Minneapolis Urban League Back in the Black

Feb. 7, 2011 - PRLog -- MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota  - The Minneapolis Urban League, among the oldest community organizations in the Twin Cities, announced today that it will end 2010 with a surplus after experiencing deficits.  Its financial position today demonstrates a $240,000 turnaround from the close of 2009.  “In an economic crisis, demand for our services goes up while revenue goes down.  At the Minneapolis Urban League, however, we have utilized fewer resources more efficiently,” said CeLois Steele, Minneapolis Urban League Board Chair.

Since the beginning of the current recession in 2007, the nonprofit sector has suffered under considerable financial strain.  According to The Minnesota Nonprofit Economy Report, an annual study by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN), 48% of the 1500 nonprofit organizations for which data is available reported an operating deficit in 2009.  The Report also found that in the Twin Cities metro area between 2007 and 2009, nonprofit revenues fell an average of two percent per year, while expenditures increased an average of eight percent per year. During that same period of time, assets fell an average of three percent per year.  According to the most recent Nonprofit Current Conditions Report, a biannual survey of MCN member organizations, 54% of responding organizations reported no increase in total revenues during 2010.

“A solid fundraising campaign has placed the Minneapolis Urban League in a position where our real estate holdings are debt free.  By leveraging our strong real estate position, and balancing it with a new vision, the organization can help even more families in need,” continued Ms. Steele.

To meet these needs, Minneapolis Urban League undertook a strategic planning process in 2010 that is changing the Urban League’s relationships with its constituents, its funders and the wider community.  Scott Gray, President/CEO, explained the change, “This shift in our financial position is evidence that our new strategic plan is starting to work.  The plan has called for hard work by all of our stakeholders, sacrifice on the part of our staff, and a repositioning of the Minneapolis Urban League to provide solutions to the challenges facing diverse communities in the 21st Century.  The focus now is on a career, not just a job, graduation from college, not just high school, building assets, not just paying the rent, and taking control of your own health.  We believe families can reach their full potential through this vision, and we must have adequate resources to help them be competitive in today’s economy.  Today we are in an even stronger position to make this happen.”

Contact:
Mr. Scott Gray
CEO and President
Minneapolis Urban League
sgray@mul.org
(612) 302-3101

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About Minneapolis Urban League: The Minneapolis Urban League links African descendants and other people of color to opportunities that result in economic success and prosperity while also effectively advocating for policies that eradicate racial disparities. MUL’s new strategic plan, GATEWAY TO OPPORTUNITY, is designed to provide a route to economic success and prosperity for those who choose to pursue a healthy lifestyle, higher education, livable wage careers, and assets for the future. For more information about the Minneapolis Urban League or its programs and services, visit www.mul.org, or call (612) 302-3100. The Minneapolis Urban League is headquartered in the Glover-Sudduth Center for Economic Development at 2100 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55411.