Advocates

Why Local Funding Support is Necessary

 

While we receive the majority of our program funding through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, that agreement requires us to obtain state and local investment at a dollar for dollar ratio (1:1). That means… for each federal dollar we receive, we need to find a state or local dollar to “match” it. The key word here is "leveraging.”

At the state and local level, we have strong support from the Bank of North Dakota, which provides our state match. We still need local investors to fill in the gaps and support each regional SBDC’s operations and services to their communities.

We are asking for your help in two ways:

1. Communicate to your state legislators that continued investment at the state level is imperative for the ND SBDC program to continue supporting local small businesses and positively impacting our economy. Here are some simple steps:

• • • Find your legislator using the helpful search tool in the upper right of the website, then click on their name for contact information - phone, email, and traditional mail.
    • Use these handy template that only needs a few pieces of information added from you.
      • Client letter to legislator
      • Advocate partner letter to legislators
    • Send to your designated legislator using the method of your choice.

2. Communicate to your local county officials, city officials, economic development, and Chamber groups that their investment in your local SBDC is crucial to keep our services facing your local community small businesses and sustaining a strong and diverse business landscape!

You can also reach out to Governor Burgum, Lt. Governor Tammy Miller, Representative Armstrong, Senator Cramer or Senator Hoeven

How You Can Be a Champion

 

The ND SBDC is not permitted to spend program dollars on marketing purposes, so we need your help in telling people about our program. Whether a colleague thinking about starting their own business, a current business owner looking to grow and expand, or someone looking to sell their business or retire. Our services can assist them all - and we're FREE! Here's how you can help:

Social Media

1. Follow us on social platforms - Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram
2. Like, comment, and share posts that you know others could benefit from
3. Give us a positive review on Facebook or Google

In Your Community

It is likely that your community has a number of small businesses that make it a great place to live, 98.8% of businesses in ND are considered “small businesses.”

1. Speak up! Mention the SBDC when you hear someone needs assistance with a business, they can probably benefit from our services.
2. Invite us! We would be happy to join any discussion being had about small business. We can contribute what we know and probably learn more at the same time.
3. Direct people to our website to learn more!