West End News: April 2

Nonprofit organizations have been in the news lately. A few weeks ago the West End townships were discussing their support for local nonprofits like the Birch Grove Community School and the Birch Grove Foundation, along with snowmobile and ski clubs.  Before that, the Cook County Board of Commissioners had a lively discussion about their funding of local nonprofits as part of the budget process.
 
Now, the Cook County Commissioners are planning a public meeting and a public hearing regarding county support of community nonprofits.
 
All this talk about nonprofits got me to thinking about what nonprofit organizations are and what they do. In my mind, nonprofit organizations exist to promote the health and well being of society. They are, at their core, a group of people working together to accomplish something that can’t be done individually.  There are many important needs of society that cannot be effectively addressed by businesses or government. It’s this important niche that nonprofits fill.
 
While nonprofits are often described by words like “charitable, philanthropic or volunteer,” they are actually partnerships between business, governments and private individuals to fulfill a mission for the common good of the community. They are also a major part of the economy. In Minnesota, more than ten percent of all employment is in the nonprofit sector.  In terms of dollars, the nonprofit economy in Minnesota is larger than all of state government.
 
Cook County Higher Education is a nonprofit that receives money from the Cook County commissioners, the State of Minnesota, businesses, charitable foundations and private individuals. This organization was founded more than fifteen years ago to provide college level education right here in Cook County. It was meant to allow local people to educate themselves without having to leave the county.
 
The County Board has supported Higher Ed since it started, with a contribution that has varied from $5,000 to $15,000 per year.  So, what have they gotten for their money? More than 700 people have received college level certificates and degrees, including everything from proficiency certificates on up to bachelors, masters and even one doctorate degree.  Hundreds of people have, by their own hard work and initiative, raised themselves from unemployment or underemployment to good paying, highly skilled jobs.  Many people have left public welfare to join the local workforce, pay taxes, buy a home, start businesses and enjoy productive lives right here in Cook County.
 
The county’s support has helped attract millions of dollars from the State of Minnesota, private foundations and individual donors. Many of these contributors ask if the county commissioners also support Higher Ed as an indication of community buy-in.
 
In my opinion, the county commissioners’ support of Cook County Higher Education may be the smartest and most effective money they spend each year. It is, without a doubt, the best return on investment that the county can ask for. If the county commission increased their contribution to Higher Ed, it could result in more county residents rising from poverty to make powerful contributions to the overall prosperity of the community.
 
It is healthy for the townships and Cook County to be discussing what rationale the elected officials should use to decide which nonprofits to support with the money that we contribute through taxes. They would be smart if they applied the following questions to nonprofits asking for county support.
 
Does the work of this nonprofit benefit a lot of people in Cook County? Is this nonprofit well run and compliant with the law and best practices? Does this nonprofit fill a niche that is not filled by private business or government? Has this nonprofit put together the best partners to do the job? Does this nonprofit provide a good return to the community for the dollars invested? And last, but not least, is this simply the right thing to do?
 
If the answers are yes, as they so clearly are for Cook County Higher Education, then the county commissioners should vote in favor of providing funds.
 
In the case of Cook County Higher Education, a relatively small amount of additional funding could make it possible for any Cook County resident to receive higher education, regardless of their ability to pay.  That is exactly the kind of thing that makes this a great place to live.