I began discussions with the Junior League of Sarasota about developing a cookbook to support their community efforts in 2001. For approximately 5 years, the mood of the League leadership was that cookbook sales were risky and too much work with not enough reward. Then along came Stacey Corley.
Stacey and her family had moved to Sarasota from Franklin, TN and Stacey had been a member of the Junior League of Nashville. While she had not been the chair for the development of Notably Nashville, she had worked on the committee and had witnessed first-hand that a well developed community cookbook was fun to develop and very profitable. While the League had been hesitant to move forward for years, the subject had never quite died down as there was a core of individuals who supported the concept.
With Stacey’s leadership, and the support of League President, Dee Dee Rice, the project was brought to the general membership for a vote. Once passed by the League members, Stacey and her team went to work. Stacey was fortunate to have a co-chair, Tanya Foster, who had been cookbook marketing chair for the Junior League of Ft Myers before transferring to the Sarasota League. Tanya, too, was a big believer in community cookbooks and these two ladies teamed up to garner great support.
They raised over $85,000 in sponsorships, some were in-kind donations for services such as photography, food styling, etc. Simply Sarasota came together beautifully, and gained interest from the local media at the cookbook's launch party. The title sold 10,000 copies in just six months and is now about to go into it’s third printing. Current marketing chair, Kathleen Peterson had this to say about Simply Sarasota.
“Currently in its second printing, Simply Sarasota has raised over $120,000. Support from The Junior League of Sarasota and our many corporate sponsors and partners have been the major reasons for the on-going success of our cookbook. But, after just cracking the cover, it’s easy to see why it’s so wonderful. Variety in the recipes, relatively few ingredients, and ease of preparation please both experienced and beginning cooks and bakers. Not to mention, the beautiful color photography of Sarasota is like a vacation to Florida in a cookbook.
The monies raised from the sale of Simply Sarasota are used to fund the Junior League’s projects. Our central focus this year was the Child Protection Center, a safe place for children who have been abused. Our League worked closely with the Center to build a fenced-in playground for the children and to paint the entry hall with a colorful mural. Hopefully, these additions to their facility will provide children who have already experienced so much with an ability to play in a protected environment.
Since Simply Sarasota is moving into its fourth year, the League is looking to alter its marketing strategies to reach a wider audience. This year, we would like to experiment with social media, widen our corporate and wholesale partner base, and offer more tastings in more locations.
Seth Godin’s new book, Linchpin, theorizes that leadership is a choice we all have. I can assure you that if Seth had interviewed Stacey Corley he would classify her as a linchpin. Her efforts, along with the League members have made a huge contribution to the community of Sarasota through their efforts in the development and sale of Simply Sarasota.
What have you done lately to “lead by doing” rather than simply talking about something that needs to be done?
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