106 | DestinMagazine.com
Support Emerald Coast
E
veryone knows about the incredible
work that nonprofits provide in our
community, but many do not realize
the amount of work that goes on
behind the scenes. The backbone of many
nonprofit organizations is their volunteers.
These selfless individuals work tirelessly
putting on fundraising events and constantly
marketing to provide support and raise
awareness for their causes. Many nonprofits
are recognized for their success, showered
with praise and presented with accolades for
their hard work. Members of the community
dress up and attend fancy award dinners, but
what they don’t see is what goes on behind the
scenes. Support Emerald Coast is a nonprofit
organization FOR nonprofit organizations
and knows all about the inner workings behind
the curtain. The groups’ founders have many
collective years of experience working with
and in, volunteering for, giving to and leading
nonprofits locally and across the United States.
“What we consider truly unique is that those
same founders also have extensive business
experience and therefore have a special ability,
along with a group of talented Advisory Board
members from the local business sector, for
applying for-profit success strategies to the
nonprofit sector,” described Co-Founder and
President, Jessica Jarosz.
Support Emerald Coast has a strong
network of stakeholders from their
14-member Advisory Board representing
the best in business across the Emerald
Coast, to their list of participating nonprofit
members representing a phenomenal cross-
section of cultural, health and social service
organizations. SEC is extremely involved
within the community, engaging with several
area organizations where they support their
partners such as area Chambers of Commerce
and the United Way of Okaloosa and Walton
Counties. Sharon Rogers, Executive Director,
Safe Connections (Member Nonprofit) has
experience on both sides of the table, “I am
honored to serve on the advisory board for
Support Emerald Coast. During my many
years as the Executive Director of Safe
Connections, one of the smaller non-profit
service providers serving Okaloosa and
Walton Counties, I have become very aware
of the enormity of the work accomplished
by the many local services providers as well
as our collective struggles to maintain these
vital services. Support Emerald Coast is the
culmination of Joan and Stephen Carter’s
efforts to assist area non-profit organizations
with their business sense and their recognition
of our need for a strong collaborative approach
to the business of running a non-profit
agency. With the expertise of Jessica Jarosz
at the helm, Support Emerald Coast offers
non-profit service providers, large and small,
the access to business services they need in
the increments they need for a negotiated
price point previously only available to
large for-profit businesses. SEC brings us
together in a way that not only increases our
access to affordable, flexible business service
options, but also most importantly, frees
up our energy and attention for the crucial
services our agencies provide. “It is clear that
SEC is filling a very crucial gap in the local
nonprofit community.” Joan Carter, Co-
Founder, Support Emerald Coast believes that,
“Supporting the ‘business’ or back office of
the nonprofits will free them up to focus more
attention on their mission.”
Part of their work is to advance the missions
of their members by promoting their causes
in every way possible, whether it is attending
their events, sharing their information on social
and other networks, or advocating on their
behalf. Ken Hair (Advisory Board Member and
Support EC Member Nonprofit), Executive
Director, Children in Crisis describes his
experience saying, “Support Emerald Coast is
a blessing to the non-profits in our community.
It fills a significant gap between the charity
that doesn’t have the staffing to provide
needed services and an avenue for community
and business support at a reduced cost. It is
also the go to organization for advice, strategic
planning, and research. I’m delighted to serve
on the Advisory Board and look forward to
building more relationships with providers and
non-profits.”
Their mission is “Strengthening Nonprofits
through Shared Services” and they have been
doing just that since their inception in March
2015. “I was drawn to Support Emerald Coast
because I believe that the Not-For-Profit
community is the heart and soul of what
makes this area such a fantastic place to work,
live and play. I have worked with non-profit
organizations throughout my entire 26 year
career and feel it is important to support them
with my time, money and talents,” stated
Kevin Bowyer (Advisory Board Member),
Member, Warren Averett. They have
accomplished an extremely impressive amount
in such a short time frame; inducting almost 20
nonprofit members and building partnerships
with many service providers offering deep
discounts on specialized nonprofit services
to Support EC Members in the areas of
Accounting, Human Resources, Marketing,
story by
Courtney Murray
|
photo provided by
Support Emerald Coast
Ken Hair, Sharon Rogers, Fred Leopold, Jessica Jarosz, Stephen Carter, Joan Carter, Cory Fosdyck & Kevin Bowyer
XX-XX GiveCareShare.indd 1
9/27/16 2:36 PM