Since becoming the CEO of Collaboratory roughly one year ago, I’ve had the honor of meeting with so many people and organizations passionate about creating a thriving future for Southwest Florida.
Every organization, including Collaboratory, requires a vision of what it hopes our community can achieve. Our vision includes sustaining the traditional work of a community foundation, such as donor-advised funds, legacy gift-making, nonprofit support, capacity building and so much more. In times of disaster, we also continue to support the needs of our community. That vision has also evolved to include coalition-building, which propels our community leadership work to bring partners together to solve the problems that impact us most.
I’ve learned that our community is excited about exploring new ways to approach problem-solving. And I’ve witnessed how we have collectively embraced the idea that we not only can, but we must, solve these problems together.
The vital relationships we’ve worked to facilitate and convene during the past year, along with those we seek to establish in the years ahead, are vital to our collective success. When we unite people and combine resources on a shared mission to address the root causes of our challenges, we can solve them at their source, not merely treat the symptoms. Money alone will not solve our collective problems; partnerships will.
By bringing together diverse voices, we are working cohesively to address systemic issues – from housing and health care to education and workforce development. These coalition alliances prove that when we work together, anything is possible.
One of the most inspiring developments of the past year is seeing our community leadership work expand and strengthen. Not only did we reignite Women’s Legacy Fund, collectively creating an endowment exceeding $1 million, but we also supported our North Tampa and local SWFL community through multiple hurricanes, aiding our sister foundation and nonprofit partners with an additional $82,000 to rehab and rebuild post-storms.
Additionally, our Health and Wellness coalition is collectively focused on creating systems-level change in how we tackle health care and mental health services. In a 2024 five-county survey of organizations involved in those two sectors, 92% identified as active partners of the coalition, while 31% reported changing how they work due to coalition involvement, with many emphasizing collaboration and resource-sharing. Notably, 100% thought the coalition can significantly impact the region’s health and wellness outcomes. This strength of partnership is exactly how we plan to move the needle on big health and wellness indicators.
Such partnerships are moving the needle on critical issues. We’re not simply patching recurring issues-oriented sinkholes on the road to our future. We’re rebuilding the road’s very foundation so it can handle the journey ahead without repeatedly sinking our shared efforts, and I am optimistic about what we will accomplish in the years ahead.
During the next few months, we will share substantial information with our partners and Southwest Florida residents so you can fully understand Collaboratory’s work, including transparency on the goals and data we are using to measure progress. Our vision is that this data dashboard will serve as the source of clear-eyed reality surrounding some of the big challenges that we’re facing together.
Community and collaboration are not just buzzwords at Collaboratory – they are our guiding principles, and the past year has strengthened my belief that true change is possible when we come together.
I invite everyone to join us on this journey. Whether you’re an individual looking to give back, a local organization seeking support or a business ready to engage in community driven solutions, we need you. Together, we can create a flourishing Southwest Florida where every resident has the opportunity to thrive. To learn more, please visit collaboratory.org.
Dr. Dawn Belamarich is president and CEO of Collaboratory and a proud FutureMaker.
