OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County and Team Cone held a panel discussion July 10, 2025, in the Cone Distributing, Inc. conference room, with how local businesses and nonprofit partners have transformed the way they give from one-time donations to a more thoughtful long-term investment in the community. The panel discussion was moderated by the Community Foundation’s President and Executive Director Lauren Deiorio.

The Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County has been working with Team Cone for nearly two years, and they have done an excellent job in how they’ve approached revamping their philanthropic giving.

The panel of Team Cone members reflected on their organizations giving journey, changing their approach from spontaneous giving to a more strategic approach.

Team Cone’s experience of being in the beer business, has them filling requests every day, between beverages and beer prizes, giving away more than $250,000, and that doesn’t include their financial donations. The company’s generosity has been far reaching. Many charities within the community have approached Team Cone asking for a contribution, but the company that has been an integral part of the area, had no idea of how the funds they donated were being used, said Charles Ingrilli, Cone Distributing, Inc., retired vice president of sales.

“What programs are they going toward, are they making a difference, is there any feedback from those local charities,” said Ingrilli. “We decided to look at it and come up with a process to say, ‘You have to develop a giving statement, you have to figure out what your teammates want to give to., but you really have to have a structured way of knowing where your money is going, and being able to hold your nonprofits accountable for where your money is going.'”

It was Ken Ausley from Ausley Construction that came to Team Cone and said that Team Cone was doing a great job with giving to the community, but could give in a more strategic way, and the Community Foundation can help you with that, said Douglas P. Cone, III, Cone Distributing, Inc. director of engagement and charitable contributions. Ausley helped facilitate the meeting with the Community Foundation.

“The Community Foundation helped us in being very strategic in where we give, and looking at the community as a whole, and that we were giving to the causes that were really needed within Marion County,” said Cone.

When the transformation began to take place, Team Cone placed an emphasis on involving their team members, because they were out doing the heavy lifting to raise the funds for the community process.

“We thought we were giving to the right charities, and for 10 years, we probably raised three quarters of a million dollars for St. Jude,” said Ingrilli. “But St. Jude has a lot of resources that makes St. Jude as great as it is. In our local community, if you asked, we gave. But then we decided to survey our teammates, and we wanted to ask them two questions, ‘if you’re going to spend your own money, would you spend it on national? Or would you spend it on local?’ And 99% said they would spend it local. And then we listed 15 causes, and our teammates told us which causes they would be willing to support which included spending their own money. Once they got back to us, the Community Foundation was very impactful in helping us choose those right 501 (c)(3)’s that fit the causes that our teammates themselves said they would support.”

Team Cone’s core value no. 9 is “giving back with caring because our community is our extended family. As we thrive, so too should the community that forms our team.”  The local charities that Team Cone gives to are Vocal, HISCompassion Food Bank, The Fostering Foundation, Kut Different, Kimberly’s Center and Give4Marion.

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