Madison Needs Network was founded in April 2016 by Katy Hager, an energetic, young professional who has volunteered her time and expertise with various local organizations in the Madison community for over 15 years. She is motivated by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?"

 

The city of Madison has a significant number of nonprofit organizations, yet there are still large gaps in services and resources for people in need in our community. Madison Needs Network works to fill these gaps. The idea behind the Madison Needs Network is simple – we hear about a community need, and we respond. We eliminate the red tape and make things happen as quickly as possible. With the help of our personal networks, local businesses, and other nonprofit organizations, we target specific needs in the areas of education, homelessness, and food insecurity, paying particular attention to the overlap among those.

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Our model allows us to respond to current and changing needs in the greater Madison community, which might mean mobilizing with other nonprofit organizations when extreme weather hits or being able to respond to a very specific request when a social worker from a school reaches out to tell us about a family who is struggling. Meanwhile, we continue to build upon our own initiatives, which include an annual pop-up school supply store and a winter holiday party for families experiencing homelessness.  

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The Madison Needs Network firmly believes that we all have a responsibility to make the world around us a better place, whatever that might look like. We are eternally grateful to our supporters who help us continue to achieve our mission.​