Manatee Community Foundation’s Changemakers Collective is an eight-month program that equips minority nonprofit leaders to lead with clarity and impact. Participants sharpen their approach through hands-on training, one-on-one mentorship, and real-world collaboration. Meet the inspiring individuals moving our community forward.

James McCloud approaches community work practically, by seeing a need and finding a way to meet it. In 1994, he founded Genesis Health Services as a residential recovery program for individuals facing addiction and serious health challenges, including HIV/AIDs, in a time when not many other organizations did. The program worked through close supervision and stability, operating on the belief that clients needed the most support during the earliest and hardest stages of recovery.

As community conditions changed, Genesis changed, too. Laws expanded access to services, and other organizations began supporting people living with HIV/AIDS. James and his team responded by turning toward other needs that were still going unmet across Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Genesis Health Services now provides comprehensive dental care for ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families and others who struggle to find affordable treatment. The organization also operates before- and after-school programs in underserved neighborhoods and mentors people interested in careers in healthcare and nonprofit leadership.

The practice of looking closely at systems and asking how they can work better also shaped James’s experience in the Changemakers Collective. He came into the program with decades of nonprofit leadership behind him; even so, the sessions offered ideas and perspectives he found useful right away.

“I would sum up the entire experience as ‘growth,’” James says. One session in particular, on board development, stuck out to him. “I realized we were not using our board to its full potential. The program helped us think about how the board could take a stronger role in oversight, fundraising, and helping share the organization’s story.” Genesis has already started putting those ideas into practice. Board members are taking a more active role in specific programs and helping expand the organization’s reach in the community.

The relationships formed through the Collective also mattered to James. He didn’t know many of the other nonprofit leaders in the cohort, but the program quickly created a sense of trust and openness.

“It was very collegial,” he says. “Everyone was approachable and willing to connect. Now when I see those leaders at other meetings, I feel like I know them.”

The Collective gave James time to step back and learn from other leaders, as well as a chance to see his own organization with fresh eyes. As nonprofit leaders often carry heavy responsibilities with limited time and resources, getting space to learn, reflect, and build relationships with peers is invaluable, and they often return to their work better prepared to serve the community.

Step Into Your Power as a Changemaker
Every great movement begins with bold leaders who are willing to invest in their growth and community. The Changemakers Collective offers mentorship, training, and connections designed to help minority nonprofit leaders thrive. If this sounds like you, we invite you to share your interest by completing our interest survey.