorps assists low-income owners of small businesses and small nonprofit organizations by connecting them with free, high-quality legal services from volunteer lawyers.
- The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) mobilizes corporate, government and philanthropic support to provide local community development organizations with loans, grants and equity investments; local statewide and national policy support; and technical and management assistance.
- MAP for Nonprofits unleashes the power of the nonprofit sector in the community by increasing the capacity of individual nonprofit organizations to achieve their missions and providing leadership for the effective management of the sector.
- Minnesota Council of Nonprofits informs, promotes, connects and strengthens individual nonprofits and the nonprofit sector.
- MRAC promotes incorporation of the arts into the daily lives of all communities by providing leadership, advocacy, grants and services.
- Nonprofits Assistance Fund’s mission is to build financially healthy nonprofits that foster community vitality.
- Springboard for the Arts’ mission is to cultivate a vibrant arts community by connecting artists with the skills, contacts, information and services they need to make a living and a life.
- St. Thomas University educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely and work skillfully to advance the common good.
As someone noted at the event, the sheer number of support organizations and the diverse ways we serve nonprofits and grantmakers is a testament to the strength of the sector in our state.
Were you aware of all the great support organizations there are? If you’d like to learn more about them, visit the sites linked to above. You’ll be glad you took the time to get to know them a little better. I know I am!
- Annette Wind, MCF administrative assistant
