Nonprofit Survival Summit: Area nonprofits face troubling times

Many of Bemidji’s unsung heroes gathered for the annual Nonprofit Survival Summit on Friday, March 20. 65 representatives from area non-profits discussed challenges presented when funding cuts at the federal, state, county, and personal donation levels present serious obstacles for organizations.

Ruth Sherman, Director of Community Resource Connections, and Patrick Grundmeier, Executive Director of Beltrami Area Service Collaborative along with Ashli Bowen, Executive Director of the Bemidji United Way organized the event.

Throughout the day, attendees brainstormed challenges they face as well as opportunities for success. Tony Murphy, Beltrami County Administrator, presented the County’s Strategic Plan and the benefits of Outcome Based Management. According to Murphy, the days of organizations coming to the county and saying, “I am a service provider; I do good; give me my money,” are gone. However, the identity of a county is closely tied to the human services it provides. In order for mutual success, the county and its service organizations must work together. By the end of the day, collaboration proved necessary for overcoming the obstacles many organizations face.

Representatives brainstormed a myriad of common challenges including:

1. Legislative Uncertainty - This limits the ability to plan for the future and fuels funding issues that affect administrative pay and reliance on public fund raising in an already stressed economy. An increase of client needs with limited budgets feeds staff stress and the concerns associated with volunteer management.

2. Community Perception - When non-profits address city council or other organizations, the reception is generally one of, “what do you want?” The efforts of non-profits create richer, safer, and wiser citizens. Unfortunately, in many cases, these services are not viewed as a socio-economic asset to a community.

3. Cultural Awareness - Misunderstanding those a community serves has detrimental implications. Jeanne Edevold Larson, Director of Northern Dental Access Center, nonprofit consultant, and grant-writer stated that, “Ruby Payne’s Poverty Training Workshop should be required” for anyone working across socio-economic backgrounds. Teachers, counselors, care-givers, county workers and service providers of all kinds would benefit from the poverty workshop that educates attendees on communicating with, providing services for, and understanding the varying economic classes in a community.

4. Increase in Clients - A direct result of the current economic state is an increase in case loads. Because of the lack of living wage jobs and a lack of certification opportunities, more individuals require assistance than in the past.

5. The “Cliff Effect” - This presents itself when individuals using services obtain minimum pay jobs. As a result, they do not qualify for funding because they make too much money. Unfortunately, the money they make is nowhere near the amount that a person or family can feasibly live on. The “cliff effect” forces individuals to refrain from seeking success so they can ensure the health and safety of their families.

Agencies face varying obstacles, but one avenue to success and the continuation of services is working with other providers in order to conserve time, energy, space, and money.

Rebecca Hoffman, Executive Director of the homeless shelter Ours to Serve: House of Hospitality, stated, “I don’t know how smaller non-profits are going to survive without collaboration.”

Some collaborative solutions include:

1. Self Assessment and Knowledge of Like Services - If each service takes time to identify assets and impacts, nonprofits can collaborate as well as refrain from overlapping services.

2. Grant-writing Assistance - Because it is essential to survival, grant-writing collaboration and grand-writing services will have a positive impact.

3. On-line Eligibility Information - Allowing prospective service users the freedom to research what they qualify for will eliminate some repetitive phone calls in the office so that workers can dedicate more time to other projects and cases.

4. Educating the Public - Using the media, word or mouth, and pamphlet sharing can provide educational opportunities regarding the many nonprofits in this area and their social impact.

5. Transportation Collaboration - Working together to decrease the cost of transportation is essential to the success of organizations.

Barry Yocum of Healthy Community Healthy Kids noted that “Evergreen House and Healthy Community Healthy Kids were able to sustain two major programs in the community as a result of communication. Nonprofits already work closely together. We need to collaborate so that both organizations gain from the experience.”


Beltrami County's Role in Nonprofit Survival


Tony Murphy, Beltrami County Administrator, urged nonprofits to use an Outcome Based Management Structure when voicing needs to local government. The old manner of local nonprofits securing funding at the county level “doesn’t work anymore; it is inefficient, ineffective, and unsustainable.” Beltrami county is beginning to determine money distribution in accordance with desired outcomes of specific services. If services focus on desired outcomes, they can then come up with numerous avenues to fulfill those objectives.

Murphy said that providers need to work with the county to determine the public value of services, performance targets to strive for, key indicators to monitor progress, what new initiatives and partnerships are needed for success, and how the service providers will be held accountable. His hope is that the county will engage long term contracts with providers, allowing for manipulation of plans as time goes by in order to ensure overall success.

Jill Naylor-Yarger of the Drug Free Coalition of North Central Minnesota asked how the county will find the time to talk with so many agencies. Murphy stated, “ we realize this will take time and we are committed to that time.”

Edevold Larson found Murphy's plan palatable. "I find this encouraging. Nonprofits have been doing this sort of thing in accordance with our 'best practices' for years. Nonprofits are not that far off of Outcome Based Management."

Collaboration and communication with so many other entities takes time out of already over-scheduled work days. Most non-profit workers will attest that where there is a will, there is a way.

At the end of the summit, Kristi Miller, of the Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center summed the day up best. “We need to figure out how we will survive as a nonprofit rather than focus on what stands in our way. If we lose funding, we have to get creative in the grants we explore. If we lose money from foundations, we have to look elsewhere.”

The optimism and dedication in Miller's words are the keys to success for nonprofits making a profound impact on the communities they serve while working tirelessly with little money and few thanks.

Click here and listen to Robyn Trepanier talk with Maggie Montgomery and Scott Hall about the Family Advocacy Center, a small nonprofit assisting abuse victims in Bemidji.

Nonprofits represented at the summit include:

ARC Headwaters

Bagley Early Learning Center
218-694-2223

Beltrami Area Service Collaborative

Beltrami County Historical Society

Bemidji Boys and Girls Club

Bemidji Food Shelf

Bemidji Senior Center

Bemidji Soup Kitchen
218-751-2810
218-751-3503

Bi-Cap

Civil Air Patrol

Community Resource Connections

Drug Free Coalition of North Central MN

Dental Access Service Center

Development Achievement Center
218-759-0052

Evergreen House

Family Advocacy Center
218-333-6011

Greater MN Racial Justice

Habitat for Humanity

Headwaters Science Center

Headwaters School of Music

Healthy Community Healthy Kids

Hope House
218-444-6748

Journey, Inc.
218-333-8930

Lutheran Social Services

Northwoods Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers

Occupational Development Center

Ours to Serve: House of Hospitality
218-751-0722

Peace Makers Resources

Restore House

Rural MN Concentrated Employment Program

Salvation Army
218-444-1380

Sexual Assault Program

Timber Bay



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