August 29, 2026
Talking about money isn’t always easy—especially when your work is centered around people, not dollars.
At Bri’s Lodge, we would much rather talk about the people who walk through our doors. The parent learning how to live after the death of a child. The spouse or partner suddenly navigating life alone. The family trying to understand a death by suicide or overdose. The child trying to make sense of a world that looks very different after someone they love has died.
Those are the people behind what we do.
But the reality is that providing a place for individuals and families to find the support they long for and need, takes resources. And this has been a challenging financial year for Bri’s Lodge.
We aren’t alone.
The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Current Conditions Report paints a difficult picture for nonprofits across our state:
- 82% of Minnesota nonprofits are reporting increased business expenses.
- 70% report increased demand for services.
- 53% say they have experienced a decrease in foundation grants.
- 35% are experiencing reduced individual giving.
- 67% report having less than 12 months before they would experience financial distress.
Those numbers tell a story that many nonprofits, including Bri’s Lodge, are experiencing firsthand: the cost of providing services is increasing, funding is becoming harder to secure, and at the same time, the need for services continues.
At Bri’s Lodge, we have worked hard to grow grief support in our community. Individuals and families can turn to us for one-to-one companion support, grief groups, children’s and family programming, workshops, education, grief resources, and other ways to connect and heal. We have partnered with businesses, provided education within our communities, shared about the importance of Healthcare Directives, as well as offered Lunch & Learn sessions so area professionals can learn about the value of the informal mental health supports we offer, in conjunction with equipping them to be even more supportive to the grieving they encounter within their professional and personal capacities.
Above all, we have worked hard to keep these services affordable and accessible because we never want finances to be the reason someone has to grieve alone.
But keeping services affordable for the people we serve doesn’t mean there isn’t a cost to providing them.
There are staff, trained facilitators and companions, program materials, our building, insurance, technology, utilities, and all of the everyday expenses required to keep a nonprofit operating. Just as families and businesses have experienced rising costs, nonprofits have too.
At the same time, grants have become increasingly competitive. Funders are constantly changing their priorities, and what was considered a good funding match last year has changed, and we are no longer eligible. In addition, businesses and individuals have their own financial pressures. In the end, there are simply more organizations competing for fewer available dollars.
Yet grief doesn’t wait for the economy to improve.
Death doesn’t wait until the next grant comes through.
When someone loses a person they love, they need support when they need it.
Why We’re Sharing This Now:
We believe transparency matters.
Bri’s Lodge is experiencing a challenging financial year. Rather than quietly carrying that challenge, we want our community to understand what we are facing—and have the opportunity to be a part of the solution.
That’s why we are launching Fill the Chair. Fill the Gap.
Our goal is to raise $25,000 to help fill the financial gap we are experiencing and continue providing grief support to the individuals and families who turn to Bri’s Lodge.
But we don’t want $25,000 to simply be a number.
We want people to understand what is behind it.
There is a chair at Bri’s Lodge waiting for the next person who needs it.
It may be filled by a mother whose child has died. A husband learning how to live without his wife. A teenager who doesn’t know how to talk about the death of someone they love. Someone carrying the complicated grief that can follow a suicide or overdose. Or someone who simply needs to sit across from another person and know they don’t have to carry their grief alone.
That chair represents why Bri’s Lodge exists.
And right now, we need our community’s help to make sure it remains available.
Fill the Chair. Fill the Gap.
We are asking our community to help us raise $25,000—and there are many ways to be part of it.
Some people may be able to give $10 or $25. Others may give $100 or more. Some may not be in a position to give financially but can share our message with friends, family, coworkers, or businesses.
We are also asking people connected to Bri’s Lodge—our board members, volunteers, staff, clients, and supporters—to help us reach beyond our immediate circle. Our goal is to have at least 30 people personally share this campaign with 20 people they know.
Thirty people reaching twenty people means 600 people will hear about Bri’s Lodge, our current need, and the difference their support can make. Because we don’t believe filling this gap rests on just one donor making a large gift.
But it can happen when a community of people decide grief support matters.
One person gives.
Another shares.
Someone tells a friend.
A business decides to help.
And together, those actions begin to fill the gap.
Ultimately, Fill the Chair. Fill the Gap. isn’t just about raising $25,000.
It’s about making sure the next person who experiences a devastating loss has somewhere to turn.
It’s about keeping support groups available. Having someone there to answer the phone. Providing a safe place where someone can say the name of the person who died and tell their story. Helping a child understand their grief. And creating a community where people don’t have to carry grief alone…and they can begin to experience healing.
We know this is a difficult financial season for many people and organizations. We don’t take any gift—or anyone’s trust in Bri’s Lodge—for granted.
But we also know the power of community.
Help us fill the gap so the chair can be there when someone needs it.
Because when someone is grieving, support should be there when they need it.
No one should grieve alone.
For more information, or to donate, here the link to our campaign is pasted below:
