Philanthropy Miami Shark Tank Seeks Solutions to Community Needs, Winning Proposal to Receive $5000

MIAMI - Feb. 24, 2014 - PRLog -- MIAMI - Ever drive down a Miami street and wonder “why don’t they …”?

LEAVE A LEGACY of Miami Dade (http://www.leavealegacymiami.org/events.html) on Tuesday launched the PHILANTHROPY MIAMI Shark Tank, a community competition that offers the opportunity to be the change we seek. Instead of a business challenge, this shark tank seeks ideas to fulfill a community need through partnerships developed between nonprofits, businesses and/or individuals.

“Anyone or any organization or business can submit their ideas. But they can’t go it alone,” said Teresa Weintraub, co-chair of LEAVE A LEGACY^©. “Our goal is to encourage creative thinking and the creation of new collaborations and approaches to move our community forward. In other words, people have to work together.”

The process is simple: each team must submit a 500-word description about their idea by 3 p.m. Monday, March 3. A panel of pre-sharks (local business and nonprofit leaders) will select the top 10 ideas. Attendees at the PHILANTHROPY MIAMI Conference on Strategic Thinking on Friday, March 21 at Jungle Island will select the top five.

The five with the most votes will move on to the final round at PHILANTHROPY MIAMI Conference Day of Dynamic Ideas on Friday, March 21 at Jungle Island. The finalists will present their ideas to the PHILANTHROPY MIAMI Shark Tank, a panel of five business and nonprofit executives.

The winning team and their proposal will be announced that day and be awarded $5000 to set their idea in motion.

“In the past, we focused our efforts solely on the nonprofit community. But we’ve seen wonderful collaborations between non-profits and for-profits. It really doesn’t matter who teams up, because in the end the community profits,” Weintraub said.

PHILANTHROPY MIAMI is sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Bank of America; Wells Fargo; Baptist Health South Florida Foundation; Florida International University; Peacock Foundation, Inc.; and SunTrust

Shark Tank Specifics

What: PHILANTHROPY MIAMI Shark Tank, a competitive showcase of new ideas to solve community needs. Individuals, non-profit organizations and businesses are invited to submit a 500-word description of the synergy that will result from a new strategic partnership and idea to help solve a specific need in our community.

Submission Tips
Please demonstrate through your idea:

A new collaborative partnership
Demonstrate an approach to solving problems
How the partnership will benefit the community

The project will be evaluated by the following criteria:

Unique connection of the partners
Compelling and creative project
Community impact
How will you measure success?

Submission Deadline: 3 p.m. Monday, March 3. Download the application at LeaveaLegacyMiami.org/events.
Email submissions to elau@chasemiami.com

Finalist Selection: A panel of Pre-Sharks will review the entries and select 8-10 finalists, which will be voted on by attendees at Philanthropy Miami, Day 1 conference on Friday, March 21. The top five move on to the final round.

Final Round/Winner Selection: The Shark Tank panel will hear from the five finalists and select a winner at Philanthropy Miami, Day 2 on April 16 at Jungle Island.

Philanthropy Miami Shark Tank
Joelle Allen, Executive Director, Peacock Foundation, Inc.
Fernand Amandi, Managing Partner, Bendixen & Amandi International
Gretchen Beesing, President and CEO, Catalyst Miami
Jodi Engelberg, Founding Member, The Value Web
Miguel Milanes, Regional Vice President, Miami-Dade, Allegany Franciscan Ministries

More Details: 305.379.0800 or Edwina Lau, elau@chasemiami.com

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LEAVE A LEGACY^© is a program of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (formerly Planned Giving Council) of Miami-Dade, comprised of non-profit leaders and allied business professionals involved in estate and financial planning, whose mission is to promote philanthropy in our community. For more information, visit LeaveALegacyMiami.org.

LEAVE A LEGACY 2013-2014 Sponsors:

Presenting: Baptist Health Foundation

Program: Chase Marketing Group, The Miami Foundation, The Northern Trust Company, United Way of Miami-Dade

Sustaining: SunTrust

Supporting: Akerman Senterfitt, Fiduciary Trust International of the South, Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation, Morris Family Foundation, Michael and Diane Rosenberg, University of Miami

Philanthropy Miami 2014 Sponsors

Presenting: Knight Foundation Fund at The Miami Foundation

Program: Bank of America, The Value Web

Sustaining: Baptist Health Foundation, Florida International University, Wells Fargo