Complicated yet successful Tampa Bay nonprofit merger draws national attention

When two Tampa Bay chapters of the Boys & Girls Club finalized a merger last November it was a decision that was a long time coming, somehow ahead of schedule and ultimately right on time. 

Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay and Boys & Girls Club of the Suncoast were both staples of the communities each entity served, with the Tampa Bay chapter in the Tampa area in some form since 1926 and the Suncoast chapter in Pinellas County since 1975. Together, the organization is now one of the largest chapters in the country, serving 3,000 kids and teens daily at 42 sites across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties, with an operating budget of $23 million.