March MTc3 eNews

Nonprofit network building is one of the most important aspects of MNA’s work. At the MNA Board level, we have had many discussions about what this actually means, both in theory and practice. We also heard from many of you during our Town Hall Meetings awhile back. At its core, network building involves strengthening nonprofit connections at the most local level within our communities, at the state level through MNA, and nationally in partnership with the National Council of Nonprofits and other state nonprofit associations across the country.

Rather than a traditional “hub and spoke” network, MNA envisions a network that resembles a cloud where information and resources travel quickly among and between highly connected nonprofit organizations and leaders. All of this is done to give voice to the nonprofit community where none has existed before. A strong and deep voice leads to influence.

So what is the status of our network building efforts? I just returned from Washington DC where I attended a board retreat for the National Council of Nonprofits. In setting the context for the discussions, Council staff shared a few facts with us that shed light on our progress building our network. In the early 1990’s, there were only 16 state nonprofit associations dedicated to building a strong, connected, and influential nonprofit sector. States like New York and Connecticut on the east coast and California on the west coast led the way. Now some twenty years later, there are 30 full state nonprofit associations and 7 formal emerging efforts across the country, many of which have taken root in the last decade alone. Through these state nonprofit associations that reach deep into our local communities, the National Council of Nonprofits now collectively represents over 22,000 member nonprofit organizations from coast to coast. I would suggest that is a movement by any definition.

Like many state nonprofit associations, MNA was born just 10 years ago, at least in part, out of this important movement that has swept the country like wildfire with the support and leadership of the National Council of Nonprofits. As members of MNA, you are members of the National Council of Nonprofits and enjoy all of the benefits including access to special educational opportunities, invitations to White House briefings, discount programs like ReadyTalk, and more. But most importantly, you are part of a movement that seeks to give voice to America’s nonprofits and the work that we do each and every day strengthening our communities. There are concrete signs that our policy makers are starting to hear the growing voice and influence of our network (see health care reform, jobs bill, etc.) and it’s starting to pay dividends for us all.

As the National Council of Nonprofits celebrates its twentieth anniversary, let us salute their efforts in supporting the development of state nonprofit associations and our grassroots efforts to give voice to the nonprofit community. MNA is a proud member of the Council and we will continue to work vigorously to build our network in Montana, our region (Alaska down to Oregon and east to the Dakotas), and across the country. The only way forward is together.
For more information on the National Council of Nonprofits, we encourage you to visit their new website at http://www.councilofnonprofits.org.

by Brian Magee, MNA Executive Director

Full Newsletter: http://www.mtnonprofit.org/eNews.aspx