The Coco Canary Monthly Newsletter
July 2021
Summary: Stop Line 3, Coco Canary’s 2020-2021 Annual Narrative, an In-person Strategic Doing Workshop, The Last Prisoner Project, and more.
Welcome to Coco Canary!
If you’re new here, read this section! Otherwise, skip on down.
Hello from Molly O’Connor, the CEO, and founder of Coco Canary Consulting, LLC (CCC), an evaluation firm.
We are based in St. Paul, MN, and we acknowledge that we are on the stolen lands of the Wahpekute, who are among the Oceti Sakowin, (“Seven Council Fires”). These people were the first stewards of the lands we occupy, and they are still here. We honor their connection to this land and their ongoing resilience in the face of violent colonialism.
You may ask, how do social justice and racial equity relate to evaluation or communication? Well, from our experience, we have seen evaluations designed and communications reported in ways that harm, undervalue, and take advantage of the communities being served. This is our current status quo, and it is not okay. It has to change. This is why we do our work differently because we want to be a part of the solution, not the problem.
Please visit Community Centric Fundraising for more information. It is a new movement that has inspired thousands (including Coco Canary) to do better. For extra credit, visit Consulting With a Racial Equity Lens too.
A Grounding: Stop Line 3. Donate, Protest, Call Your Representatives, Become a Water Protector.
If you haven’t heard of the Stop Line 3 movement, here is a synopsis:
Line 3 is a proposed pipeline expansion to bring nearly a million barrels of tar sands per day from Alberta, Canada, to Superior, Wisconsin. (FYI, there is a current-day pipeline that is old and corroding, which will be “replaced,” but it is unclear if it will be removed). It was proposed in 2014 by Enbridge, a Canadian pipeline company responsible for the largest inland oil spill in the US. Enbridge seeks to build a new pipeline corridor through untouched wetlands and the treaty territory of Anishinaabe peoples, through the Mississippi River headwaters to the shore of Lake Superior. Line 3 would contribute more to climate change than Minnesota’s entire economy. Minnesota’s own Department of Commerce found our local market does not need Line 3 oil. We need to decommission the old Line 3 and justly transition to a renewable, sustainable economy. Line 3 would violate the treaty rights of Anishinaabe peoples and nations in its path — wild rice is a centerpiece of Anishinaabe culture. It grows in numerous watersheds Line 3 seeks to cross. It’s well past time to end the legacy of theft and destruction of indigenous peoples and territories.
– Stop Line 3’s Website
The movement needs help right now. Enbridge is currently drilling and is hoping to be done by early August 2021. Sign the Petition…Donate (To the org or Directly to the frontlines)… Come to the front lines and be a Water Protector… I currently can’t make it to the front lines (I am hoping to make it in August), but I am sending a monthly donation. Every little bit helps. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out also, if you want to go to the frontlines but want a buddy (or a carpool), I know several folks who would be happy to connect with you.
In love and solidarity,
<3 Molly
Business Updates
1. 2020-2021 Annual Narrative: A Summary of Coco Canary’s First Year
If you know me at all, you would know that I value transparency. And, as a socially conscious business officially over a year old, I wanted to share what Coco Canary has accomplished from July 2020 to June 2021. I made a quick-and-dirty report, which you can check out here. Otherwise, if you don’t have time to read it, here is a bullet-point summary.
- Total Revenue: ~ $40,000
- Expenses: ~ $19,000
- Expenses include mortgage, bills, subscriptions, insurances, paying subcontractors, professional development, etc.
- Donations: $3,682 (~9%)
- Predominantly to systems-change work and mutual aid
- Total Projected Income: ~ $18,000
- Owner draws, investments, and savings
- Clients
- Full List of Evaluation Clients:
- Trellis (formerly known at Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging) through McCarthy & Associates (Complete)
- Minnesota Judicial Branch – Morrison County Adult Drug Court Program (Complete)
- Living at Home of the Park Rapids Area (Complete)
- Girls are Powerful (Complete)
- University of Minnesota Extension – Natural Resources (Ongoing)
- Full List of Strategic Doing Clients
- Le Sueur County in partnership with Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (Ongoing)
- German-American Alumni Network supported by Cultural Vistas (Complete)
- Full List of Evaluation Clients:
- Presentations Given: 6
- Conferences: Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Annual Conference, Visitor Services Association, and Grant Professionals Association.
