Nonprofits have a role in civic engagement and the opportunity to engage their communities – nonprofit clients, patrons, advocates, staff, and volunteers – in elections and voting. The workshop will cover an overview of elections in MN, why nonprofits play a critical role, what 501(c)(3)s can and can’t do, and resources for voter engagement. Content is geared towards seasoned and new nonprofit leaders who want to conduct voter engagement activities through their nonprofit.
RSVP for the event on Zoom.
Event Details
This virtual event will take place on the Zoom platform. Your access link will be emailed to you the day before the event.
This session will be recorded.
Captioning is provided automatically through Zoom. For information on requesting CART, ASL, or another accommodation, please visit our
Registration Policies page.
To learn more about events, registration, and payment, visit our
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Speaker Information
Marie Ellis serves the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits as public policy director. In this role, Marie advances the mission and work of MCN and Minnesota’s nonprofit sector through developing MCN’s policy priorities, advocating on those issues at the state, local, and national levels, and assisting members in effectively advocating on behalf of their organizations and stakeholders. Marie is committed to continuing MCN’s work to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all individuals and participates in overall organizational leadership and management at MCN as part of the leadership team.
Marie has been working in public policy since her first job, lobbying in Washington, DC with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Since then she has worked at the Minnesota Senate as Leadership Assistant, Catholic Charities as Public Policy Manager, and the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce as Director of Public Policy and Legal Counsel. Originally from Saint Cloud, Marie has a B.A. in Religion from Concordia College in Moorhead, a law degree from the University of Saint Thomas School of Law, and earned her NEWTs from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (she wishes).
With volunteer, intern, and work experience at dozens of Minnesota nonprofits, Marie brings an understanding of the challenges nonprofits face in advocacy work and loves helping MCN’s members discover and harness their advocacy power.
Ileana Mejia is the public policy advocate at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and is working to increase individual nonprofits' advocacy capacity through trainings, materials, and conversations, and advocating on behalf of the nonprofit sector as a whole to advance MCN’s mission.
She most recently worked at a nonprofit as a community organizer where she focused on coalition building around equitable development and parks and green spaces. Ileana has a passion for inclusion and racial equity work, particularly in lifting up voices who have been historically left out of policy decisions that directly influence them. In addition, she has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Humphrey School of Public Affairs and completed a term of service with Public Allies AmeriCorps program.