Sarasota and Manatee counties are gifted with three community foundations, each with dedicated professionals and knowledge supporting our region in vital ways.
Together with private foundations like the Selby Foundation, they have important roles uplifting the health and well-being of people who live in the region. But unlike private foundations, they steward the philanthropic goals and aspirations of hundreds of donors who give while living and through charitable legacies after they have passed.
The Selby Foundation team feels fortunate to partner with our local community foundations in a number of ways. On April 1, 2025, our President and CEO Susie Bowie facilitated a panel discussion with philanthropy team leaders from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, and Manatee Community Foundation on behalf of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Southwest Florida Chapter.
Here are five takeaways from the discussion that highlight some of the similarities and differences between community foundations and private foundations like the Selby Foundation. If you guess that numbers 1, 2, and 5 are similarities, you are right!
1. Staff of the 3 community foundations in Sarasota/Manatee talk to each other and work together for the benefit of our community. They also share tools to help community members and donors better understand trends and needs in the region.
2. Community foundations want to understand how local organizations and the people they serve are being impacted by funding cuts, policy changes, and other evolving circumstances.
3. The primary role of the philanthropy team is to work with donors to support their philanthropic goals and aspirations. This may include introductions to organizations working in spaces they are passionate about, connection to initiatives that align with their values, and exposure to data and information to inform their giving.
4. Living donors may change their legacy plans when their own priorities change, when a nonprofit does not steward their gifts well, or when new organizations become important to the donors.
5. Community foundation staff respect and deeply appreciate the work of nonprofit staff in making our region a better place for all. All members of the panel discussion formerly worked for nonprofit organizations.
Thanks to Sasha Pyatte, CFRE, Director of Philanthropic Partnerships at Gulf Coast Community Foundation; Yolanda Mancha, VP of Philanthropy at Manatee Community Foundation; and Laurie Scott, Philanthropic Advisor at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County for joining the conversation. Thank you to AFP Southwest Florida for organizing this opportunity–and for the ongoing support of learning in the fundraising space.