The Patterson Foundation quickly moved beyond coping into adapting to COVID-19 by embracing digital platforms and creating innovative networks and opportunities for engagement while leveraging time-tested collaborations poised to boost recovery efforts and the organizations behind them. From there, The Patterson Foundation moved into innovating how it strengthens people, organizations, and communities through each of its initiatives focused on caring, connecting, collaborating, contributing, and creating.

The Patterson Foundation’s COVID-19 Response initiative was powered by two teams working in tandem: a convening team and a communications team. The convening team worked with the Florida Department of Health to share and strengthen efforts across the region. The communications team worked to share established learnings on preventing COVID-19 and up-to-date data with community advocates. The communications team was supported by Aspirations Journalism and published a weekly newsletter for community influencers, “Amplifying What Works.”

In an effort to promote vaccinations throughout the Suncoast, The Patterson Foundation and its strategic communications partner, MagnifyGood, partnered with regional media outlets to provide timely medical information from local physicians in English and Spanish while encouraging people to get vaccinated and move one step closer to a post-COVID world.

Beyond the COVID-19 Response initiative, The Patterson Foundation worked to strengthen people, organizations, and communities coping with the pandemic through the following initiatives and endeavors:

Advancing Mission Thrivability

• In collaboration with No Margin, No Mission, The Patterson Foundation launched Advancing Mission Thrivability, a valuable opportunity for organizations with an up-to-date profile on The Giving Partner. Advancing Mission Thrivability is a series of FREE Zoom sessions — called labinars and webversations — that serve as a vehicle for EDs / CEOs, board members, and staffers to explore ways to strengthen their organizations and build mission impact. Following the Zoom sessions, up to 15 organizations with demonstrated interest, need, and preparedness to delve deeper into the work were offered the opportunity to receive 1:1 virtual consultation support from No Margin, No Mission, underwritten by The Patterson Foundation.

Advancing Philanthropic Leadership

• With five days notice, The Patterson Foundation morphed the weeklong study away portion of “The Future of the Philanthropic Sector” experiential learning course into a totally virtual experience and converted a session on the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s graduate certificate and master’s programs into a webinar.

BellAge

• To strengthen efforts addressing the pandemic’s severe effect on older generations, The Patterson Foundation invested in BellAge, a public benefit company harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies that enable millions of older adults across the world to age better. The Patterson Foundation strengthened BellAge by providing financial and project support while connecting it with partners aligned with the company’s mission and focus. The Patterson Foundation also strengthened regional participation in the Florida Department of Elder Affairs’ (DOEA) Florida Safe Survey, which is powered by BellAge’s CV19 CheckUp system. CV19 CheckUp helps individuals understand how certain behaviors can increase their risk of infection and how they can mitigate those risks. The survey is free and available in English and Spanish.

2020 Giving Challenge

• The Patterson Foundation contributed $7.5 million to the 2020 Giving Challenge through a 1:1 match for all unique donations between $25 and $100 per donor, per nonprofit organization — in addition to $51,000 in prizes for nonprofit organizations that cultivated the highest number of unique donors. The contribution strengthened our caring community’s generosity as it raised $18.4 million in unrestricted funding for nearly 700 nonprofits amid the COVID-19 pandemic — the greatest Giving Challenge total to date.

• To jump-start nonprofit engagement with our caring community around the 2020 Giving Challenge, The Patterson Foundation shared daily tips across its social media and digital channels that organizations and donors used to strengthen opportunities to connect over the month leading up to the 24-hour event.

NetHope

• The Patterson Foundation contributed a $100,000 gift to catalyze contributions from additional funders to strengthen NetHope’s international COVID-19 response effort and support its 57 member organizations with technology solutions developed in partnership with leading technology companies.

Patriot Plaza

• The Patterson Foundation’s commitment to honoring the service and sacrifice of America’s veterans and military families led to The Patterson Foundation making a one-time $50,000 gift to Wreaths Across America at Sarasota National Cemetery. Wreaths Across America is one organization that has faced new challenges this year in its mission to honor our nation’s heroes by providing donated wreaths for the headstones of the veterans laid to rest throughout our national cemeteries.

Season of Sharing

• Season of Sharing was reactivated in March 2020 to help families and individuals facing unforeseen financial hardship brought on by the pandemic. The Patterson Foundation contributed an immediate $500,000 gift to the campaign and a $500,000 dollar-for-dollar match, which the community achieved in less than a month while raising over $2 million.

Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading

• In collaboration with The Florida Center for Early Childhood, the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading created and presented a series of webinars designed to help parents and children talk about and deal with COVID-19 in ways that are honest, accurate, and minimize anxiety.
  
  
• The Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading created a new iteration of its book circles focused on The Power of Presence. Webinars and follow-up discussions on Zoom featuring author Joy Thomas Moore share how the seven pillars of presence—heart, faith, courage, financial freedom, values, and connectedness—can help guide families through these challenging times.
  
  
• The Suncoast Summer Reading Challenge was reformatted for summer programs serving a limited number of children on-site, as well as those operating virtually. The annual Blast Off event initiating the Suncoast Summer Book Challenge was held virtually.
  
  
• To continue inspiring children to become confident readers, the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading produced THIS BOOK IS COOL!, a series of 100 webisodes focused on 100 books for students in grades Pre-K – 3 featuring special guests, vocabulary lessons, and fun follow-up activities. Books were distributed to qualifying children from Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties on a weekly basis over the summer.
  
  
• Mind in the Making coffee chats for facilitators went virtual, and training for community members was reformatted and delivered virtually.

Join streamdigital host Lisa Moody for an energizing interview with Debra M. Jacobs, president & CEO of The Patterson Foundation.