South Central/Southwest Minnesota

Helping Nonprofits Connect on a Local Level

Nonprofits in South Central/Southwest Minnesota are eligible to tap into all the benefits of being an MCN member including cost-saving programs, free publications, discounts on trainings and workshops, eligibility for the Minnesota Grants Alert but have the added benefit of accessing regional nonprofit information and are able to attend workshops, trainings and briefings closer to home.

Locally, MCN tracks public policy as it relates to nonprofits, and in cooperation with our team in St. Paul, works to keep our regional elected officials and other decision-makers knowledgeable about the contributions nonprofits make in our communities.

All nonprofits, members or not, are encouraged and welcome to attend our free nonprofit networking lunches, currently taking place in Mankato and Marshall, and to receive our free regional email newsletters.

Examples of Past Events

Fundraising workshops including: The Nuts and Bolts of Fundraising, Grantwriting, Your Board and Fundraising
Members-only meetings with the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, the AgStar Fund for Rural America and the HickoryTech Foundation
Management workshops such as Strategic Planning, 990 for Nonprofits, and Recession-Year Financial Leadership
Nonprofit Advocacy Network briefings with updates on local and federal policy issues as they relate to nonprofits
Community meetings for nonprofits in Worthington, Luverne, Pipestone, Redwood Falls, Appleton, Montevideo, New Prague, Waseca, St. Peter, Blue Earth, St. James and New Ulm

Membership and Participation

In 2010, 500 people participated in 31 regional MCN events
There are roughly 500 financially-active nonprofits in the region
Of MCN's 2,000 members statewide, about 115 are in South Central/Southwest

South Central/Southwest by the Numbers

The current Minnesota Nonprofit Economy Report shows the 23 county region of South Central/Southwest region is, in some ways, the smallest in the state. The region is tied with the Southeast part of the state in having the fewest number of nonprofit employment locations and has the smallest nonprofit workforce. Having fewer organizations simply means that those who are provide jobs and vital services in the region are increasingly important -- if nonprofits weren't serving our community, who would? It's important to note these numbers do not include the substantial number of nonprofits that operate without paid employees, which also make up a significant part of nonprofit activity in our region.

1 in 10 people in South Central/Southwest are employed by a nonprofit
Blue Earth County is home to 30% of the region's nonprofit workforce
Nonprofits in South Central/Southwest paid out $524 million in wages, or 9 percent of all wages
In 2009, nonprofits held $1.2 billion in assets, generated $938 million in revenue and paid out $914 in expenditures

For more information about MCN activities in South Central and Southwest Minnesota, contact Amy Lennartson, regional coordinator, at 507-469-2217.

MCN South Central/Southwest
P.O. Box 4124, Mankato, MN 56001
507-469-2217
alennartson@minnesotanonprofits.org
LinkedIn profile