FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 29, 2013) – Myers, Brettholtz & Company, PA, Certified Public Accountants & Business Consultants announced a new $25,000 award for local nonprofits at today’s 11th annual nonprofit workshop.

During lunch with 130 nonprofit leaders, board members and staff in attendance at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Lori Wilson, principal with Myers, Brettholtz, announced the new funding opportunity.

“We have always prided ourselves on not only being a leader in nonprofit accounting but being strong supporters of the local community,” said Wilson. “In the past, we have accomplished this through our nonprofit seminars and quickinars, the many hours that our staff spends volunteering for a variety of nonprofit organizations and our financial support as sponsors of various fundraising events. During the past year, we began searching for a way to make a bigger impact. The UNITE Award (Uniting Nonprofits In Teaming for Excellence) is the result of that search.”

“Just as collaboration has been encouraged among our various local nonprofits, The Unite Award is a collaboration that began with our firm and evolved into community funders including the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and the United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades County adding support to the project,” added Steve Brettholtz, principal of the firm. “Our goal is not only to provide an annual cash award to a successful collaboration effort but also to inform the nonprofit community about collaborative models that have succeeded in our area and to share proven effective practices for nonprofits working together.”

The first winner of this $25,000 award will be announced in January 2014. The award application process will launch in September 2013 on the Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s online e-apply portal. Additional information will be available on the Myers, Brettholtz & Company’s website (www.mbcopa.com) and monthly newsletters, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s website (www.floridacommunity.com), and on the United Way’s website (www.unitedwaylee.org). The deadline to apply will be October 31, 2013.

To be eligible for the award, a collaboration must:

  • Be based in the five-county Southwest Florida area (Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades)
  • Involve two or more entities (i.e., nonprofit organizations, businesses, and/or government agencies)
  • Include a lead organization that is a 501(c)(3)
  • Have a structure that is evidenced by a formal written agreement (i.e., memorandum of understanding, contract or merger agreement)
  • Be able to demonstrate the impact of the collaboration through measurable outcomes
  • Have been in operation for a minimum of 18 months, with a formal written agreement in place no later than March 1, 2012

“We hope our local nonprofits are as excited about this new funding opportunity as we are, and we hope to see the annual prize grow as more funding becomes available,” said Wilson.

Since 2001, Myers, Brettholtz & Company, PA has sponsored seminars focused on the needs of nonprofits in the areas of human resources, fundraising, accounting practices and finance. Myers, Brettholtz hosts the annual seminar in partnership with the United Way and the Southwest Florida Community Foundation.

The seminar included information on the shifting of philanthropy in the marketplace and increasing demands for transparency, stewardship and collaboration that have necessitated a new model for the nonprofit community.

“As nonprofits strive to create relationships, philanthropists, donors and institutions are asking tougher questions and expecting business models and operations plans that create a return on investment,” said Anne Douglas, director of programs for the Southwest Florida Community Foundation.

The nonprofit workshop attendees learned what ten questions they should be able to answer to funders and donors as well as how they can collaborate to minimize costs and maximize results.

Speakers included President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Brewer of the Community Foundation of Central Florida, Initiative Consultant Pam Truitt of the Patterson Foundation, as well as

Sarah Owen, president and CEO of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and Cliff Smith, president of the United Way of Lee, Glades & Hendry County.

“The United Way was pleased to once again partner with Myers, Brettholtz and the Southwest Florida Community Foundation,” said Cliff Smith. “Nonprofits can benefit greatly from a facilitated workshop where they can evaluate their effectiveness and plan for the future. This is an easy, affordable way to create change that results in real progress.”

The day also included a panel discussion with various nonprofit leaders including Susan Acuna of the Literacy Council Gulf Coast, Beth Lobdell of Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc., Lydia Black of Alliance for the Arts, and Jill Turner of the Children’s Advocacy Center.

Since 1979, Myers, Brettholtz & Company, PA has been working with nonprofit organizations in Lee and Collier counties helping them achieve their goals. The company serves clients across the nation by performing accounting and auditing, tax preparation, bookkeeping and consulting. The firm has 24 staff members and provides accounting and bookkeeping services for timeshares, nonprofit organizations, condominium and homeowner associations and medical practices as well as individuals and businesses.

Myers, Brettholtz & Company, PA is the outgrowth of a regional CPA firm first established in Miami in 1953 and the Fort Myers branch opened in 1979.

For more information, visit www.mbcopa.com or call 239-939-5775.