The Patterson Foundation believes in the power of strengthening the efforts of people, organizations, and communities through philanthropy. By supporting Margin & Mission Ignition, The Patterson Foundation is providing the opportunity for nonprofits in our region to learn about earned-income opportunities. Nonprofits that meet participation criteria will learn and share with each other as they go through the 30-month process to develop and implement an earned-income plan. Rather than providing grants to nonprofits, the foundation is providing access to expertise through its engagement with No Margin, No Mission.

Margin & Mission Ignition has engaged more than 30 nonprofits serving Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties to strengthen their operations and impact by boosting entrepreneurial capacity. Since 2015, these organizations have generated more than $60 million total in gross revenue through the earned-income plans developed through Margin & Mission.

When margin grows in a nonprofit, it provides an opportunity to expand the organization's mission. Margin & Mission Ignition is about igniting interest in earned-income, exploring possibilities, and sharing and connecting experiences, as well as planning and implementing earned-income strategies with nonprofits throughout Southwest Florida.

No Margin, No Mission is a national consulting practice that has partnered with The Patterson Foundation since 2013 to help strengthen nonprofits on Florida’s Suncoast. No Margin, No Mission’s Managing Partners and Principals, Michael Oxman and Larry Clark, are thought-leaders and experts in nonprofit thrivability who have worked with organizations across the country to help boost their entrepreneurial capacity, revenue, and mission impact.

Thrivability is the degree to which a person, place, thing, or idea can thrive. Through its Nonprofit Thrivability Initiative, The Patterson Foundation offers an opportunity for organizations and staffers to address and analyze their current operations — including programs, products, and services they offer, along with staffing/volunteering — through a new lens of mission-centric, economically informed decision-making practices.

Margin & Mission Ignition follows this process:

• Invitations to participate in a series of educational labs are sent to a subset of the nonprofit organizations with updated profiles in The Giving Partner.
  
  
• Nonprofits that attend the labs, meet all participation criteria, and demonstrate alignment of leadership, willingness, readiness, capacity, and culture are invited to apply for the 30-month earned income business planning and implementation process.
  
  
• Nonprofits selected will be coached to create and implement viable earned-income plans.
  
  
• Participating nonprofits will present business plans to investors, donors, and funders in a "fast-pitch" presentation designed to attract needed startup/growth capital.
  
  
• Participating nonprofits will be mentored as they implement earned-income plans.
  
  
• Participating nonprofits will learn and share from each other at key times.
  
  
• Consultants will track and monitor progress for a year following the implementation of the earned-income plans.

The Patterson Foundation covers all expenses associated with the educational labs, consultation, and technical assistance for earned-income plan development, implementation, and monitoring. Participating organizations must allocate sufficient staff time and talent to ensure full engagement throughout Margin & Mission Ignition.

Arcadia-DeSoto County Habitat for Humanity
Art Center Sarasota
Beyond the Spectrum
Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary
Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity
Charlotte County Homeless Coalition
Charlotte Players, Inc
Charlotte Preparatory School
Florida Maritime Museum
Friends of Sarasota County Parks
Gulf Coast Heritage Association (Historic Spanish Point)
Humane Society of Manatee County
Key Chorale
Legal Aid of Manasota
Lighthouse Vision Loss Education Center
Manatee County Habitat for Humanity
NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties
Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s
Peace River Wildlife Center
Pines of Sarasota
Prospect Riding Center
Resilient Retreat
Sarasota Opera
Satchel’s Last Resort
Save Our Seabirds
Selah Freedom
Senior Friendship Centers
The Florida Center for Early Childhood
The Literacy Council of Sarasota
The Manatee Players, Inc.
UnidosNow
Venice MainStreet
Visual Arts Center (Punta Gorda)
WSLR+Fogartyville

The Patterson Foundation is committed to providing the expertise for nonprofits to learn about earned-income opportunities and, for those that meet participation criteria, to design and implement earned-income plans. The Patterson Foundation does not anticipate being a primary source of startup capital for earned-income projects but has incentivized mission investments through matching challenges.

For more information about Margin & Mission Ignition, contact senior consultant Michael Corley: mcorley@thepattersonfoundation.org.