Partnerships & Donations
Your Gift Is Someone’s Future Career.
A new industry-recognized certification, or a scholarship that supports a student cross the finish line to a new career. When you give to CareerSource Northeast Florida, that’s what your donation becomes — not a line item, but a turning point in someone’s life.
Hear From Donna
“As much as I tried, I don’t think I could have done this without the help and support from CareerSource Northeast Florida. I am so grateful to everyone at the organization that helped me achieve my goals.”
— Donna Roberts, job seeker who escaped an abusive relationship and found a stable job to provide a safe home for her family
Why Your Gift Matters — Even Though We’re Publicly Funded
CareerSource Northeast Florida is the publicly funded workforce development organization for six counties. But federal and state job training dollars come with strict rules about who can be served and what they can pay for. They can’t cover every need in a region that’s changing this fast.
That’s where you come in. Private gifts let us fill those gaps, launch new programs faster than public funding cycles allow, and say yes to people who would otherwise go without the support they need to start a sustainable career.
Building a Stronger Regional Workforce
Education and workforce training are the foundation of a thriving economy — for workers and employers alike. As the workforce leaders in Northeast Florida, we know what local employers need, and we build our programs so participants graduate with the skills to compete for — and keep — sustainable careers in Northeast Florida.
What Your Gift Can Do
| Gift | What it can provide |
|---|---|
| $50 | Assistance for uniforms, tools, or transportation |
| $300 | The exam fee for an industry-recognized certification |
| $1,500 | A Crossing the Finish Line Scholarship award |
| $2,500 | A youth career exploration event |
Amounts are illustrative. Gifts designated to a fund are used for that fund’s purpose.
Where You Can Direct Your Gift
Youth Career Exploration
Fund career exploration events, workshops, and paid internships that give high school students and young adults a real head start.
Career Pathways & Training Scholarships
Cover the costs our Federal funding does not reach —such as the Crossing the Finish Line Scholarship.
Event Sponsorships
Sponsor a local hiring fair, luncheon, or community event. Your business strengthens the workforce pipeline while gaining visibility as a community leader.
Greatest Need Fund
Give an unrestricted gift, and CareerSource NEFL will direct it wherever it makes the most impact across our workforce development programs.
More Stories From Our Community
From Grief to a New Purpose
Verda Smith spent 20 years as a physician assistant, but all that changed when her husband Johannes passed away. In 2021, she took a leave of absence to give herself “time to grieve” for the next two years.
When she decided to look for a new job, Smith took her five-page curriculum vitae to a career center. A workforce representative suggested she shorten it by listing all her skills up front so a hiring manager could see her qualifications within 90 seconds, and helped Verda navigate the Employ Florida website and “drill down” on jobs she wanted to pursue.
“The people at the career center gave me insights into using all the job websites, my resume and everything else,” she said. “I was going by there so often I felt like they were family. Honestly, they helped me find a great job and get through my grief.”
— Verda Smith, full-time Narrative Summary Writer with the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Sharing His CareerSource Northeast Florida Connection with Young People
When Joshua Theagene graduated from Oakleaf High School in 2019, he didn’t know which direction to take. He left Jacksonville to get away from the crowd he was running with, and his mother suggested he pursue a career in trucking.
Joshua connected with CareerSource Northeast Florida, received funding to obtain his Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and became an intermodal driver with Swift Transportation.
In 2024, he took a big step: purchasing his own truck at the age of 26.
“I’m finding success in this business, and I’m an advocate for students to help point them in the direction of programs like those at CareerSource. It made a big difference in my life.”
— Joshua Theagene, Independent CDL Driver
From Job Loss to Nursing Career
Nikki Ratkovic grew up in St. Augustine and had been working as a fitness instructor in Interlachen for seven years when the COVID-19 pandemic struck – which totally shut down her only means of financial support.
Nikki needed a job that offered more stability, and knew nursing was her right career choice, but wasn’t sure how nursing school was possible being in a difficult economic situation.
Fortunately, the financial aid office at St. Johns River State College in Palatka led her to a career center in Palatka. With funding help provided through CareerSource NEFL’s Individual Training Accounts, Ratkovic was able to begin her nursing education.
“They gave me the support to make me feel more confident in going forward as a full-time nursing student for two years. That’s why I’m so grateful…CareerSource Northeast Florida made nursing school, and my career, possible for me.”
— Nikki Ratkovic, full-time Nurse at HCA Putnam in Palatka
Your Gift Is Tax-Deductible
CareerSource Northeast Florida is the public name of First Coast Workforce Development, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity registered with the IRS (EIN 59-3385658). CareerSource Northeast Florida, registration #CH #####, is registered with the state of Florida under Florida’s Solicitation of Contributions Act. Your gift is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
Questions About Giving?
We’d like to talk about how your gift or sponsorship can make the most impact. Contact Rebecca Livingston at rlivingston@careersourcenefl.com or (904) 356-5627, ext. 2004.
About CareerSource Northeast Florida
CareerSource NEFL is the publicly funded workforce development organization for Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns counties. Our mission is to connect workers to careers and businesses to the talent they need to thrive. Working with local communities, educators, and employers, we build a talent pipeline for the region’s high-demand industries.
FIRST COAST WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, INC., D/B/A CAREERSOURCE NORTHEAST FLORIDA, FLORIDA REGISTRATION NO. [CH#####]. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OR VISITING WWW.FLORIDACONSUMERHELP.COM. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.