Shared Empowerment: The Partnership Between UnidosNow and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County

By Roxie Jerde

Just as UnidosNow is turning 10-years old this year, so too is its partnership with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Our two community-minded organizations were brought together by a shared vision to empower families and individuals across generations to reach their full potential, and since then our partnership has only grown stronger and more interconnected.

As an early adopter of our 2-Gen philosophy, UnidosNow continues to be an invaluable partner in creating cycles of opportunities for children and their families. This genuine care for our community is also reflected in UnidosNow’s work within our Season of Sharing network, helping support our most vulnerable neighbors in crisis with immediate basic needs as a way to regain stability and security.

I am always proud to mention that UnidosNow was one of the first organizations to join The Giving Partner and participate in our inaugural Giving Challenge, a tradition it has enthusiastically continued with award-winning campaigns throughout our last seven challenges. In our most recent challenge – the 2020 Giving Challenge – UnidosNow received $283,000 in gifts from more than 330 donors, a campaign that was recognized with four distinct awards: Best Nonprofit Partnership with Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County; Best Board Member Engagement; Best Use of Social Media; and, the second Best Overall Campaign as a medium-sized organization. All these distinctions culminated in UnidosNow celebrating a third-place finale on our leaderboard, out of 686 local participating nonprofit organizations.

And donors have resonated with these efforts: to date, UnidosNow has been awarded more than $1,328,000 in grants to further their causes, including The Giving Challenge. Just within the last year, UnidosNow has transformed this generous funding into multi-generational opportunities for connection and empowerment, from supporting families through its Parent Leadership Program at Tuttle, Gocio, Emma E. Booker and Alta Vista Elementary Schools to addressing virtual needs – of students and parents alike – that have arisen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even civic engagement and voter registration are part and parcel of UnidosNow’s work, as seen during its Mi Voto, Mi Futuro campaign that was supported by the Athena Progressive Giving Circle of the Community Foundation.

All of us at the Community Foundation want to congratulate UnidosNow and its incredible board, staff, and volunteers for reaching this significant milestone. Cheers to 10-years of making a difference, and here’s to the next 10 and many, many more!