North Central Mass Network of Nonprofits meeting notes.

September 7th, 2006.

FATV 175 Kimball Street Fitchburg, MA  01453

I. Introductions:

Welcome.

Name, organization, and has your organization faced budget cuts?

Many of our organization have received funding cuts.

II. Nonprofit spotlight of the month

Pete Cormier, Executive Director, The Sterling Music Exchange.

The Sterling Music Exchange has approximately 50 young performers, introducing them to community service. The proceeds of performances they participate in go half to the performer and half to SME. SME has a board of directors and a youth board and has plans in entering MWCC’s Business Plan Competition. SME plans to add an educational/teaching component to their future programming. Such as, adding music lessons to help youth with emotional problems.

What does SME need currently? A volunteer coordinator and an events coordinator.

III. One Massachusetts presentation

Judy Meredith and Yawu Miller- Public Policy Institute

One Mass is looking for local community advocates to join their campaign to provide more and better services to the community. The goal of One Mass is to eliminate silos of organizations, holding back on self promoting and to remember that your organization is not the only one receiving cuts. Are your organizations ready to stop accepting status quos? They hope to host events around Massachusetts bring to the table for-profits and nonprofits alike. These events will be to educate and inform the public on how we can affect change in our communities to make them healthier and stronger by increasing our resources.

Judy would like the Network to host and event to educate and inform Nonprofits and Community members of North Central Mass about how we can work together to lobby for more funding to make our communities stronger. This event could be a follow-up event of May 5th.

Q & A

• Why approach the Network?

     Judy had heard about the Network and the great things it had done. She wanted to have the Network get involved, to get to the grass roots.

• Vision?

Judy has been working with coalitions and grass root organizations alike. They will be offering training on how to talk about tax.

• One Massachusetts vs. Two Penny project?

Two Penny Project is just focused on human services- One Massachusetts is working with them already.

• One Massachusetts vs. NP Congress?

Judy hasn’t gotten their agenda yet.  NP Congress was briefly in tax policy, but decided to drop it.

• What is the goal of One Massachusetts for the year?

To sign up members to join together to convene a broad sector of NP’s in March at their state wide event.  At the event, it will be a coalition for 1 issue. The issue will be to look at the need for state revenues to restore our community.

III. Subcommittee updates: Will be discussed at the October 5th meeting.

Next Meeting will be:

 Thursday October, 5th 9am-11am

@ FATV (175 Kimball Street, Fitchburg)