Tomorrow, November 15th, is Give to the Max Day. It has become an important annual fundraiser for many Minnesota non-profits. Thousands of Minnesota nonprofits will come together to raise millions of dollars in just twenty-four hours.
Non-profits fill the gap between for-profit businesses and government entities. Many decades ago, management theorist Peter Drucker predicted the growth of the non-profit sector. There are community needs and services that can not profitably be provided by businesses and can not affordably be provided by government; non-profits are the innovative response.
Northfield is blessed (some might say cursed) with a wide variety of non-profits. Perhaps it reflects the community’s comprehensive perspective: a healthy town includes business, culture, design, education, preservation, and recreation. Occasionally, there are calls to reduce the number of non-profits in hopes of reducing the cost. However, the community’s small non-profits generally have low overheads and are quite focused on specific challenges and opportunities.
In fact, there is quite a bit of collaboration and coordination among the non-profits. Certainly it’s an on-going process of learning, adapting, and ideally, improvement. Those directly involved can attest to the energy that goes into and the power that comes from this generally informal and always changing network.
One-third of the NDDC’s annual operating income comes from donations (another third comes from the City and the final third comes from the annual Taste of Northfield). The NDDC collaborates with a variety of other non-profits, including the colleges, the Chamber, the Arts Guild, the Historical Society, and The Key. Their vitality strengthens the NDDC and contributes to our success in achieving our mission as we support their efforts to achieve their missions.
It is important for the health, culture, economy, and society of the community to keep these organizations, and Northfield’s network of non-profits, strong. Please Give to the Max.