Advocating Change Together

“The organization has members made up of the general community it serves. Members are not required to pay dues. There are 4 classes of membership - corporate, individual, associate, and family. Membership is eligible for any natural person of legal age who supports advocacy services for persons with disabilities and/or are so disabled. Members may elect new people to the board of directors along with voting on other issues at the annual meeting.”

“The general membership elects the board of directors at the annual meeting.”

“The organization does not currently have any committees with authorities to act on behalf of the board.”

“The form 990 is prepared by a public accounting firm using information provided by the organization's management, and a draft is made available to the board for approval.”

“The board shall not enter into any contract or transaction with (a) one or more of its directors, (b) a director of a related organization, or (c) an organiziation in or which a director of organization is director, officer, or legal representative, or in some other way has a material financial interest unless: 1. That interest is disclosed or known to the board of directors, 2. The board approves, authorizes or ratifies the action in good faith, 3. The approval is by a majority of directors (not counting the interested director), 4. At a meeting where a quorum is present (not counting the interested director). The interested director may be present for discussion to answer questions but may not advocate the action to be taken and must leave the room while a vote is taken. The minutes of all actions taken on such matters shall clearly reflect that these requirements have been met.”

“The board sets the rate change for the executive director and the executive director sets it for staff. Act's goal is to be "middle of the road- or at "market value". We want salaries and benefits to be in line with similar organizations. The board confirmed that this is the right positioning for act (this is reviewed annually). The board msp that the executive director salaries at act stay in the 50%-75% range as compared to other metro area executive director's running organization's of similar size. The same philosophy applies to benefits. Board policy is that benefits will be in line with what other organizations of similar size are offering. The executive director has been directed by the board to study the minnesota council of nonprofits' mn nonprofit report on salaries every even numbered year to assure act is in the "middle of the road" with respect to executive director and staff salaries.”

“These documents are available upon request.”

“Advocating change together's (act) mission is to advance "self advocacy" which, as its name suggests, engages people with developmental disabilities to be in charge of their own decisions and to speak for themselves. Act describes self-advocacy as a three-legged stool. The first leg is the personal empowerment that someone grows into, where they can speak for themselves adn go for what they want. The second led is understanding disability not as a physcial problem within the person, but as a discrimination problem within society. The third leg is the social change movement, where people with disabilities join together (organize) to get the power to change society.”

“2024 has been a year of growth, action, and support for advocating change together (act). As we continue building momentum toward act's 50th anniversary in 2029, we reflect on the incredible progress we've made in promoting self-advocacy, disability leadership, and community inclusion. This year, act strengthened its commitment to disability justice, expanded the self-advocates minnesota (sam) network, and trained new leaders through the act olmstead academy. One of our proudest moments this year was hosting the 2nd annual disability pride festival in july. This festival brought together self-advocates, community members, and allies to celebrate disability culture, amplify disabled voices, and continue pushing for equity and inclusion. The overwhelming support and participation reaffirmed the power of our movement. In addition to celebrating our successes, we have also been strategically planning for the future. Throughout 2024, act engaged in a comprehensive strategic planning process to lay the groundwork for our next five years. The act forward 2025-2029 strategic plan outlines key priorities, including expanding the self-advocacy movement, strengthening our organizational foundation, and securing long-term sustainability. This plan will guide our efforts as we continue to build a strong, disability-led movement that will carry us into our 50th anniversary and beyond. As we look to the future, our work remains vital. The act team and our dedicated network of self-advocates continue to push for policy change, systemic improvements, and stronger community connections. We are proud of what we have accomplished together and are excited for the next chapter in our movement.”

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