Marcia Avner

The dog and I schlepped through a lot of puddles yesterday morning, and I had time to think about the rush of nonprofit activity at the Capitol over the last few weeks. It is heartening to see the accelerated level of strategic engagement and smart grassroots advocacy. Being a part of some of the nonprofit lobby days, and watching nonprofit advocates and supporters in hearings, I’m convinced that we really are building presence and momentum as a sector.

Some highlights of the last 2 weeks:

*On Feb. 27th Wellstone Action sponsored Camp Sheila in Indian Country, a workshop on advocacy for individuals and organizations in the Native American community. People came from across the state, focused on legislation to end violence and sexual assault. Post-workshop all joined the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women and the Minnesota Sexual Assault Coalition for parts of their workshop and a moving and powerful rally in the rotunda on the 28th. The rally combined story, art, and advocacy. We must end the violence.

*March 8th was a high energy day at the Capitol. Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, always strategic in matching constituents with legislators and identifying the importance of arts and artists to local and state economies, had record turnouts. Legislators sing the praises of this annual gather, Arts Action Day, because the local connections are authentic, it is well organized, and there is substantive content conveyed. Good model! Great accomplishment!

* The deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind community had its lobby day on the 8th, as well. The Commission on Deaf and Hard of Hearing was a key force in organizing this lobby day. It was impressive to see multiple modes of communication - ASL interpreters, deafblind interpreters, closed captioning, helping animals, and audio loops all at work simultatiously. Imagine the planning and care that went into making that day on the hill possible. Again,well prepared materials, constituents matched to legislators, and an emphasis on the power of story in making the case for unmet needs in Minnesota made for a powerful event.

It is about power. Alice Walker said, “Activism is the rent we pay for living in the world.” And nonprofits are providing opportunities for people to share their expertise and experience with decision makers. The quality of the gatherings, with an emphasis on constituents’ voice, solid and well presented information, and well planned logistics is paying off. Committees talk about what they’ve learned at those lobby days. And this year increased numbers are participating.

There are a number of lobby days scheduled for the weeks ahead. Check the list at www.mncn.org and add your voice to the powerful presence of nonprofits at the Capitol.