User:Philosofem/MnSLFF

The Minnesota-Sri Lanka Friendship Foundation (MnSLFF) is dedicated to promoting social, cultural, educational and economic ties between the people of Minnesota and the people of Sri Lanka. The long term vision of the organization is: first, to help the first-generation American-Sri Lankan community assimilate with the greater-American community, to offer direction for the community to engage in civic activities, and introduce access to social services; secondly, to provide leadership for the following generations to maintain their cultural identity and heritage.

Background
The MnSLFF was formed when three friends met to discuss strategies to help the Sri Lanka’s tsunami survivors. At the end of the meeting these friends resolved to rebuild a village destroyed by the tsunami. Further, they realized the necessity of forming a legally recognized organization to accomplish this task. This necessity gave birth to Minnesota-Sri Lanka Friendship Foundation (MnSLFF) and filed its papers with the Minnesota Secretary of State on January 4, 2005. Soon after, on December 30, 2004, when Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) interviewed one of the founding members of MnSLFF, people began sending donations. Meetings soon followed, more volunteers joined the organization and MnSLFF was registered as a non-profit organization.

MnSLFF needed to send one of the MnSLFF founders to Sri Lanka to explore the possibilities of rebuilding a village, as well as to see whether MnSLFF could manage this building project in Sri Lanka. The President of the Foundation visited Sri Lanka with immediate relief funds on January 7, 2005. He concluded that it would be possible to rebuild a village in Sri Lanka, 14,000 miles away from Minnesota, using internet technology. Further, he emphasized the need for a reliable and dedicated individual in Sri Lanka with a good understanding of American working culture and internet access to coordinate the construction work.

MnSLFF conducted four meetings to develop a governing body to solidify the organization. In order to receive donations, the MnSLFF needed the 501(c)(3) tax exemption status. Therefore, the Foundation filed for tax exemption status as a charitable non-profit organization under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Act. Within three months of its application the MnSLFF was granted the tax-exempted status for four years. The regulations for the governing boards of 501(c)(3) status (human service) charitable organizations are complicated. MnSLFF board members must be unpaid, part-time volunteers who are nonetheless responsible legally, financially, and some would say, morally for organizations that play a key role in the policy.

Governance Structure – and Process
Structuring the organization and board of governance was an important task for the MnSLFF. The organization had embarked on a large project in Sri Lanka. Further it was looking to develop an environment for the perpetuity of the organization. The founders of the organization invited a specialist from Six Sigma, a firm that had assisted similar organizations, to facilitate the project’s strategy and develop MnSLFF governance. The specialist had a working knowledge of both Sri Lankan and American cultures.

The strategic planning session provided an opportunity for all the volunteers to present their ideas, strengths and commitment. The facilitator used a cognitive mapping tool to develop the vision and strategic plan for the project. During the process some of the volunteers dropped from the project, mainly due to conflicting interests, or inability to make a time commitment.

At the end of the sessions the structure of the Foundation was completed, the board was appointed, and the charter members were selected. The community created a seven-member body to develop the governing policies. Additionally, the other volunteers were invited to become charter members to advise and support the board members. All the board members were volunteers. Selecting a Sri Lankan expatriate as a facilitator was advantageous because his cultural insight enabled him to complete the organization structuring sessions in two days.

A Six Sigma specialist was able to evaluate the strengths of the volunteers, and to provide guidance in developing the project plan. Further, the MnSLFF compiled a need assessment, utilizing the large amount of data made available through various non-governmental organizations. The project-development tools facilitated the mission, vision, and strategies of the Foundation. Further, the MnSLFF performed a stakeholder analysis, a timeline for the project and a cause and effect diagram to gather and prioritize their tasks. The plan recognized the needs of the tsunami survivors and developed a work distribution package, a timeline, benchmarks and deliverables.

The newly formed organization was named “Minnesota-Sri Lanka Friendship Foundation” (MnSLFF) to reflect its roots and vision to build and maintain the relationship of the two cultures. The tsunami created an urgency to act, and the project united the community.

The necessity of a community-based, non-profit organization to channel donations and help from the greater-Minnesota community was apparent. The Sri Lankan community in Minnesota was devastated by the aftermath of tsunami. Most of them had family members affected by the disaster. The leaders of the community understood that they have a greater capacity to engage in the reconstruction process due to their proximity to the culture, the language, and access to the Sri Lankan government’s agencies.