Twin Cities

July 22, 2015 Mobile Citizen recently joined the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), a unified voice for local technology training, home broadband access and public broadband access programs. The NDIA represents those on the ground providing public Internet access, home broadband programs and digital literacy training and tech support in order to create new operational

July 17, 2015 Storytelling is powerful. Political issues are often debated with cold, hard, facts and statistics, but politics is ultimately about people. Stories remind us of that. Storytelling highlights the human impact of seemingly objective, clear-cut issues and can soften the most rigid of stances. When people realize they can relate to someone else’s

July 16, 2015 Mobile Citizen and NTEN, The Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network, released the results of a joint research project to explore how online services and Internet access help nonprofits deliver services and programs, and connect with their constituents. The full report is available for download on NTEN’s site. It provides benchmarks and qualitative data

June 16, 2015 47,000 Minnesotans are on probation or parole. None of them have the right to vote. TakeAction Minnesota is working to restore the vote to former criminals who served their sentences and are seeking to reintegrate into society as contributing citizens. On its website TakeAction outlines how it “seeks to elevate the voices

May 14, 2015 Educational success has proven to be a reliable indicator of subsequent economic opportunity and prosperity. When the U.S. Department of Education released data on high school graduation rates in 2013, the Minnesota nonprofit, In Progress, noticed a troubling trend for its state. Graduation rates among Native American, African American, Hmong and Latino

April 20, 2015 J Street: The Art of the Possible a feature-length documentary partially funded by a grant from Voqal Fund is having its regional premiere tonight at the 8th annual Philadelphia Independent Film Festival. The film, co-directed by Ken Winikur and Ben Avishai, follows an upstart, progressive American-Jewish lobby group called J Street that

April 13, 2015 A whole slew of new organizations have been added to the Voqal Fund interactive map and national organizations list. These grants reflect Voqal Fund’s commitment to supporting the dissemination of alternative ideas and building a more engaged public to effect progressive social change and disrupt the status quo. Highlights from the latest

April 7, 2015 FairVote Minnesota, a Voqal Fund grantee, works for better democracy through public education and advocacy by focusing on progressive voting systems that lead to greater competitiveness, better representation and more participation in elections. One such system, Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), is one of the more significant political reforms in generations. Over the

By Kristen Perry, via the 2015 NTC Conference in Austin, Texas March 5, 2015 The nonprofit sector, like the technology sector, often faces criticism for the lack of diversity in both technology and leadership roles. This year’s participatory plenary at the 2015 Nonprofit Technology Conference tackled this important issue. Moderated by the CEO of the

Feb. 17, 2015 As part of Mobile Citizen’s ongoing research to better understand the digital adoption landscape facing nonprofits and the communities they serve, Cassie Bair is scheduled to lead a session at NTEN’s upcoming Nonprofit Technology Conference in Austin. “Nonprofits and the Digital Divide: New Research and Tips for Getting Started” is scheduled for