Should Plant City’s new “nonprofit roundtable” idea work, local groups that provide social services won’t have to worry about competition.
The roundtable itself is a small collective of Plant City-area business owners, nonprofit heads and other community figures with one goal: using shared connections to give every willing nonprofit in town a helping hand. The group has hosted several meetings to pinpoint exactly what its goals and actions would be and, after a June 20 meeting at the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, has a plan in place.
“My purpose in convening this … was for an opportunity, quarterly or twice a year, for nonprofits to shake hands, build relationships and find out how they can work together,” chamber president Christine Miller said.
Miller, Yvonne Fry and representatives from organizations including the United Food Bank of Plant City, Plant City Family YMCA, Unity in the Community, Safe and Sound and more have identified several goals to work toward in the coming year.
The two most immediate goals cover networking and events. The first networking event will give local nonprofits the chance to introduce themselves and exchange information, while also giving the public a formal introduction to the roundtable and its members. It will serve as the first of the group’s planned quarterly meetings.
“We’ll become a resource for each other,” Plant City Family YMCA executive director Zach Hilferding said.
After that, the group plans to work with the chamber to revamp its community calendar. One of the hopes the group has for the networking event is that nonprofits will begin to check with other groups to ensure no two events will fall on the same day, which could lead to greater utilization of the calendar. Drawing increased focus to the calendar also has an effect on the public at large, as the group plans to promote the calendar as a tool for people to know exactly what’s going on around town at all times. Should interest and participation be high enough, the group has discussed expanding its services further. Roundtable members discussed the possibility of hosting a community-wide event and the potential to link nonprofits up with educational classes and seminars for CEOs, CFOs and other positions.
The first quarterly meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. August 31 at the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, 106 N. Evers St.