Alachua County Emerging Leaders

What Alachua County Emerging Leaders does

Alachua County Emerging Leaders (ACEL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Gainesville, Florida. The organization operates as a volunteer-powered convener that connects professionals and students with leadership development, networking, and community service opportunities, primarily serving Alachua County and the broader North Central Florida region. Its stated mission is to strengthen community through connection, collaboration, and shared learning, and it explicitly positions itself as a connector rather than a competitor to other nonprofits in the local ecosystem.

ACEL's product surface consists of two core initiatives. The first is VolunteerAlachua.org, a web-based matching platform that connects individuals with local nonprofit volunteer and donation opportunities across Alachua County. The second is Play It Forward, a co-branded fundraising partnership with Bragging Rights Amusements that enables nonprofits to raise money and awareness by offering free arcade play at North Central Florida's largest arcade. No proprietary technology, APIs, SDKs, or mobile applications are disclosed; the platform appears to be a straightforward web directory rather than a software product. The organization is governed by a small board comprising President Marc Lefton, Treasurer DeJeon Cain, Advisor Eli Newman, and Community Service lead Cindy Nguyen, with legal compliance handled by Zion & Associates.

The business model is donation- and sponsorship-driven rather than fee-based. ACEL does not charge volunteers or partner organizations for participation; operations are funded through contributions from local businesses, individual donors, and project-specific partnerships. Customer segments include individual volunteers and students seeking leadership development, local nonprofits seeking volunteer support and fundraising assistance, and local businesses interested in sponsorship and corporate social responsibility engagement. Distribution and marketing are executed through the organization's website (acelfl.com) and organic social channels on Facebook and Instagram, with a contact form funneling volunteers, mentors, sponsors, and organizational partners.

Name

Alachua County Emerging Leaders

Legal name

Alachua County Emerging Leaders Inc.

Website

https://acelfl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Alachua County Emerging Leaders (ACEL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2005 in Gainesville, Florida, connecting professionals and students with leadership development, volunteer opportunities, and local nonprofit support through a volunteer-matching platform and partnered fundraising programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community and Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

Keywords

• Volunteer matching
• Leadership development
• Community engagement
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Professional networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Gainesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Alachua County Emerging Leaders (ACEL) is a volunteer-powered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates two primary projects: VolunteerAlachua.org, a directory-style platform connecting individuals with local volunteer and donation opportunities across Alachua County, and Play It Forward, a fundraising initiative that lets nonprofits raise money by giving away free arcade play through a partnership with Bragging Rights Amusements. The organization also provides leadership development and professional networking programming for professionals and students in the region.

Product overview

Alachua County Emerging Leaders (ACEL) operates as a volunteer-powered nonprofit offering two primary projects: VolunteerAlachua.org, a volunteer and donation matching platform serving Alachua County nonprofits, and Play It Forward, a fundraising initiative in partnership with Bragging Rights Amusements. Both projects are built around the core mission of connecting people who want to help with organizations that need help.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Volunteeralachua.org A volunteer and donation opportunity matching platform for Alachua County that connects individuals with local nonprofits and community organizations seeking volunteers and donations. ACEL launched and supports the platform as a no-fluff resource for community engagement.
• Play It Forward A fundraising partnership with Bragging Rights Amusements that enables nonprofits to raise money and awareness by offering free arcade play at North Central Florida's largest arcade, replacing traditional fundraising methods like selling wrapping paper.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VolunteerAlachua.orgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEL launched and supports VolunteerAlachua.org, a straightforward resource to find volunteer and donation opportunities across Alachua County. This platform provides no-fluff access to community engagement opportunities.
• Bragging Rights AmusementscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEL partnered with Bragging Rights Amusements for the Play It Forward program, which puts more fun into fundraising. Nonprofits raise money and awareness by giving away free play at North Central Florida's largest arcade, creating a win-win for organizations and community members without traditional fundraising methods like selling wrapping paper.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• VolunteerMatch: National online volunteer-matching platform connecting individuals with nonprofits. Directly comparable to ACEL's VolunteerAlachua.org product, though operating at national scale versus ACEL's hyper-local focus.
• Idealist: Nonprofit-run action and volunteer-matching platform listing opportunities worldwide. Comparable to ACEL's mission of connecting volunteers with nonprofits, with overlap in user persona and service model.
• Catchafire: Skills-based volunteer matching platform connecting professionals with nonprofits for pro bono engagements. Comparable to ACEL's professional-volunteer matching use case, but focused on skills-based rather than general volunteering.
• Junior League of Gainesville: Local women's volunteer and leadership development organization in the same Gainesville/Alachua County market. Comparable in mission around leadership development and community service volunteerism.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Florida: Youth-mentorship nonprofit operating in the same Florida region. Comparable in volunteer-recruitment, leadership-development, and community-service program model, serving overlapping regional stakeholders.

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light: Large established nonprofit focused on volunteer service infrastructure, civic engagement, and corporate volunteer programs nationally. Comparable in mission and convener role, but with much broader scope and resources than ACEL.
• 211 (United Way): Nationwide information and referral service for community resources including volunteer opportunities. Comparable in serving as a connector between community members and local services, with substantial overlap in use cases.

Regional players

• United Way of North Central Florida: Regional United Way affiliate serving the same North Central Florida geography as ACEL, including Alachua County. Comparable as a local nonprofit convener and fundraiser serving overlapping community partners.
• HandsOn Orlando: Volunteer connector and nonprofit capacity-builder operating in a different Florida region. Comparable in operating model (volunteer matching, civic engagement, community-service programs) but serves the Orlando area rather than Alachua County.

Emerging players

• VolunteerHub: Volunteer management software platform serving nonprofits and corporate volunteer programs. Comparable as infrastructure for volunteer matching and engagement, though positioned as a vendor rather than a community-facing nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/acelfl
• Instagraminstagram.com/acelflorida
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alachua-county-emerging-leaders-acel-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alachua County Emerging Leaders