We all benefit when nonprofits have what they need to thrive. This month, the Charlotte Community Foundation (CCF) announces a powerful new partnership with Catchafire to invest in local nonprofit capacity building. Under the dedicated leadership of Dr. Shelley Strickland, this initiative brings critical guidance and skills-based volunteers directly to organizations across Charlotte County, FL. The program ensures local groups have the resources they need to keep showing up for the people they serve every single day. This ranges from technical assistance and leadership training to fundraising and strategic communications.
Many nonprofits are already using AI to streamline their day-to-day work, strengthen fundraising, and make faster, more informed decisions. The real question now is not whether to use AI. It is about getting started in a way that makes sense for your organization and stays true to your mission.
As a first-of-its-kind resource in the Gulf Coast region, this collaborative effort goes beyond the grant. The Charlotte Community Foundation recognizes that true community empowerment requires non-grantmaking support to strengthen partners as nonprofits navigate changes in federal funding and advances in artificial intelligence enter the charitable sector. This proactive approach to capacity building guarantees long-term, systemic change that outlasts standard funding cycles. It allows community leaders to focus fully on their vital missions while accelerating their community impact.
“As CCF has rebuilt our competitive grantmaking program, we also wanted to strengthen our nonprofit partnerships beyond grants by bringing this proven capacity-building program to Charlotte County...We are excited about empowering our local organizations with access to tools and resources of their choosing, and the aggregate data on what nonprofits themselves identify as needs and opportunities through Catchafire usage will help CCF to enhance service to nonprofits that so vitally contribute to our community’s quality of life."
—Dr. Shelley Strickland, President and CEO
Services tailored for impact
Through catchafire.org and their active community of passionate skills-based virtual volunteers, organizations get sophisticated technical and strategic inputs, including data system implementation and financial modeling. These essential growth components are often financially inaccessible within standard operating budgets. Now, groups can easily connect with dedicated professionals who will guide Executive Directors through the work, all pro bono.
This capacity building approach spans across five areas of support that impact individual leaders, organizations, and collaborations as a whole.
- Technical assistance: Specialized skills or training—such as software implementation and technical onboarding—designed to bridge internal gaps and improve organizational efficiency.
- Leadership development: Intensive support for nonprofit leaders focused on cultivating a healthy organizational culture, sustaining core services, and professional development for Executive Directors.
- Fundraising and revenue enhancement: Strategic guidance to diversify revenue streams, improve donor relations, and master the art of storytelling, helping build long-term financial resilience through better budget management and sustainability planning.
- Program implementation: Data-driven assistance to help nonprofits demonstrate their impact, refine service delivery, and direct continuous program improvement.
- Back office: Essential operational functions that keep an organization running smoothly, including HR, bookkeeping, graphic design, database management, and compliance.
Learn more
If you want to learn more about the Charlotte Community Foundation’s work with Catchafire, please reach out to grants@charlottecf.org.
