To Show Support; To Give Appreciation; To Earn a Return: The Patterson Foundation Will Match Dollars Raised in Local Fast Pitch

Over the past few days, the latest four organizations to participate in Margin & Mission Ignition, Humane Society of Manatee County, Peace River Wildlife Center, Prospect Riding Center, and Satchel’s Last Resort, held their “Fast Pitch” presentations for local investors. Each presentation was the culmination of a 14-week business planning process whereby each entity developed an earned-income product or service. In order to move into the “implementation phase” of the product and/or service, each organization will need start-up capital. The purpose of the Fast Pitch presentation was to make a case to investors for investing the start-up capital.

As a show of support, a way of saying thank you for the work involved, and because it desires a social and financial return on its funds, The Patterson Foundation (TPF) has offered to match each organization's investors at a rate of 1:1, up to 50% of the start-up capital requested, not to exceed $50,000 for each organization. This match incentive ought to jumpstart each nonprofit’s ability to implement entrepreneurial plans that strengthen their capacity to serve the community.

Pledges, in-kind contributions, and debt funding are not eligible to be matched.

Developing products and services to sell is not easy and doesn’t come naturally to nonprofit organizations. But the benefits of being able to generate money through the sale of goods and services are long lasting. Not only is there more money to drive the mission, but each organization learns how to operate more like a business in terms of its operations and financials. This process has transformed several of our local nonprofit organizations.

Each group has until February 15, 2018, to raise start-up capital in order to receive the TPF match. In the meantime, each will begin working with No Margin No Mission to develop an implementation strategy and process so that their business plans will come to life, and they will start generating earned income!