Protecting Nonprofits in Times of Uncertainty
February 11 @ 9:30 am – 11:00 am CST
Fee: $55 for MCN members / $75 for nonmembers
Format: In-person, with the option to join virtually
Location: Wilder Center (451 Lexington Parkway N St. Paul, MN 55104)
Doors open: 9:00 am
Formerly known as Session Line Up, the MCN Policy Team is hosting this event about a week before the 2026 legislative session begins on February 17th.
Update: MCN is now offering a virtual option for this event. All registrants will receive a Zoom link the day before the event, and may choose to attend either virtually or in person.
Description
Nonprofits have faced months of uncertainty and attacks on the sector. From executive orders targeting federal funding to SNAP dollars rescinded during the government shutdown to threats to the Johnson Amendment and Medicaid, our sector has had an intense year. Join the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits to learn more about how to protect nonprofits in time of uncertainty. We will hear from leaders in Minnesota including brilliant nonprofit advocates to share wisdom and how we can stay true to our mission and core values while navigating complex realities on the ground. You and your colleagues will learn how various groups are taking action to ensure nonprofits are protected during continued times of uncertainty.
Note: In-person attendees will be entered into a prize drawing at the end of the event to win a $50 gift card to El Burrito Mercado or Flava Cafe.
Additional Details
- This in-person event will be taking place on February 11, 2026 from 9:30 am – 11:00 am Central at the Wilder in St. Paul.
- If you choose to attend virtually, the event will take place on the Zoom platform. Your access link will be emailed to all registrants the day before the event after 12 p.m.
- Refreshments: Coffee, tea, and a light snack will be provided.
- Travel: Parking is free in the Wilder Center parking ramp. Find more information about travel to Wilder.
- Accessibility: This event will be hosted in the Wilder Auditorium space (find more details about the space on the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation website). For inquiries about the space, please connect with Wilder Center staff. For accommodation requests such as ASL interpreters or other accessibility requirements, please contact us with your request at least two weeks prior to the event. Although we will attempt to meet all accessibility requests, late requests may not be fulfilled.
- Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the event.
- To learn more about events, registration, and payment, visit our Event & Registration FAQ page.
Speaker Details
Attorney General Keith Ellison was sworn in as Minnesota’s 30th attorney general on January 7, 2019. As the People’s Lawyer, Attorney General Ellison’s job is to help Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect. His guiding values are generosity and inclusion.
From 2007 to 2019, Keith Ellison represented Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he championed consumer, worker, environmental, and civil- and human-rights protections for Minnesotans. He served for 12 years on the House Financial Services Committee, where he helped oversee the financial services industry, the housing industry, and Wall Street, among others. Among his legislative accomplishments are passing provisions to protect credit-card holders from abusive practices and protect the rights of renters and tenants. While in Congress, he founded the Congressional Antitrust Caucus and the Congressional Consumer Justice Caucus. He also served as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which he helped build to more than 100 members.
Before being elected to Congress, Attorney General Ellison served four years in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Prior to entering elective office, he spent 16 years as an attorney specializing in civil-rights and defense law, including five years as executive director of the Legal Rights Center. As the leader of this public-interest law firm, he oversaw a team of attorneys focused on delivering justice for Minnesotans who had nowhere else to turn. He was also a noted community activist.
Attorney General Ellison received his law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1990. He is the proud father of four adult children: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah, and Amirah. He is the first African American and the first Muslim American to be elected to statewide office in Minnesota.
Nan Madden (she/her) has been the director of the Minnesota Budget Project since 1999. The Minnesota Budget Project is an initiative of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits that provides independent research, analysis, and advocacy on budget and tax issues, emphasizing their impact on low- and moderate-income persons and the organizations that serve them. Nan has authored numerous publications on fiscal issues as well as economic self-sufficiency. In 2006, Nan was named by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal as one of its Forty Under 40 honorees.
Lissa Jones-Lofgren is the Executive Director of The Shannon Leadership Institute, where she leads a nationally recognized leadership development program grounded in values-based, somatic, and reflective practice. She is also Executive Director of the Archie and Phebe Mae Givens Foundation for African American Literature, stewarding one of the Midwest’s most significant institutions dedicated to African American literary arts, education, and cultural preservation.
Lissa is the host of the acclaimed podcast Black Market Reads, which amplifies the voices of Black authors and cultural thinkers. Known for her expertise in governance, strategic planning, and organizational alignment, she is a sought-after speaker, facilitator, and coach who supports leaders and organizations in aligning purpose, practice, and sustainable impact.
Julia Decker is currently the Policy Director at Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) where she oversees ILCM’s policy and advocacy work. She previously worked for ILCM as a staff attorney and Robina Public Interest Fellow, and also served two years as a Teaching Fellow in the University of Minnesota Law School’s Binger Center for New Americans. Before rejoining ILCM in her current role, she served as Policy Director for the Minnesota affiliate of the ACLU.
Sophie Hoiseth (she/they) became the Southern Minnesota Organizer for Exodus Lending in January 2025. She previously served as an organizer with Minnesotans for Fair Lending, supporting Minnesota’s 36% rate cap campaign from 2022 to 2023. Sophie is passionate about expanding community partnerships, enrolling participants in Exodus’ 0% interest loan program, and mobilizing communities to end predatory lending. She grew up internationally, living in three countries before finding home and belonging in Mankato, where she organizes through Advocacy and Community Together, a grassroots coalition of Greater Mankato nonprofits.
Hoang Murphy is the Chief Executive Officer of People Serving People. Hoang knows from lived experience the impact that housing instability and homelessness have on families. He imagines a world where every family has what they need to thrive. As CEO of People Serving People, Hoang leads a strategic framework that places family voices at the center of the work. When he isn’t tackling systemic issues with his team, Hoang is busy finding the best bánh mì, adding to his Lego collection, and walking his dogs Mapo Tofu and Ginger.
Zach Rodvold serves as Second Harvest Heartland’s public affairs director, overseeing the government relations, public policy advocacy, and related communications and stakeholder engagement work of the food bank. Prior to joining Second Harvest Heartland in January of 2023, Zach spent more than twenty years working in state and federal government, political campaigns, and issue advocacy—including serving in senior roles for some of the state’s highest-ranking elected officials. At Second Harvest Heartland, he built out the food bank’s first-ever public affairs team, and as a member of the senior leadership team, he has worked closely with executive leaders and across teams to help shape the organization’s evolving approach to ending hunger in our communities.
Pay What You Can (PWYC)
We encourage you to pay the registration rate that is meaningful to and possible for you. While earned revenue from our events is a significant portion of our operating budget, supporting the policy and advocacy work we do on behalf of nonprofits, we aim to keep our fees accessible, often below market rate, and offer further reduced entry points for those who need them to participate in professional development. Access to critical information about the democratic process is important, which is why MCN offers Pay What You Can rates of $0 and $29 for this event. If your participation is dependent on a PWYC rate, please register with the promo code that corresponds with your accessible price point below.
PWYC Rates:
- $29 (Code: PWYC29)
- $0 (Code: PWYCZERO)
