Let's Chat Nonprofits:A Community Conversation on Making a Difference

让我们聊聊非营利组织：关于社区服务的开放对话



【中文报道请见文末】On January 12, Joint Action for Diversity and Engagement (JADE) hosted a gathering in the Diamond Room at LifeTime Eden Prairie Athletic, convening 28 members of the Chinese immigrant community from the Twin Cities area who have a shared passion for driving positive change within the community. The event was designed to introduce participants to the workings of nonprofit organizations.

Nonprofit organizations are often lauded as the bedrock of American democracy. Research has shown that Americans place greater trust in nonprofits for addressing societal and global issues than in businesses or government entities. This trust stems from nonprofits' unique ability to bridge the gap between public policy and the needs of underserved communities, promote civic participation, and amplify the voices of individuals.

Acknowledging the critical role that nonprofits play in encouraging immigrant families toward greater civic and community participation, JADE aspired for the event to spark an engaging dialogue about the world of nonprofits. The aim was to inspire more community members to engage in and even establish nonprofit organizations and to encourage them to involve their children in such efforts, fostering a culture of active community service among the next generation.

The event featured four speakers who are passionate about nonprofits. They shared their journeys, the lessons they’ve learned, and engaged in an open dialogue on how to start and support nonprofit organizations.

Yingling Fan is co-founder of JADE. She recounted the journey of setting up a nonprofit with seven other moms. She recounted the journey of setting up a nonprofit with seven other moms. She provided a walkthrough of the necessary steps to start a tax-exempt non-profit and share potential funding strategies. See her presentation slides here.

Daniel Cheng is an Associate Professor at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. His research focuses on non-profit organization management. He talked about how nonprofits should approach commercial and political activities, and the common misunderstandings around these issues. See his presentation slides here. .

Jing Li is a seasoned community event organizer. She began her community service with the International Night at Kimberly Lane elementary school in 2015. Chen Zhou is co-founder of the Twin Cities West Metro Asian Fair an annual cross-cultural event that started in 2023 and attracted more than 5,000 participants. In addition to providing practical insights into organizing impactful events that engage and benefit the community, they shared their experience in assisting numerous nonprofit organizations, pitfalls to avoid, things to be mindful of, as well as how to set the right expectations, build the relationships, and have fun! See their presentation slides here.

After the speaker presentations, the event transitioned into lunch and social time, providing a chance for face-to-face networking. During this time, various community leaders present in the audience took the opportunity to share their engagement and efforts within the community, highlighting:

  • Chen Guo from the Minnesota Snow Wolves Running Club, an Eden Prairie-based running club aiming to foster friendship by encouraging a fun and healthy lifestyle.
  • Jijun He from Phoenix Chinese Dance Academy, a Twin Cities based dance school dedicated to Chinese dance education and cultural outreach.
  • Johanna Huang from the We As One Camp, which is a summer program that strives to use world language and culture as a bridge to provide all participants with a richer sense of who we are, where we come from, and what we can build together as a community.
  • Yuanjing Wilcox from the Princess of Asia Pageant, an event program that aims to foster poise, self-confidence, and valuable communication skills among the new generations of Asian Americans.

The event was spearheaded by JADE Co-Founder Yingling Fan and moderated by JADE Co-Founders Grace Li and Yan Pan. Following the event, a WeChat group named "JADE-Nonprofits for Community Service" was established to sustain the conversation among individuals keen on nonprofits, civic engagement, and community service. If you share this interest, we warmly invite you to join this vibrant WeChat group via the QRcode at the end of this page or contact us at jointactionusa@gmail.com.



【中文报道】

1月12日，JADE在 LifeTime Eden Prairie Athletic的钻石厅成功举办了一场特别聚会，吸引了来自明尼苏达双城地区、热衷于社区服务的28位中国移民家庭成员参加。本次活动的目的是向参与者深入介绍非营利组织的运营机制。

非营利组织常被誉为美国民主的基石。研究显示，美国人对非营利组织在解决社会和全球问题上的信任度超过了商业机构或政府实体。这种信任源于非营利组织独特的能力，能够弥合公共政策与弱势社区需求之间的鸿沟，促进公民参与，并放大个人的声音。

JADE认识到非营利组织是鼓励移民家庭积极参与社区活动的一个重要桥梁，希望此次活动能激发更多移民家庭主动参与甚至成立非营利组织，同时也鼓励家长们引导孩子参与进来，培养下一代积极参与社区服务的文化。

活动邀请了四位对非营利组织充满热情的演讲者。他们分享了自己参与社会服务项目的过程、学到的教训，并就如何开始和支持非营利组织进行了开放式对话。

范颖玲是 JADE 的联合创始人。她回顾了与其他七位妈妈一起设立JADE的过程，详细介绍了启动一个免税非营利组织所需的具体步骤，并分享了相关的集资筹款策略。点击 此处 查看她的演示幻灯片。

程远是 汉弗莱公共事务学院 的副教授。他的研究专注于非营利组织管理。他讨论了非营利组织应如何处理商业和政治活动，以及围绕这些问题的常见误解。点击 此处 查看他的演示幻灯片。

李菁是一位经验丰富的社区活动组织者。她从2015年在Kimberly Lane小学的国际之夜开始了她的社区服务。周辰轩是 Twin Cities West Metro Asian Fair 的联合发起人, 这个跨文化盛会在2023年第一次举办，就吸引了超过5,000名参与者。这对伉俪不仅分享了如何组织大型社区活动的宝贵经验，也讲述了他们在支持许多非营利组织的过程中吸取的经验教训、注意避免的雷区、需注意的细节，以及如何设立合理的期望、建立友谊和加强联系，并在过程中找到乐趣。点击 此处 查看他们的演示幻灯片。

演讲者发言后，活动转入午餐和社交时间。在此期间，活动参与者分享了他们所致力的社区服务项目：

  • 郭晨介绍了 明尼苏达雪狼跑步俱乐部, 一个位于Eden Prairie的跑步俱乐部，一个位于Eden Prairie的跑步俱乐部，旨在通过一起跑步健身，培养健康的生活方式，并建立和增进友谊。
  • 贺继军介绍了 凤凰中国舞蹈学院, 一所位于明州双城的舞蹈学校，致力于中国舞蹈和文化的教育和宣传。
  • Johanna Huang介绍了 我们是一家人夏令营, 这个夏令营致力于以世界语言和文化作为桥梁，帮助参与者深入了解自我、探索文化根源，并共同营造富有凝聚力的社区氛围。
  • Yuanjing Wilcox介绍了 亚洲公主评选活动, 这个活动旨在培养新一代亚裔美国人优雅、自信及出色的沟通能力。

本次活动由JADE联合创始人范颖玲发起，李丹和潘艳主持。活动结束后，JADE建立了一个名为“JADE-Nonprofit社区服务”的微信群，旨在继续促进与非营利组织、公民参与及社区服务相关内容的交流。 如果你对此感兴趣，我们热情邀请你通过下方的二维码加入这个充满活力的微信群。如果二维码已经过期，请通过发送邮件至 jointactionusa@gmail.com与我们联系，我们将为您提供加群方式。