Building the Case for a More Accessible
Entrepreneurial Hub
The National Entrepreneur Center engaged Sharity to support a planned relocation to a larger, purpose-built facility in Orlando’s Creative Village. The work focused on developing a capital campaign, aligning funding strategy with facility design, and positioning the move as an opportunity to expand access to entrepreneurial resources in a historically underserved community.
The Outcome
Sharity developed a $9.5 million capital campaign framework to support construction, renovation, and operations for a new 16,000-square-foot facility. The campaign positioned the organization to relocate to the UCF Downtown Creative Village Campus and expand its reach within the Parramore neighborhood.
Meet the Organization
The National Entrepreneur Center has served Central Florida entrepreneurs for more than two decades.
Its model brings together 19 partner organizations to provide business coaching, education, access to capital, international trade support, and other resources that help small business owners launch, stabilize, and grow.
Since its founding, the organization has trained and supported more than 330,000 entrepreneurs, facilitated over $360 million in loans, contributed to the launch of more than 2,350 businesses, and generated an estimated $11.55 return for every $1 invested.
With that track record in place, leadership identified an opportunity to expand access through relocation.
Setting the Stage
A Strong Model Ready for a More Accessible Home
The National Entrepreneur Center had already demonstrated significant value to entrepreneurs and the regional economy.
The opportunity was to move that model into a larger, more accessible location that could better support the organization’s partners, programs, and community role.
The planned relocation to the UCF Downtown Creative Village Campus would place the organization within Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood, creating closer access for first-generation entrepreneurs, returning citizens, and small business owners seeking practical support.
Several priorities shaped the engagement:
- Raising significant capital for relocation and buildout
- Connecting the new facility to measurable community impact
- Supporting both construction and operational continuity
- Helping donors understand how the space would function
- Positioning the relocation as an expansion of access, not only a change in address
The question was how to structure the campaign so the facility, funding, and community impact were clearly connected.
Capital Campaign Strategy
Structuring Investment Around Access
Sharity developed a comprehensive capital campaign framework to support the relocation.
The campaign included:
- A total funding target of $9.5 million over a three-year period
- Approximately $4.5 million allocated for operational continuity during and after the move
- Remaining funds designated for facility design, renovation, and reserves
- Campaign messaging tied to expanded entrepreneurial access and community benefit
This structure aligned financial planning with the timeline and requirements of the new facility.
It also helped clarify that the campaign was not solely about space. It was about sustaining and expanding the infrastructure that allows entrepreneurs to access coordinated support.
Facility & Program Positioning
Designing a Space That Supports the Mission
The relocation strategy centered on a new 16,000-square-foot facility within the UCF Downtown Creative Village Campus.
The space was positioned to house all 19 partner organizations and support a more integrated experience for entrepreneurs.
The facility plan included:
- Classrooms
- Collaborative workspaces
- Conference areas
- Partner organization space
- Program and training capacity
- Greater proximity to entrepreneurs in the surrounding community
This connected physical space to program delivery.
The new location created an opportunity to strengthen access, increase visibility, and deepen the National Entrepreneur Center’s role as a central hub for small business support.
Donor Strategy & Financial Sustainability
Creating Multiple Pathways for Investment
Sharity developed targeted strategies to engage major stakeholders around the campaign.
The donor strategy included:
- Outreach to financial institutions focused on economic mobility and community access
- Proposals to professional service firms connected to specific facility needs, such as architectural and engineering costs
- Naming and sponsorship opportunities designed to provide long-term visibility
- Messaging that connected investment to entrepreneur support, neighborhood access, and regional economic development
This created multiple entry points for aligned donors and partners.
The campaign strategy helped funders see how their investment would support both the facility and the entrepreneurs who would use it.
Financial Modeling & Sustainability
Supporting the Move and the Mission
Budget modeling supported both campaign development and long-term operations.
The financial strategy accounted for:
- Construction and renovation
- Transition costs
- Operational continuity
- Ongoing programming
- Partner organization participation
- Reserve planning
This helped ensure the capital campaign was connected to the organization’s operating reality.
The goal was to make the relocation viable not only at launch, but over time.
Real-World Outcomes
A Campaign Framework for Expanded Access
The engagement established a stronger foundation for relocation, investment, and long-term sustainability.
Key outcomes included:
- Development and successful completion of a $9.5 million capital campaign
- Defined plan for relocation to a 16,000-square-foot facility in Creative Village
- Campaign positioning tied to access, entrepreneurship, and community outcomes
- Structured donor engagement strategy connected to facility components and funder priorities
- Alignment of capital funding with operational sustainability
- Clearer case for investment in entrepreneurial infrastructure
The work positioned the National Entrepreneur Center to expand access to coordinated small business support in Central Florida.
Read more about the impact here.
CAMPAIGN IMPACT & ORGANIZATIONAL SCALE
Capital campaign completed
Square-foot facility planned in Creative Village
Partner organizations brought together
What We Learned
Relocation is never only a facility decision.
For mission-driven organizations, space shapes access. It determines who can reach services, how partners collaborate, and how the organization shows up in the community it serves.
When capital strategy, facility design, and program delivery are developed together, a move can become a meaningful expansion of mission.