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Southeast Michigan Public Policy Council
Since the implementation of term limits in 1997, it has become more imperative to educate policymakers, the media and the general public on issues that impact nonprofits from the local level. However, the state of Michigan lacks the capacity to engage the local nonprofits to educate policymakers, the media and the general public on issues that impacts the livelihood of all Michigan's nonprofits.
The Southeast Michigan Public Policy Council acts as a bridge from MNA and its public policy committee to the thousands of nonprofits throughout Southeast Michigan. It civically engages local nonprofits to help shape public policy for the benefit of all Michigan nonprofits and the communities they serve.
Goals
The overarching goal of the regional council is to respond, in a proactive and reactive manner on the grassroots level, to public policy that broadly affects the nonprofit sector and to sub-sector issues that could have far-reaching implications for all Michigan nonprofits.
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To inform nonprofits in the region of public policy issues impacting nonprofits across the state.
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To develop and implement grassroots strategies for addressing the critical issues.
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To educate the region's media and government officials on issues impacting nonprofits.
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To alert the Michigan Nonprofit Association of public policy issues on the regional level that may become statewide areas of concern for nonprofits.
Structure
The Council is comprised of representatives from charities and nonprofits interested in furthering the public policy work of the nonprofit sector. The co-chairs of the Council serve on MNA’s Public Policy committee to report on issues of interest to the Council. The Council may take positions on regional policy issues, so long as they don’t contradict positions of the MNA board and are consistent with MNA’s mission.
Priorities
- Prevent state and federal budget cuts - As state and federal governments continue to cut funding for critical programs and services, nonprofits are seeing the demand for their services grow while funding simultaneously decreases. Nonprofits and government both have a role to play in ensuring that the needs of the communities of Southeast Michigan are met as effectively and efficiently as possible. Nonprofits cannot continually be asked to do more with less, and as such seek to prevent continued state and federal budget cuts that negatively impact the work of the nonprofit sector in meeting the needs of their communities.
- Educate elected officials and the public about the economic power of the nonprofit sector – Employing one in ten workers in the state, the nonprofit community is a powerful economic force for the state. There are many misconceptions about the role of the nonprofit sector and the tremendous impact of their work on the people and communities of Michigan. The Southeast Michigan nonprofit community seeks to more actively and effectively communicate with the people of Michigan and the elected officials who serve them about the role and economic power of the nonprofit sector.
Resources
Southeast Michigan Public Policy Information:
Overview of the Council
Council Accomplishments
Michigan Nonprofit Caucus
Overview of the Caucus
Caucus Invitation Template
Policy Updates:
Policy updates (7-20-11)
Federal Updates (5-18-11)
State Updates (5-18-11)
News Articles:
Gongwer Michigan: Tax Policy (5-12-11)
New York Times: Squeezed Cities Ask Nonprofits for More Money (5-11-11)
The Flint Journal: Fees for Services Article (3-27-11)
Other Information:
Giving & Volunteering Report 2011 (pdf)
Nonprofit Vote Presentation
Nonprofit Sector Profile: National
Nonprofit Sector Profile: Michigan
Redistricting: Draw the Line
Michigan Redistricting Collaborative
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