I was hoping this blog would not be necessary, but with each passing day and the legislature and Governor Dayton nowhere near a compromise on how to balance the state budget, I thought I’d share some great resources in case your organization will be affected by a government shutdown.
The governor and legislature still have a little over three weeks to get the job done, but if they cannot reach a budget deal by July 1, the start of the 2012 fiscal year, nonprofits that are recipients of government grants or provide services through state resources will be impacted.
The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) created a central resource webpage, 2011 Nonprofit Budget/Shutdown Crisis, to provide updates on the latest developments and provide valuable resources, including a series of five free Government Shutdown Emergency Briefings that will take place around the state. The briefings, sponsored by MCN and the Nonprofit Assistance Fund, will cover the context for the shutdown, crisis communications techniques, financial planning and how organizations can access emergency bridge loans, and open discussion.
- Wednesday, June 15, St. Paul
- Wednesday, June 15, St.Cloud
- Monday, June 20, Webinar
- Wednesday, June 22, Mankato
- Monday, June 27, St. Paul
- Wednesday, June 29, Duluth
If your mentoring program will be affected by the government shutdown, please let us know what impact it will have on your organization and programs: mai-anh@mpmn.org.
By law, it’s the job of our elected officials to balance the state budget, and I’m still hopeful that they will spare our state the cost to shut down the government and do what’s best for the people in Minnesota.
Post author Mai-Anh Kapanke is the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota’s Associate Director and oversees the Public Policy and Marketing departments.
Mai-Anh Kapanke
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