“MNA is working with nonprofits in Detroit and Grand Rapids to help them make sure their clients know how to get involved in redistricting and hope to expand into other regions. Their goal is to get as many communities to participate as possible.
Michigan Nonprofit Association Blog
MNA’s Blog is designed to give you, the nonprofit community, an informal look into the issues currently facing Michigan’s nonprofit sector and an opportunity to share tools, resources and best practices. It’s also a way for us to get to know each other a little bit better through candid discussions of the topics, challenges and opportunities that our sector deals with on a regular basis. Check back daily and participate in the discussions by posting a comment or emailing our bloggers. We love hearing from you!
"Nonprofits’ expertise and experience are valuable. “Nonprofits, by the nature of their existence, are problem solvers. They’re filling gaps in communities where programs are no longer existing,” and many of them have kept their doors open during the pandemic, Kuhn says.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced new appointees to a bipartisan commission created to educate Michigan residents on the COVID-19 vaccine.
These are undeniably the worst of times and we realize now more than ever before that nonprofit advocacy matters. Government policies and programs including strengthening charitable giving incentives, expanding nonprofit access to PPP loans, providing full unemployment benefit reimbursement, liability protections, and state and local aid are pivotal to how quickly, and how well nonprofits recover from the COVID-19 crisis.
MNA provided a "snapshot" of responses made by the end of 2020 in the impact survey. It's continuing to take responses for the study in the hopes of collecting a broader pool of responses from the state's nonprofit sector and getting a sense of the impact the second round of PPP and annual appeals that are closing out will have for nonprofits, Kelley Kuhn said.
Many of Michigan’s nonprofits struggled in 2020, as the pandemic pressured budgets, volunteers and operations, says Donna Murray-Brown, president and CEO of the Michigan Nonprofit Association.
Nonprofit organizations have been among those forced to adapt change and overcome survival challenges in 2020. In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair called Donna Murray-Brown, president/CEO of the Michigan Nonprofit Association, to discuss what was learned in 2020 and how that will carry forward in 2021.
Donna Murray-Brown, President and CEO, of MNA says in some cases, donations have dropped 30 to 40 percent. She adds that federal funding has helped those groups weather the storm, but the future is still uncertain.
"Michigan nonprofits have been on the front lines, since the beginning of the pandemic " explained Joan Gustafson, External Affairs Officer, with the Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA). "And, they are providing these essential services and more to the most vulnerable of our communities, while at the same time trying to stay afloat themselves with the same challenges as many businesses."
The Michigan Nonprofit Association, in coordination with the Council of Michigan Foundations and the United Way have also provided a valuable resource in their Giving Wisely brochure, a joint publication which helps Michigan residents make smart choices when donating during the holiday season, while also reminding residents of the importance of giving their time by volunteering.
