For all of Miami’s vibrancy and success, our city’s future is not without challenges.
As Schwartz Media Strategies’ President Tadd Schwartz penned in an editorial in the Miami Herald last year: “Affordability remains a barrier for many residents. Traffic and congestion grow more unsustainable each year. Soaring insurance rates threaten homeownership, while a chronic teacher shortage strains public schools. Miami’s investments in climate resilience, though notable, still lag behind the urgent realities of rising seas and extreme weather.”
Fortunately for Miami, there is an army of nonprofit organizations working everyday to overcome these risks. And recent highlights indicate that the community’s philanthropic sector is thriving.
The Miami Foundation’s Give Miami Day — one of the country’s largest community-wide celebrations of giving — reached new heights, with 55,000 donors funding more than 1,200 local nonprofits to the tune of nearly $40 million.
“Give Miami Day 2024 was our most ambitious one yet. While The Miami Foundation hosts Give Miami Day, this day truly is our community’s love song — our collective gift to this place we call home. I am thrilled to share that we saw more Miamians step forward to support local nonprofits than ever before,” Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, President and CEO of The Miami Foundation, told the Miami Herald.
More than a fundraiser, Give Miami Day serves as a barometer for Miami’s collective commitment to addressing its most urgent needs.
Here’s how four nonprofits — and the leaders driving them — are tackling Miami’s biggest challenges and paving the way for lasting change.
Lotus House, founded by Constance Collins, offers more than shelter for women and children. It provides wraparound services like mental health support, job training, and educational programs to foster long-term stability. On Give Miami Day, Lotus House achieved its goal of raising $100,000. With more than 80 percent of guests exiting homelessness following their stay with Lotus House, the shelter is already proving that it’s possible to ‘end’ homelessness. Its next venture, the Children’s Village, will set out to ‘prevent’ homelessness altogether when it debuts in 2025.
Florida Foster Care Review, under the leadership of Candice L. Maze, JD, ensures children in Miami’s foster care system have what all kids need to thrive: access to healthcare and education, connections to supportive adults, and exposure to opportunities that will put them on a path to succeed beyond their time in foster care. The organization saw a 35% boost in Give Miami Day contributions this year, raising $86,000, with $47,000 of that coming from its board of directors, which ranked #4 among all fundraising teams.
Achieve Miami is tackling educational disparities head-on across Miami-Dade County. Founder Leslie Miller Saiontz has built a nonprofit that serves more than 2,000 students annually through programs focused on literacy, music, college readiness, mentorship, and leadership. Achieve Miami topped this year’s Give Miami Day leaderboard for the third consecutive year, raising $3.1 million — its highest total ever. Those funds will help expand its programs and impact, including addressing Miami’s teacher shortage through its Teacher Accelerator Program.
As the engine behind Give Miami Day, Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, President and CEO of The Miami Foundation, plays a pivotal role in connecting nonprofits with the city’s philanthropic community. Under her leadership, the Foundation facilitates record-breaking fundraising efforts like Give Miami Day and drives year-round initiatives targeting systemic issues such as housing affordability, entrepreneurship, access to technology, and more.
These organizations — and the leaders driving them — are proving that collaboration, forward-thinking, and clarity in purpose are key ingredients for keeping Miami on a path to a sustainable future.
Schwartz Media Strategies is proud to support Achieve Miami, Lotus House, The Miami Foundation and Florida Foster Care Review in their respective missions.
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