By Hallie Peilet Young. Photo by Maggie Martinez.
The following article appeared in Sarasota Scene Magazine in November 2026.
Investing in Incredible:
How Gulf Coast Community Foundation is Building Stronger Nonprofits—and Stronger Communities
The strongest nonprofits are built on more than passion for a mission. Behind every organization creating meaningful change is a network of leaders, board members, volunteers and systems that makes that work possible. Investing in their strength is ultimately an investment in the communities they serve.
For Gulf Coast Community Foundation (Gulf Coast), that philosophy has shaped two decades of commitment to nonprofit capacity building. Today, that work is entering its next chapter through Invest in Incredible, or i3, and the creation of a new full-time Director, Capacity Building role.
Melissa Ehrhardt recently stepped into the position, charged with guiding i3’s continued growth and helping the initiative evolve alongside the changing needs of nonprofits throughout Gulf Coast’s service area.
“Gulf Coast has been doing capacity building for the last 20 years,” Ehrhardt said.
Invest in Incredible was formally branded in 2016 around a simple but powerful idea: “to invest in nonprofits, help build their strengths, their confidence, their abilities to do their job better and serve people more effectively.”
In the nonprofit world, “capacity building” is a familiar phrase. Outside of it, its meaning can be less obvious. Ehrhardt describes it in terms of what that investment ultimately allows an organization to accomplish.
We invest in you and your leadership and in your processes so that you can invest in your community and make them stronger."
Beyond the Boardroom
i3 began with a significant focus on board development, an area Ehrhardt says remains essential to nonprofit success. But as organizations’ needs have changed, the program has expanded with them.
“If you have a strong board, the nonprofit can really flourish in a lot of ways,” she said. “We realize it’s still a need amongst a lot of our nonprofits, but there’s so much more than just a board.”
Today, i3 encompasses leadership development, finances, volunteer engagement, organizational processes, fundraising, strategy, collaboration and other areas nonprofit leaders must navigate to build sustainable organizations. Programming also responds to emerging challenges and opportunities, from financial literacy to artificial intelligence.
The goal isn’t simply to offer more programming. It’s to provide information nonprofit professionals can put to work.
“What we want them to do is to be able to leave and say, ‘Huh, that was really good information. I’m going to take it back and be able to change things in my organization,’” Ehrhardt said.
That support takes several forms. Gulf Coast currently works with a cohort of 17 i3 consultants with expertise ranging from fundraising and brand strategy to financial forecasting and market research. Nonprofits can participate in shorter workshops or more intensive learning opportunities, including the multi-day Gulf Coast Board Institute. “In addition, i3 also offers individual consulting services for nonprofits. Gulf Coast fields requests for those services and matches the nonprofit with the appropriate i3 consultant; Gulf Coast also covers 50% of the cost to the nonprofit.”
For Tony Dempsey, that education proved invaluable when he joined the board of Child Protection Center (CPC).
“This was my first time on a nonprofit board, and I needed to secure training to become a fully functioning productive member,” Dempsey shared in a testimonial. “Gulf Coast had the solution, and I enrolled in the i3 curriculum.”
Dempsey said the knowledge and relationships he gained became increasingly valuable as he grew into leadership. As he prepared to become Board Chair, he returned for additional training designed specifically for that responsibility.
He later participated in Gulf Coast’s Leadership Institute in 2019, forming relationships with classmates he continues to collaborate with today. His experience illustrates something i3 increasingly seeks to foster—stronger individual leaders and stronger connections among them.
Investing in What Comes Next
Creating a full-time Director, Capacity Building position gives Gulf Coast an opportunity to deepen that work. For the past decade or more, Ehrhardt said, Betsy Steiner, a part-time consultant, helped build a strong foundation for the program through workshop development and cohort management. A dedicated position now provides greater opportunity to listen, learn and intentionally shape its future.
“I want to take time to listen and get feedback, conduct surveys and host listening groups,” Ehrhardt said. “We need to figure out what nonprofits are needing and finding valuable right now and then intentionally invest in those capacity building areas with them.”
One need she is already hearing consistently is connection.
Nonprofit leaders want to collaborate, Ehrhardt said, but the daily realities of running an organization can make finding the time and space difficult. She sees an opportunity for i3 to convene organizations not only to learn from experts, but from one another—building relationships across Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties that can strengthen the sector as a whole.
Geographic accessibility is also part of i3’s next chapter. Bringing more opportunities directly into Charlotte and DeSoto counties can eliminate time and travel barriers that may prevent smaller organizations from participating in Sarasota-based programming.
For Ehrhardt, expanding access is about far more than attendance. It goes to the heart of why capacity building matters.
“I truly believe that if our nonprofit community is stronger, our community will be more resilient,” she said.
In many ways, that brings i3’s evolution full circle. What began as an investment in stronger nonprofit boards has grown into an investment in stronger leaders, organizations, relationships and communities.
“There’s more to dream, there’s more to come,” Ehrhardt said. “I really think in the next year or so, we’re going to see i3 just expand in ways that aren’t even on our radar right now.”
And while what comes next may still be taking shape, the purpose behind i3 remains clear: give the people working every day to strengthen our communities the knowledge, confidence, resources and relationships they need to make an even greater impact.
Explore I3 Offerings
From workshops to institutes to consulting, check out everything I3 has to support you and stronger communities.
