CLEAN UP THE RIVER ENVIRONMENT
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
CURE's strength is that fact that we are a rural organizer. In the climate, energy, water or democracy work we do, we are a go-to organization that authentically engages people in rural places to solve problems. In our Energy work - We are working to make rural electric utilities (cooperatives) more transparent and member owner driven. In our Water work - CURE is leading in the co-creation of a Water Ethic Charter for the State of Minnesota. In our Rural Democracy work - CURE will be working to develop grassroots leadership in rural communities that will cultivate and support local leaders in making rural Minnesota a more representative of those they serve.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Water Program
First and foremost, CURE dedicates resources to assure the health and sustainability of the Minnesota River Basin. Staff and members work together to wisely develop strategies that engage partners and decision-makers to take action to protect and restore water quality, biological integrity, and natural beauty. Though this effort starts in our own backyard, we sometimes find ourselves working to craft and pass both state and federal land and water policy. Our work currently focuses on the nexus between water, agriculture and climate.
Please visit our website for more information. www.curemn.org
Energy Democracy
CURE's Energy Democracy Program is uniquely focused on strategies to impact climate, energy, and environmental justice decisions affecting rural residents. Energy Democracy is about building power to address linkages between environmental challenges, inequities, and other systemic challenges facing our communities.
You cannot talk about Energy Democracy in rural communities without talking about Rural Electric Co-ops. One in three Minnesotans get their electricity from a Rural Electric Co-op (REC). REC's are democratically owned and operative utilities that were created during the New Deal to electrify rural America. However, the operations of Minnesota's RECs today lack transparency and good governance.
CURE is a national leader in the REC movement and our program is helping deliver clean electricity, energy efficiency, climate justice and economic justice to rural communities.
For more information please visit our website: www.curemn.org
Connecting with Nature
Connecting with Nature is a CURE program providing educational and experiential opportunities for our members and the general public. This program offers adventures and event programming to increase awareness and knowledge in the areas of climate, clean energy and watershed sustainability.
Our two larger signature programs are our Freshwater Mussel Field Days and our biennial Tallgrass Prairie BioBlitz.
CURE is host to the Prairie & Potholes Minnesota Master Naturalist chapter and teaches a week long Prairie & Potholes Biome for the program.
For more information visit our website at www.curemn.org
Rural Democracy Project
CURE embraces democracy-driven solutions to rural issues and environmental justice. We work with people across Minnesota to build power to create a more sustainable future and vibrant communities that benefit all who live here.
The Rural Democracy Project (RDP) is helping people in rural places build independent political power with a special focus on electoral politics. Starting at the local level is where real change will take root; this will set a precedent for the state and nation. Passionate groups of people meeting in cafes, living rooms, and churches across Minnesota are where change is cultivated. This is the nursery of democracy.
“We will make the road by walking.” – Antonio Machado
For more information please visit www.curemn.org
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
1% for the Planet 2022
Minnesota Environmental Partnership 2022
External reviews
Photos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Authentic grassroots engagement to ensure that rural communities are vibrant, healthy, diverse with access to quality education, healthcare, childcare with a commitment to natural resources and landscapes.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
CURE employs many strategies in rural places - from listening sessions, bringing lawmakers to rural places, bringing people from rural places to testify and meet with lawmakers. Building capacity in rural leaders and offering opportunities for the public to build their own capacity to learn about democracy that serves everyone for the common good.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We are in our 28th year of making this work happen with whatever the resources are because we are committed to this work. There is always more work to do than we have funding for and with more funding we can hire more folks to add to our team. This would accelerate our outcomes and spread the load.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
CURE does really diverse work and in each of the areas of work over the years we have had wins and we have learning how we can do things differently.
We know we are winning in our energy work as Minnesota leads the nation on the renewable energy standards. We led the charge to keep Big Stone II from coming on line and coal fired energy plants are scheduled to retire.
In our water work - CURE led on bringing to light the fact that Minnesota was not enforcing the Buffers Law that has been on the books since the 1970's with our Buffer's Now campaign.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
CLEAN UP THE RIVER ENVIRONMENT
Board of directorsas of 08/01/2023
Rhyan Schicker
LQP SWCD
Term: 2021 -
Peter Kennedy
U of MN Research & Outreach Center
Margaret Kuchenreuther
University of Minnesota, Morris
Brian Wojtalewicz
Wojtalewicz Law
Glen Jacobsen
Renville County
Jim Falk
Falk Seed Company
Sean Carroll
Land Stewardship Project
Kathy Hartley
Retired ELCA
Rhyan Schicker
Lac qui Parle Soil & Water Conservation District
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/01/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.