The Friends of Sarasota County Parks, Inc. should have 5 committees on which members would spend one year. The overall mission of the committees would be:

Fund Raising
Organizes and offers a variety of fund raising activities that will generate monies to support the Friends group. Activities are to be decided by the committee (park concert, golf tournament, boat race, auction, etc.) and a maximum of 2 per year. This committee should be formed in 2004 and should generate a net of $2,000 to cover the direct expenses of the Friends group (printing, postage, telephone, letterheads, advertisement, etc.)

Local Friends Groups
This committee would select 2 local parks per year and meet with the Park Director on how to best establish a Local Friends Group (LFG). The Local Friend Group would offer tours, have fundraisers, write grants for their specific park, do maintenance, help in the office, etc. Working with the Director, the committee would research park users, local businesses that might have an interest, service clubs and others. They would assist in calling the first meeting and explaining the goals and objectives. The LFG would report to the Park Director and use the Friends of Sarasota County Parks 501c3 status when appropriate.

Grants Writing
This committee would research and apply for grants that are available to a 501c3 and match the source with a need of Sarasota County Parks. This committee should be established in 2005.

Public Relations and Website
Communication, advertisement, webpage development, etc. would be top priority for this committee. For the first year of the Friends Of Sarasota County Parks existence, it is anticipated that this committee would be the most active and need the most members.

Gifting and Brochure Design/Publication
Planned giving committee would research various aspects of estate giving and inheritances. Working with the professional financial counselors in the community, develop a program that would be attractive for individuals and families to consider the parks system for a donation. This committee would work with the area foundations to establish an account and design and print a brochure that can be distributed throughout the community. Hopefully, a brochure would be ready for distribution in twelve months.

In each of the committees illustrated above, the committee should establish the procedures, processes and timelines.