The Humane Society of Manatee County, 2515 14th St W, Bradenton, FL 34205. 941-747-8808.

In the July/August 2022 edition of SRQ Magazine, we interviewed Rick Yocum, Executive Director of the Humane Society of Manatee County as part of our In Conversation feature about nonprofit leaders. Below is an excerpt published in the magazine in which Yocum shares his insights with SRQ readers on community growth and changes.

What do you think is unique about the nonprofits in our area?

There are a couple of unique characteristics that exist in this area. One is that every one of the leaders in this area wants the other leaders to succeed. I've said the word collaboration more in the last six years than I've said my entire life, it is a very unique quality here, the collaborative effort. There is such a strong network of support amongst the nonprofits in this community. Everybody supports everybody, and a lot of us are serving the same people, so there's a ton of crossover from all the different organizations. So, it's not like I only have people at the Humane Society that we're helping, those same people are getting help, and direction, and given opportunity in many different other areas in the community. So, as I travel around the country and talk to other nonprofit leaders, I can't talk enough about those unique qualities that we have here that make this a great place to be an executive director or CEO of a nonprofit, it's just amazing.

The Humane Society of Manatee County, 2515 14th St W, Bradenton, FL 34205. 941-747-8808.

To read the full article, click here.