What you have in your hands is a feel-good book. You know, like the label movie reviewers ascribe to films that leave audiences elated as they file out of the theater. Our hope is that as you open SARASOTA Magazine’s Charity Register throughout the year, you’ll feel a sense of warmth and pride at what this publication—and our community—is all about.

Unlike movies, Charity Register is not about other people in faraway places. It is about all of us—our Sarasota and our profound commitment to philanthropy. In collaboration with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, we provide you with an annual compilation of more than 200 charitable organizations in Greater Sarasota. These are nonprofits that reach out to all of us in so many ways, from vital social services to the arts that so dramatically enrich and distinguish Sarasota. These nonprofits provide a tapestry of goodness, a multicolored fabric that holds us all together and symbolizes the caring and involvement that unites our community.

The SARASOTA Charity Register is more than a celebration of giving; it’s also a must-have monthly calendar of the fun and beneficial events that our nonprofits produce. Essentially, this magazine contains Sarasota’s definitive social diary.

Many of you are already involved in local philanthropy and are familiar with the Charity Register and the work of the Community Foundation. We invite those of you who are either new to the area or haven’t yet become active—by donating your time, talent or money—to participate in any way you can. It’s a feel-good thing.