Press Releases

From SRQ Magazine:

Some of the high-profile philanthropic organizations doing good today in Southwest Florida make do with some surprisingly small staffs. That is in part out of an expectation from donors that most financial resources go directly to a mission instead of overhead costs.

Suncoast Charities for Children operates with just two constant staff members. The Selby Foundation for years has maintained a staff of three. Yet, both organizations have wide name recognition and a well-known reach.

"We accomplish a great deal with volunteers," said Lucy Nicandri, vice president of Sucoast Charities for Children. The little staff that exists focuses on managing donations and organizing events. The bulk of overhead costs go toward events like the Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix, which in turn raise much more money that goes directly toward grants for children's charities in the area. This year grants were given to the Special Olympics, Community Haven and Adult Center , the Florida Center for Child and Family Development and other causes.

The Selby Foundation survives off of an endowment from the late William and Marie Selby, so there isn't the same demand on fundraising efforts, according to CEO Sarah Pappas.

The foundation has maintained the same size staff for more than a dozen years, Pappas said. If anything, technology has made that easier over time. In the nearly three years she has managed the foundation, Pappas said a new focus on digital applications and record keeping has taken the organization "into the 21st Century."

"We are saving a lot of money and saving a lot of trees," she said.

The focus of the group, which has given out grants to such cultural and social groups as the Art Center Sarasota and the Education Foundation of the Gulf Coast , has been on visits to other philanthropic organizations and the assurance that grant dollars are being spent wisely.

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