A new initiative focused on nonprofit-to-nonprofit collaboration launches next week.
Capacity Catalyst, a newsletter published by the St Petersburg Foundation, will house content and tools designed to facilitate resource sharing and support capacity-building within the sector.
The creation of Capacity Catalyst was prompted by feedback from the 2023/2024 Pinellas County Nonprofit Assessment. The assessment, conducted by the Pinellas Community Foundation, the St. Petersburg Foundation (SPF) and the University of South Florida, resulted in a 108-page document detailing the current state of Pinellas County’s charitable organizations.
The results were presented during two live events in the fall of 2023: at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art on the St. Petersburg College Tarpon Springs campus and at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg’s Center for Health Equity. NPO leaders engaged in dialogue after each presentation and a clear theme emerged: A need for more structured networking and resource-sharing opportunities among NPOs.
“Advocacy can’t happen without data collection like this – but that’s only the first step,” said Karen Chassin, SPF executive director emeritus, at the nonprofit assessment results unveiling event. “I think there’s room to work in concert with our funders to address this issue of competition for scarce resources and work to do within ourselves.”
The Capacity Catalyst newsletter aims to address this need with tools specifically designed to be a conduit for idea and resource sharing. Features include:
- Nonprofit news and updates to keep organizations informed about sector developments
- Capacity Connector: A classifieds-style board exclusively for nonprofits
- Educational articles, series and classes
- Calendar of events relevant to nonprofit professionals
- Information on grants, funding opportunities and other financial resources
- Success stories and best practices from peer organizations
- Spotlights on innovative organizations and their staff/volunteers
“The Capacity Catalyst newsletter is a direct response to the wants and needs shared by our nonprofit community,” said Joe Hamilton, co-founder of the St. Petersburg Foundation and owner/publisher of the St. Pete Catalyst. “We believe this newsletter will fill an important niche for NPO-to-NPO connection.”
St Petersburg Foundation Executive Director Irv Cohen added, “This tool serves our foundation’s mission to build capacity so organizations can focus less on operations and more on impacting those they serve. That it was requested by the collective is a great step in listening and responding to each other. The success of Capacity Catalyst equally relies on the collective going forward.”
To leverage Capacity Catalyst, nonprofit organizations can submit news, classified items, funding opportunities, events and job postings via email to impact@stpete.foundation.
The first Capacity Catalyst newsletter goes out Monday, Aug. 19. Those interested in subscribing can sign up at stpete.foundation/capacity-catalyst.