It's Up to All of Us

Wow. What an incredible week! Come sleet or snow, MANP members showed up in person and on social media to raise awareness for how nonprofits are making a difference every day in Maine communities.

Nonprofits In the Hall + At the Table

Nonprofits are essential to making Maine a great place to live, work and visit, and so it is vital they are at the table with business and government in discussing Maine’s present and future strengths and challenges. It was so energizing to see legislators engaged in conversations with nonprofits in every corner of the Hall of Flags on Tuesday at our 14th Maine Nonprofit Day at the State House.

Special thanks to Representative Grohman and Senator Millet for their sponsorship of our activities, to all the legislators who attended, and to our members who braved the snow to represent the diversity of Maine’s nonprofit sector.

A Role for Everyone in Ensuring Nonprofits Work for Maine

Nonprofits are working for Maine every day, weaving strong social fabric while investing significant financial and human resources in communities throughout the state. As I emphasized on Tuesday in my announcement of our brand-new economic and social impact report, Adding Up Impact, we all have a part to play in making sure nonprofits continue to work for Maine.

• Elected officials + candidates for office: Engage nonprofits as civic leaders and authorities on issues important to your constituents.
• Nonprofit leaders: share your stories of how the sector is advancing, connecting, and strengthening our state. (Don’t hesitate to reach out to MANP for support!)
• Business leaders: partner with nonprofits on workforce support and development.
• Municipalities: incorporate the work of local and regional nonprofits into economic development strategies.
• All Maine people: support causes you care about with time, talent, money and advocacy!

Sustain the Message

Since making that announcement, a friend shared a metaphor that feels especially resonant to me as a trained singer, and so I share it in this space today.

Doing difficult work–which for many nonprofits is their daily mission–requires acting like a chorus singing a long, sustained chord. Singers bring their unique talents, but also blend their voices together. They take turns breathing so everyone gets a rest and yet there is no break in the music. So must we all commit to our individual missions while also recognizing there is power and sustainability to be found in our collective voice. We must strengthen our unified message about the value of nonprofits to Maine, and support each other so we can all breathe and stay energized to continue singing!

Our deep thanks for your creativity, commitment, passion, and persistence. Nonprofit Week is just the beginning and we’ve got your back in this chorus!