Minnesota Council of Non Profits

From LoveToKnow Charity

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) was formed in 1987 to support Minnesota's nonprofit organizations. Its mission is to “inform, promote, connect and strengthen individual nonprofits and the nonprofit sector.” Headquartered in St. Paul, it is the Minnesota affiliate of the National Council of Nonprofits. MCN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an annual budget of over $3 million.

Nonprofit Administration Information

MCN Membership

MCN has over 2,000 nonprofit organizations as members. Annual membership dues range from $50 to $1,000 a year, depending on the annual operating budget of the nonprofit organization. Membership applications are available on the MCN website. All member nonprofits are listed on the website in a member database.

For direct member participation, there are three regional chapters of MCN. These chapters are the Twin Ports Area Nonprofit Coalition, the Itasca Area Nonprofit Council and the South Central Chapter.

An associate membership level is available for individuals and businesses that are not a nonprofit. Associate member dues range from $100 annually for the Basic Level Associate to $1,000 annually for the Ally Level Associate.

Membership Benefits

Nonprofit members receive a subscription to the quarterly newsletter, Network News, free resource publications, and they may sign up for the Minnesota Grants Alert newsletter. MCN also offers discounts to members on other publications, conferences and workshops. There is also a cost-saving program, where members receive discounts from partner businesses, such as banks, office supply providers, insurance companies and communication companies. MCN members may also post job openings free in the Nonprofit Job Board.

Basic Level Associate members receive discounts on publications and events, opportunities to purchase ads, a discount on mailing list rental, and a year subscription to the Network News. The other Associate levels have additional benefits.

MCN Events and Training

MCN hosts a two-day annual conference. The conference features breakout workshops, an exhibit hall of consultants and vendors, an awards luncheon, a CEO/Trustee dinner and a closing reception. Attendees are staff, board members and volunteers of the member nonprofits, as well as those who work with nonprofit organizations, such as foundation trustees and staff members, community leaders and elected officials.

The Minnesota Council for Nonprofits also offers training workshops on such topics as grant-writing, fundraising, leadership, management, and public policy. Some of these workshops are for MCN members only.

Public Policy Advocacy

Believing that each nonprofit is its own best voice, MCN provides information, training, legislative updates and briefings on the issues of importance to Minnesota nonprofits. Past efforts include increasing charitable giving incentives, protection of lobbying activity rights, voter education provisions and preserving tax exemptions for Minnesota nonprofits.

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and the Internet

Very much a part of the Internet revolution, MCN has a strong presence on the web. Not only does it have an extensive website; MCN also belongs to the networking and news sites.

MCN Website Information

MCN hosts a large and informational website. The website offers guidance to nonprofit members and non-members alike. It covers all facets of a nonprofit organization: from the start up of a nonprofit to governance; from financial management to fundraising to financial accountability. The website also has statistics of interest to the Minnesota nonprofit community.

As a special project, the MCN website also includes the Nonprofit Yellow Pages, a searchable database of vendors and consultants who work with nonprofits. The vendors and consultants listed have paid a fee to be listed in the database.

Donations to MCN are also accepted on the website.

Nonprofit Job Database

Of interest to job hunters is the MCN Nonprofit Job Board, a database of job listings in the Minnesota. While the emphasis is on jobs in the nonprofit sector, government and business jobs are also listed. Job seekers can search for nonprofit jobs by title, location, employer type and job type.

Networking with MCN

MCN has an active Facebook page full of fans and photos. The MCN Facebook page offers discounts to some events for its fans, as well as information on staff activities and statistics on nonprofits.

Attendees to the Annual Conference can also follow conference news on Twitter. Updates on conference schedules and activities are posted frequently.