Over 100 nonprofit professionals from across the Florida Keys convened on Sept. 10 at Marathon City Hall for the fourth annual Florida Keys Nonprofit Day. This year’s theme, “Resiliency in Uncertain Times,” addressed how organizations can strengthen their operations to tackle challenges while positioning themselves for future success.
The annual gathering is organized by the Florida Keys Funders Alliance, a partnership of the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, Ocean Reef Community Foundation and United Way of Collier and the Keys.
This year’s event centered around a keynote presentation by Sara Gibson, founder of Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit consultancy 20 Degrees. Gibson’s leadership experience includes award-winning service organizations such as Miriam’s Kitchen, AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation and Sitar Arts Center.
Named a 2021 Washington Business Journal Woman Who Means Business, she specializes in building equitable, financially-resilient organizations and is recognized for her innovative approaches to nonprofit finance and sustainability.
The program included a speed-networking session connecting nonprofit leaders from Key Largo to Key West, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Elizabeth Brown, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys.
Panel experts included Bonnie Barnes, consultant with the Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU; Wendy Gentes, assistant vice president of development at Baptist Health Foundation; Scott Pridgen, executive director of A.H. Monroe, Inc.; and Gibson.
Together, they tackled topics including financial sustainability, strategic collaboration, organizational mergers, sector trends and adaptive strategies for navigating uncertainty.
First State Bank of the Florida Keys sponsored the networking reception, which featured cuisine prepared by locally-acclaimed Chef Heather of Marathon.
Photos by ALISSA HUDAK/United Way of Collier and the Keys
