Minnesota Council on Foundations CI Report – Final

What has been most instrumenta to your progress?

Getting started early was essential to our success in convening the Minnesota Census Mobilization Partnership and achieving the highest self-response rate in the country. The Partnership formed earlier than Census coalitions in most other states, and it meant that we had time to build relationships, respond to and overcome obstacles, fundraise, and develop useful tools and resources to support the work.

If, for example, we had just been building trust and getting started when the pandemic hit in 2020, I don’t think we would have been able to easily pivot and flex. It may have spelled the end for organized and coordinated 2020 Census efforts. Instead, many in the group had already been working together for several years, and had been facing challenges and successes over those years, so we were able to come together, shift resources and strategies, and move into digital organizing and an extended Census timeline with a sense of collective purpose.

In a year where there was a lot of turbulence in the Census Bureau itself, the Partnership was an organized, stable force, focused on getting a fully inclusive count despite all the noise. Starting early made this possible.

Centering historically undercounted communities in the efforts of the Minnesota Census Mobilization Partnership was critical to our success. Not only did leaders from historically undercounted know best how to ensure their communities were counted, they also served as trusted messengers and key strategists to lead the work and navigate the dynamic 2020 Census environment. Community leaders received dollars to support their time and capacity to do the work, and they led in the co-creation of the communications, messaging, and relational organizing strategies and tools that were developed. This deep community connection to the work made it possible to overcome many of the challenges and concerns participating in the Census raised, given the politicization of the Census that occurred by the previous administration.

There are many other elements that mattered. To see a full report on the MN Census Mobilization Partnership and lessons learned, go to mcmp2020.org

Key lessons learned

The top lessons identified in our Census impact story included:
1. It’s never too early to start organizing. In fact, don’t stop!
2. Be proactive about preventing and minimizing barriers.
3. Develop strong relationships with trusted community voices.
4. Adaptability and variety of outreach and engagement tactics is key.
5. Funding and coordination allowed groups to dedicate limited resources to key responses and actions.

We certainly didn’t get everything right the first time, and timelines and strategies had to evolve over the course of the work. Along the way, trust and relationships are what helped us navigate these challenges the most.

Reflections on the community innovation process

Being inclusive and resourceful were critical to the work of the Minnesota Census Mobilization Partnership. While no project ever goes exactly to plan, the 2020 Census included many more curveballs than a typical large project. Having some flexible dollars, trusted relationships, and a sense of being in it together really allowed the Partnership to be successful and change course as needed.

Other key elements of Community Innovation

I don’t see advocacy as part of the community innovation process, but I think that can be an important element. This wasn’t a self-contained effort — it intersected with the public sector in many ways. The work in Minnesota wouldn’t have been nearly as effective had MCF not successfully advocated for the State Demographer’s Office to receive additional funding for staffing and outreach efforts. In addition, partnership with Minnesota’s Congressional offices, to ensure that they were consistent voices advocating for a fully inclusive (and fully funded) 2020 Census was really important. Advocacy and partnership with the public sector could be a potential addition to the community innovation process.

Progress toward an innovation

We are very proud that Minnesota achieved the highest self-response rate in the national at 75.1%, and that we kept eight Congressional districts by just 26 people. Both of these tangible numbers indicate that every effort mattered, and that without the Minnesota Census Mobilization Partnership, it is unlikely either of these things would have been achieved. The resources and representation that the Partnership helped bring to Minnesota over the next 10 years are incredibly meaningful, so we feel like the effort was successful.

In addition, the continued work by many in the coalition on community-focused redistricting indicates to us that there is continued interest and drive to keep working together and advocate for a more inclusive democracy beyond the 2020 Census effort.

What it will take to reach an innovation?

What’s next?

While the 2020 Census has come to an end, there are two goals that we continue to work toward:
1) Develop sustainable civic engagement capacity
2) Engage Minnesota grantmakers in democracy work

In addition, we are continuing to foster the coalition to do important civic engagement work together around community-focused redistricting.

If you could do it all over again…

If I could go back in time, I would have built in more plans for digital/phone/web based organizing on the front end. A lot of our organizing and mobilizing strategy assumed large in-person events, and we had to pivot quickly when COVID-19 hit. I think going forward, a lot more people will expect and be comfortable with more virtual opportunities, so building it in more strategically up front would have been helpful.

One last thought

We did a really thorough Census impact story that provides a more complete picture of the work and lessons learned: www.mcmp2020.org