December 6, 2010
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As we celebrate our 12th year of serving youth in the Twin Cities community, MinneapolisNEXT is increasingly saluted for its bottom-up approach to building the next generation of leaders.
Our signature high school scholarship program, which this year is supporting more than 45 students, is both successful and cost-effective. The ongoing achievements of our graduates are our calling card, and 2010 saw a MinneapolisNEXT scholarship recipient admitted to Harvard University for the first time.
This fall, the heartbreaking dilemmas of urban children in our nation’s public schools were spotlighted in the provocative documentary film Waiting for Superman. It’s an issue we’ve been working hard to address on a local level for many years.
With so many options, why should you allocate charitable dollars to MinneapolisNEXT?
Operating expenses for nonprofit organizations and public entities are another controversial topic these days, with growing recognition that many top-down approaches are failing. Our no-overhead business model is not right for every charity, but it works for us and the students we fund. Since all of our operating expenses are covered by our board of directors, MinneapolisNEXT provides a lot of bang for your charitable buck. We’re proud of that.
Funding high school scholarships is our primary focus, because we believe a high school graduate who is adequately prepared for higher education is better equipped
and more likely to find the resources to continue his or her education. Most of our scholarship recipients are from single-parent homes in the inner-city, and many are immigrants. These circumstances often negatively impact a student’s success, especially when combined with extreme financial hardship.
But at MinneapolisNEXT, we also recognize that results are strengthened when everyone has “skin in the game.” For each academic award we fund, we have two financial partners: the school and the student’s family, even if it’s just a small monthly contribution. This ownership philosophy is key.
Whatever amount you decide on, your donation this holiday season would be greatly appreciated. Please help us make dreams come true…one child at a time.
Best wishes,
Rexford Holland
President, MinneapolisNEXT
P.S. Next time you’re online, please take a minute to visit our updated MinneapolisNEXT website (www.minneapolisnext.org), which is now equipped to receive donations via credit card. (You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter @minneapolisnext) In addition, this year we’re enclosing a brochure and we ask that you share it with a friend or family member who is not yet acquainted with our organization. Thank you.