Minnesota Leader Says Policy Cabinet "Builds the Muscle of the Sector"

“The intent of our state nonprofit council’s policy cabinet is to build the policy muscle of the nonprofit sector,“ said Jon Pratt, Executive Director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) while speaking to members of the NH Nonprofit Policy Cabinet at their August meeting.

Pratt shared the progress MCN has made over twelve years in building their Cabinet into a group which is highly respected by lawmakers and has become the “go to place”  to discuss  legislation impacting the sector.  As the Minnesota Cabinet matured they supported action by MCN to develop legislation which has  had a  positive impact on the sector.

“Our cabinet has become the best place for nonprofit advocates to discuss ways we can help legislators and others  better understand how nonprofits work and the impact specific legislation may have on the sector.  At the Cabinet meeting, leaders from different disciplines have an opportunity to explore cross-sector partnerships,” said Pratt.

Pratt, a well-known nonprofit policy expert and author, who directed MCN for more than 20 years also said the best way to keep the cabinet engaged is to “keep it fun and informative and offer good food and a place to exchange a wide variety of ideas and outlooks.”

Pratt noted that in Cabinet meetings, “We don’t always agree, but over time the Cabinet has helped all of us gain better skills and knowledge about advocacy and policy strategies.”  Pratt said one core value of the Cabinet is the regular opportunity to bring together, under one tent, leaders from all the different silos of the sector and in doing so they have increased their collective ability to work together with one voice.

Claudia Damon, Advocacy Director for the NH Center for Nonprofits, coordinates NH’s emerging Public Policy Cabinet. More than 150 nonprofit leaders from NH have signed on to participate in Cabinet meetings.

"We are organizing the cabinet meetings in a way which gives nonprofit leaders an opportunity to share news, information and their thoughts about critical issues. We have also hosted policy experts and media relations professionals to share their thoughts on messaging and communications strategies," Damon commented.

The Cabinet is one of several ways in which the Center works to advocate and raise the visibility of the nonprofit sector in NH. In addition to the Cabinet, the Center hosts a series of sessions - the Nonprofit Capital Exchange - during which nonprofit leaders have the opportunity to connect more closely with NH political leaders and learn about their priorities going forward. The Center also tracks legislation and posts news about impending bills or issues on its website and in its weekly newsletters. 

The next session of the Nonprofit Capital Exchange and the next meeting of the NH Public Policy Cabinet will be in the fall of 2010; interested nonprofit leaders are encouraged to participate. For more information about the Cabinet, contact Claudia Damon at 225-1947 or cdamon@nhnnonprofits.org.