- March 13, 2025
The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners considered creating a 501(c)3 at a workshop Sept. 5, which would act as an umbrella organization for community outreach groups like Project Grace and Feed Flagler.
“Last year, SunTrust Bank wanted to contribute to Feed Flagler, but their corporate policy requires that they donate to a 501(c)3,” Chairwoman Barbara Revels said. “There was another group that wanted to give $1,000 and couldn’t, for the same reason.”
Although any donations given to Flagler County are tax deductible, they are not technically donated to a 501(c)3, which some commissioners feel could limit their fundraising capabilities.
“There’s more of a stigma about donating to government than donating to a nonprofit,” County Administrator Craig Coffey said at the workshop. Coffey said the county would birth the organization, but would not orchestrate it.
For Revels, a separate nonprofit entity seemed like it could be a possible catalyzer to donations. She said some of the groups she works with have suggested the creation of a such a group for the same reason.
“My thought was to do a sort of umbrella organization — we can call it Friends of Flagler — and have it meet the needs of the community,” she said. “I think the language of the bylaws could be structured in such a way to benefit those under the umbrella and maximize our fundraising opportunities.”
If the county were to move forward with this, it would take care of the initial paperwork and fees associated with creating the organization, writing bylaws and forming a board of directors. The details of the bylaws or the board have not yet been determined.
One way to structure the organization would be to set up a board made of members of the community, Coffey said.
“When you’re dealing with the amount of money that these groups raise, I’m uncomfortable with a group of volunteers with Flagler County’s name on it taking care of things,” Revels said.
However, commissioners noted that putting these matters into the hands of community members could save time for county staff members.
“I think the establishment of a board makes sense,” County Commissioner Alan Peterson said. “But however that board is formed is something we need to do carefully.”
During their discussion, commissioners noted that creating this separate nonprofit organization could allow control of funding to slip from the county.
“We try to keep county involvement at a minimum,” County Commissioner Nate McLaughlin said. “I think that’s what this goes to. It doesn’t always need to be a government answer.”
The board decided to hash out details of how this 501(c)3 might look and operate and discuss the potential further at a later workshop.