- Custom Webinars: SEED SPOT (x2). The Gratitude Network
- Volunteer Hours: Uh… a lot…
- Headwaters Foundation for Justice’s Giving Project: Fundraising for system change work based in Minnesota. As a team, we raised over 250K!
- Community Centric Fundraising – Minnesota Chapter: I have been community organizing with fellow nonprofit professionals to co-create a CCF Minnesota chapter!
- Swing Left: I did A LOT of letter writing (and some phone banking) for Swing Left’s Get Out The Vote campaign. I wrote over 200 letters in 2020, and am writing letters this year for the upcoming 2021 elections!
- Invasive species removal and conservation work, mostly through the Friends of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary and the Lower Phalen Creek Project.
- James Ford Bell Library: Board member
- Overall Themes of This Year?: Learning & Unlearning. Making Relationships. Re-Finding My Voice.
In a future newsletter, I’ll share what my goals are for next year. For now, I hope you enjoyed an update of what we accomplished this last year! It is important to note that I did not accomplish this alone. Friends, family, colleagues, and mentors made my first year as a full-time consultant better than I could have ever imagined.
Four images from an in-person Strategic Doing Workshop. The left corner picture is Pam Bishop speaking to a crowd. The top right picture is a picture of the whole room of people. The bottom left in a picture of a participant with a microphone sharing about their proposed project. The bottom right picture is of participants votes with stickers for their favorite project
Strategic Doing: Our First In-Person Workshop in Over a Year
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Le Sueur County co-facilitating an economic development workshop with the amazing Pam Bishop (from Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation) and Jennifer Hawkins (from the University of Minnesota Extension). Sixty community members came to share what assets they bring and then leveraged all the assets to develop projects. Each group presented their project ideas, and then people voted for the projects they liked best.
Since May 2021, Pam, Jennifer, and I have been using the Strategic Doing framework to help community leaders from Le Sueur County co-create a strategic plan. Next month, I will facilitate a conversation with Le Sueur County community leaders about project outcomes, success “metrics,” and action planning tangible next steps.
This project will likely wind down after September, right when another economic development project winds up. I’ll tell you more about our next project in a future newsletter. Anyway, it has been so much fun being a part of economic development work this last year. I’m looking forward to exploring this field more and seeing how I can keep bringing my evaluation & equity lens’ into it.
Other Business Updates
The Coven Community Funded Membership
I have had the privilege and honor to be a Coven member this last year. And this was thanks to their Community Funded Membership, which was completely free. As a recent COVID layoff and new independent consultant, the Coven offered me fantastic opportunities, such as a business development cohort where I met other Coven members who are new friends and business cheerleaders. If you are based in the Twin Cities, are looking for a supportive community, but need financial assistance, I’d highly recommend applying. It is open until Aug 13th.
I wanted to uplift the Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit which fights criminal injustice by reimagining drug policy. They are doing AMAZING social justice work. Learn more about them on this PBS special!
I might have mentioned this before, but I used to be a freelance writer. And I predominantly wrote outdoor trail reviews for a company called RootsRated, as well as through my blog, Molly’s Journey to the West. I sometimes get scouted by newspapers for interviews about local parks and trails (because I have over 70 published articles; uh, wow, I can’t even believe that.). Well, Bring Me The News reached out for an interview about Richardson Nature Center. You can read the article here.
Personal Update
Molly Will be in Washington D.C. August 10th – 15th. If You’re In Town, Let’s Connect!
My update this month is that I’ll be in Washington D.C. for five days in August. I’m visiting family, specifically my twin sister—fun fact, did you know we are identical twins? That’s her in the photo above—I want to dedicate some time to meet folks if anyone is interested and able! I already know I’ll be connecting with a few people (Seti and Nina??). If you want to try to meet up IRL, reach me at my email below. Otherwise, we can connect over Zoom or phone anytime.
Let’s Stay Connected!
To keep up to date with my business news, connect or follow me on Linkedin. Don’t forget to follow our newsletter (and share with others), as well! And, of course, if you know of anyone who may benefit from our services, send them our way. Referrals are what make the world go round.
Much love and in solidarity,
Molly O’Connor (she/her/hers)
CEO – Evaluation & Communications Specialist
direct: (612) 868-0364
email: moconnor@cococanary.com
website: cococanary.com
Black Lives Matter
Justice for Breonna Taylor, Eric Gardner, George Floyd, Winston “Boogie” Smith, Daunte Wright Jr., Deona Marie, and many more. Know their names.
